All the three major parties in Uttar Pradesh expressed confidence of emerging victorious from the recent assembly polls, the BJP even ordering ’laddoos’ and bands ahead of Saturday’s vote count. But many contestants had anxiety writ large on their faces and prayer on their lips, and sought divine benevolence after a hectic, two-month campaign. Preparations for ballot counting have been completed at the 75 centres across the state, said poll officials. At first, postal ballots will be counted as counting begins at 8 am. After that the seals of the electronic voting machines (EVM) will be broken in front of agents of various parties and contestants and the Election Commission officials. [caption id=“attachment_1968921” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP.[/caption] Ahead of the D-Day, even the most optimistic of candidates are keeping their fingers crossed and many have taken to praying to their favourite gods or undertaking pilgrimages with their families. Anurag Bhadouria, the Congress candidate from Lucknow East, said he had gone to the Sai Baba temple in Maharashtra’s Shirdi and is hopeful that “my Guru would see me through”. Archana Dixit, wife of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Yogesh Dixit, says she is all set for the vote counting day and the family plans to visit the famous Hanuman Setu temple here after victory. “We have done a lot of hard work and am sure that victory will be ours,” she said, adding the family flew to Nepal after the polling in Lucknow and visited the famous Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu to seek blessings of Lord Shiva. Former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who switched loyalties to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the polls and re-contested from Lucknow Cantt, says she has full faith in the people of her constituency and is relaxed about her win. “I have been meeting people, visiting my favourite temple and am confident that with the track record as a legislator and the charisma of Prime Minister Modi, I will emerge victorious,” she said. BJP’s state women’s wing chief Swati Singh, who contested the election from Sarojiningar constituency in the state capital, said she had undertaken a pilgrimage of Banke Bihari temple in Mathura. “I have been travelling a lot, campaigned for the party and have also visited the Bhrigu temple in Ballia, praying for my victory,” she said. BSP candidate Shankari Singh is busy with ‘hawans’ and is hopeful of a “good victory, God willing”, while Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who is contesting her first elections from Lucknow Cantt, has just returned from Patna Saheb and is optimistic about her win. “I have worked hard in my constituency and am sure people will reward me with a victory,” she said. Owing to the high-voltage campaign spearhead by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP workers and leaders are confident of getting a “majority” in the state assembly. Laddos have been ordered and music bands requisitioned for the vote counting day. BJP state General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the leadership has already said it would be a “vijay ki Holi” so they are all geared up for March 11, while Samajwadi Party legislator Udayveer Singh, a close associate of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, expressed similar sentiments. But he said the celebration part is for the candidates to take care of. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, known for her low profile style of celebrating victories, will stay at her sprawling Mall Avenue residence and has asked cadres and leaders to first focus on counting and to ensure that there is no problem there. “We will celebrate in style once we romp home safe and with good lead,” said a senior party leader. The Uttar Pradesh assembly has 403 seats and the ruling Samajwadi Party had 224 in the outgoing house. The BSP had 80, the BJP 48, and the Congress 28 members. With inputs from agencies
Narendra Modi victory speech highlights: PM calls BJP win end of appeasement politics, says governance should be inclusive of all
The Uttar Pradesh assembly has 403 seats the results for which will be announced on Saturday
 "Narendra Modi victory speech highlights: PM calls BJP win end of appeasement politics, says governance should be inclusive of all")
Will push myself more, won’t disappoint voters: PM Modi’s message to BJP supporters
In his victory speech, prime minister Narendra Modi said that he will work harder to ensure that the government delivers to the aspirations of the people . He said that the government is for all people, and he would like all the BJP workers and governments to work with this belief in mind.
Poll victories mark golden era for BJP: PM Modi
Addressing party workers, Modi said that the recent election victories mark the golden era for the Bharatiya Janata Party. He, however, added that this golden moment wasn’t handed down to the party by anyone, and he doesn’t regret the fact. He said that the victory was the fruit of party workers hard work.
Middle class bears the most burden, contributes the most for the nation: PM Modi
Tapping the massive support Modi enjoys amid the middle class, the Prime Minister said that the middle class bears the burden of rules and law the most and it contributes for the growth of the nation. He said that he seeks to empower the poor, which will not only strengthen the marginal section of the society but ease the pressure from the middle class.
These elections are an emotional issue for us. They come when we mark the centenary celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Ji: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/GWDlVFJNOt
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2017
We accept our unprecedented victory with all humbleness: PM Modi
Paralleling the BJP sweep in recent polls with a fruit laden tree, Modi said that now it is the party’s responsibility to accept it with humbleness. He said just like a fruit laden tree remains bowed in humbleness, the party too should work relentlessly for the people who have put their trust in the party.
