election 2019

Invoking the gods ahead of the political battle, Mathura MP and BJP candidate Hema Malini visited the Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan and UPCC president Raj Babbar paid obeisance at Mankameshwar temple in Agra before filing nominations on Monday. Hema, who is seeking re-election, was accompanied by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Babbar is Congress candidate from Fatehpur Sikri. Draped in a traditional ‘dhoti’, Babbar performed all rituals at this much revered Shiva temple. Later, he reached the Collectorate to file his nomination at an auspicious time.

LUCKNOW :The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday expelled party leader and former UP minister IP Singh hours after he posted a controversial tweet against BJP’s top leadership while welcoming Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to contest from Azamgarh, his home district.

Singh, who said he was ready to offer his residence as Yadav’s election office in Azamgarh, has been critical of his party for a while.

“I believe Akhileshji’s decision to contest from Azamgarh would help develop this backward region,” he said annoying many in the BJP.

Soon thereafter UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey issued his expulsion order.

This is the second time that Singh has been expelled from the BJP, the first being in 2012 when he had opposed the party’s decision to induct former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, then a close aide of the BSP chief Mayawati, into the party.

Kushwaha was named in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) irregularity case and Singh had opposed his induction into the BJP, which was subsequently put on hold.

Over the last couple of days, Singh hit out at nearly all top state and national BJP leaders and had added the prefix ‘usuldaar (principled)’ to his twitter handle at a time when nearly all top party leaders had added ‘chowkidar’ (watchman) in keeping with the Bharatiya Janata Party top leadership’s decision to go into the polls with ‘main bhi chowkidar’ (I am a watchman too) slogan.

The Congress has been targeting the BJP by adding ‘chowkidar chor hai’ (the watchman is corrupt).

“Today my innings in the BJP has ended for raising the issue of internal corruption in the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Singh tweeted later.