Congress not to field candidates in UP Assembly bypolls, says will support INDIA bloc nominees
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday announced it would not field candidates in the nine Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and would support the INDIA bloc nominees, asserting that the prevailing political situation demands prioritising efforts to protect the Constitution over party interests.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here along with the Congress' Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Avinash Pande said party workers and leaders would unconditionally work to ensure the victory of Samajwadi Party candidates or that of other INDIA bloc parties.
"The manner in which political and social tensions are rising in UP and in the country and keeping in mind the objectives with which the INDIA bloc was created, on that basis, the question is not about strengthening organisation or forwarding party interests but to save the Constitution and to strengthen mutual harmony," Pande said. Keeping this in mind, on the suggestions of UP Congress leaders, the party has decided not to field its candidates but strongly work for the victory of the INDIA bloc nominees, he said.
"We have to ensure the defeat of the BJP nominees so that it has a positive impact on the Assembly polls in 2027," Pande asserted.
Pande said recently, under the aegis of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, 'Samvidhan Bachao Sankalp Sammelan' were organised in all the 10 Assembly constituencies where bypolls are due.
"If the BJP is not stopped today, then the Constitution, brotherhood and mutual harmony will weaken in the times to come," he alleged.
He asserted that it was not about seats but victory on these seats.
Pande said the decision was arrived at after consultations involving Rai, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Misra, AICC general secretary organisation K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, alongwith the SP leadership.
The Congress' assertion came a day after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said all the INDIA bloc candidates would contest the bypolls on the party's 'cycle' election symbol.
Pande, however, clarified that the candidate and symbol both would be of the SP or any other INDIA bloc ally, and not of the Congress.
Yadav had earlier said the alliance's decision was not informed by any seat-sharing maths but a pursuit of victory.
"The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. The INDIA bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election," Yadav said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Yadav on Thursday shared on X a picture with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and emphasised their shared commitment to protect the Constitution, reservation and social harmony.
The nine assembly seats going to polls are Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki.
The bypolls are scheduled to be held on November 13 and the results will be announced on November 23.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