Elections are a festival of democracy: Narendra Modi
Addressing the party workers for the first time after the massive win in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said that elections are the festival of democracy and the fact that people participated in it wholeheartedly is a good sign for the nation.
BJP will fulfill all the promises it made: Amit Shah
Amit Shah, addressing party workers at the headquarters, said that Narendra Modi was not only a popular leader but he also succeeded in rekindled hope amid the poor that there lives can get better.
He also promised that the party will justify the faith that the people have shown in the BJP, by working for their development.
Spectacle of Modi’s cult in and around BJP HQ
According to CNN-News18 ground reporters, BJP supporters from far and wide places have come to see Modi’s address in the national capital. A BJP supporter, interacting with the News-18 reporter said he carries Modi’s picture everywhere and worships him like a god. Another supporter, decked up in saffron, said he had travelled from Rajasthan to see the Prime Minister.
People had been waiting at the party headquarters for over two hours but the programme has been delayed.
Post a Super Show on Saturday, Modi Out to Take in The Applause
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having ended what the BJP often described in its campaign as ‘14 saal ka vanvaas’, will appear in public for the first time since his party’s landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
According to some reports, Modi could travel in his convoy till the Le Meridien hotel from where he could take the 100 m walk down to his party headquarters, where party workers, lined up on both sides of the Ashoka Road, are expected to greet him.” – News 18
Read the full article hereAfter SP’s debacle in UP election, Shivpal Yadav vows to fight back in the state
Sidelined SP leader Shivpal Yadav, who won from his seat in Uttar Pradesh where his party suffered a rout, has vowed to fight back in the state. The win was a consolation for Shivpal who was fighting to redeem his lost pride in his native constituency.
In an unprecedented Modi wave, BJP’s vote share increased by 260%
In an outcome unmatched over the last 40 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 312 out of 403 (77.4 percent) seats in India’s largest state assembly in its most-populous state, increasing its vote share by 25 percentage points from the 2012 assembly elections to 39.7 percent in 2017.
The BJP almost repeated its performance from the 2014 parliamentary elections, when it won 42.7 percent votes and 73 (more than 90 percent) of 80 Lok Sabha seats.
From #NoteBan to Jan Dhan Yojana, all of PM Modi's initiatives are for the development of poor people: @VijayGoelBJP to @TanushreePande pic.twitter.com/5kFEDvEps6
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 12, 2017
BJP’s massive win proves Modi magic now transcends Hindutva
The message is loud and clear: The BJP juggernaut has moved into fifth gear. And what’s more, there are no speed-breakers in sight, at least not till 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a second term.
Another thing that the outcome of the latest round of Assembly elections has established is that a good majority of Indians refuse to see Modi as a mere Hindutva leader who whips up raw communal passions to get votes. Instead, they perceive him as a man they can trust, as a man who can bring about development, as a man who can transform their lives for the better, and as a man who can bring in change.
In short, they see him as a leader who can deliver. As of now, the number of Indians who believe Modi can shape India’s destiny is large enough to ensure him victory after victory in elections. That should explain the party’s good show in four of five states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur — that saw polling. Though it lost Punjab, its victory in UP, India’s fourth largest state, was nothing but a historic landslide.
The claims of Modi-baiters, essentially comprising those who suffer from a fossilised Left ideology and those who adore the dynasty that runs the Congress, that the Modi magic has been on the wane and that the 8 November demonetisation would be a first nail in his political coffin have been decisively proved wrong.
Read full article hereMeanwhile Mulayam does a U-turn, changes stand on SP’s electoral defeat
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who earlier grabbed headlines for reportedly accusing the “arrogance of alliance” for SP’s debacle in the just-concluded UP polls, has now said that no one was responsible for the defeat.
“Nobody is responsible for the defeat, there are no reasons behind it; this is the people’s mandate. The BJP has made tall promises let’s see how much of it they fulfil,” Mulayam said.
Haar ka zimedaar koi nahi,koi wajah nahi.Ye janta ka vidhaan hai.BJP ne bahut wade kiye hain, dekho pure karten hain ya nahi: MS Yadav pic.twitter.com/0ztWP4rgUF
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 12, 2017
No matter who BJP picks to head UP, Amit Shah will be the super CM
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary board is all set to meet today and probably the party will pick the chief minister to be for the states of UP and Uttarakhand. However, just like the way, the BJP’s election campaign was a one-man show, the chances are really high that the chief ministerial pick is an Amit Shah loyalist.
According to a report in The Times of India, a party source said that Amit Shah wants the new chief minister should be someone “who can hit the ground running.”
Meanwhile, deliberations are on in the media circles and names liek Rajnath Singh, Manoj Sinha, KP Maurya are being talked about. The suspense will end by tonight, probably.
Party ke nirdesh ka paalan karunga, khushi hai ki party mujhe mukhya-dhara mein layi: Dayashankar Singh on withdrawal of expulsion from BJP pic.twitter.com/m9C6Ns0SXt
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 12, 2017
UP’s BJP chief brings back Dayashankar Singh
BJP president of UP Keshav Prasad Maurya revoked expulsion of Dayashankar Singh. In 2016, Singh had compared BSP chief Mayawati to a prostitute. “Ek vaishya se bhi badtar charitra ki aaj Mayawatiji ho gayi hain. Isi liye Kanshi Ram ke banaye karyakarta unka saath chhod kar ja rahe hain aur BSP samapt ho rai hai… Mayawatiji kisi ko 1 crore mein ticket deti hain. Koi 2 crore dene wala milta hai toh usey ticket de deti hain, aur shaam ko koi 3 crore dene ko taiyyar hota hai toh usey de deti hain (Mayawati gives a ticket for 1 crore which she changes if she is offered 2 crore. And she changes even that ticket if she is offered 3 crore by evening),“Singh had said.
BJP had expelled the minister after the controversial remark had stormed Parliament. BJP sources had then said that Singh would likely be expelled from the party for six years.
UP BJP President KP Maurya revokes expulsion of Dayashankar Singh who was expelled after his controversial statement on BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/XNXFAaFZPa
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 12, 2017
For UP ministers, an overwhelming thumbs down
Power does not necessarily ensure electoral victory – and so it proved for ministers of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s government, with people overwhelmingly rejecting them in the just-concluded assembly elections.
A whopping 31 of the 45 ministers bit the dust at the hustings, and where they did win, the victories were hardly convincing as most made it across the finishing line by slender margins.
Of those who lost,15 were cabinet ministers, a dozen were state ministers with independent-charge, and the remaining ministers of state.
A new India is emerging, which is being powered by the strength & skills of 125 crore Indians. This India stands for development.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2017
When we mark 75 years of freedom in 2022, we should have made an India that will make Gandhi Ji, Sardar Patel & Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar proud
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2017
BJP parliamentary board meeting today, party to decide CM pick for UP, Ukhand
The BJP parliamentary board will come in a huddle today evening to decide the strategy for forming a government in Goa and Manipur, while the party’s CM pick for UP and Uttarakhand will also be decided today. The meeting is scheduled to take place after Modi’ s grand welcome at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
Arrogance of allince took down Samajwadi Party: Mulayam Singh Yadav
Apparently UP voters didn’t like Akhilesh and Rahul ka sath and now Mulayam too finds it unsavoury.
The Samajwadi Party’s ousted patriarch has said that the alliance was the sole reason the party performed so poorly in the polls.
“The arrogance of the alliance is responsible for the debacle… I don’t know if you saw a thela-wala’s byte on TV who said I have always voted for SP but not this time as Netaji has been insulted. The message has gone far and wide. What could I have done?,” Mulayam was quoted by The Economic Time as saying.
All exit poll results at a glance
Region-wise vote share shows BJP, SP-Congress neck and neck in Uttar Pradesh
#upelections2017 #ExitPolls #2017VidhanSabha pic.twitter.com/tLFB3xIcsM
— CVoter India (@CvoterIndia) March 9, 2017
Watch News-18 analysis on UP exit poll results
#BREAKING TODAYS CHANAKYA predicts a clear majority for BJP in #UttarPradesh. @SANKETUPA @bhupendrachaube pic.twitter.com/mPiLyVh1W9
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 9, 2017
Here’s the region-wise division of seast as predicted by C-Voter
#upelections2017 #ExitPolls #2017VidhanSabha pic.twitter.com/VTFHopvXC8
— CVoter India (@CvoterIndia) March 9, 2017
Today’s Chanakya predicts massive win for BJP, writes-off BSP in Uttar Pradesh
Here’s the complete tally
| BJP | 285 ± 18 |
| SP + Congres | 88 ± 15 |
| BSP | 27 ± 12 |
| Others | 3 ± 2 |
Ever wondered how is counting of votes is done, here is an infographic tracking the counting process
Axis-My India predicts sweeping victory for BJP in UP: #Watch News18’s analysis of the exit poll results
#BREAKING Massive surge for BJP in #UttarPradsesh according to AXIS MY INDIA predictions. @SANKETUPA @bhupendrachaube pic.twitter.com/waZgFYq5rL
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 9, 2017
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