AAP to contest all seats in UP assembly polls, not in talks for any alliance: Sanjay Singh
Lucknow, Sep 12: Asserting that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would contest all 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, senior party leader Sanjay Singh has said it would be a mistake to consider AAP a minnow as it had emerged "stronger" than the Congress in the recent panchayat polls.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP made it clear that it is not in talks with any other party for an alliance in the UP assembly election due early next year.
"Our party is stronger than the Congress in the state. While the Congress won 40 seats in panchayat polls, we scored a victory in 83 panchayats. AAP got over 40 lakh votes in these polls, where 1600 party candidates contested," Singh, who is AAP's UP incharge, told PTI in an interview.
The Congress was reduced to seven seats in the 2017 election to the 403-member UP Assembly.
The AAP had earlier tested poll waters in the 2014 and 2019 Parliamentary elections on some selected seats in UP without any success.
After coming to power in Delhi, it emerged as the main opposition party in Punjab and has been trying to expand its base in other states like Goa, Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had himself contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi in 2014 and stood second ahead of the Congress and the Samajwadi party nominees.
AAP had also contested three seats of Saharanpur, Aligarh and Gautam Budh Nagar in UP but could not do much.
"We are preparing to contest on all 403 seats alone. We are presently not in talks for an alliance with any other party. Our focus is to strengthen our base in the state and in the past one and a half months, we have made over one crore members," Singh said.
"The party has made Vidhan Sabha incharges in 100-150 seats and our leaders are meeting those who want to contest," said 49-year-old Singh who hails from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, said the main issue raised by the AAP in the assembly elections "will be BJP's nationalism versus AAP's nationalism".
"BJP's nationalism is fake. Its nationalism is full of hatred and communalism. At the same time, the nationalism of the AAP is providing good education, good health, free electricity,free water, women's security and happiness," he said,
He hit out at the BJP, claiming it was "afraid" of the AAP's model of governance and was indulging in vindictive politics.
"Sixteen cases including that of sedition were filed against me. I got a stay from the Supreme Court in a sedition case. The BJP is doing vindictive politics. Our office here was closed by them. We are facing them strongly," he said.
"AAP's model of governance focuses on education, health, education and providing basic facilities to the poor and needs. Our model is an answer to casteist and communal politics played by the BJP," Singh said.
Providing jobs, unemployment allowance and better prices to farmers are among the issues the party will take up, he said.
The outcome of the UP assembly polls is considered important as it would reflect on the 2024 general election. The opposition sees an opportunity against the BJP in the bellwether state especially due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the SP and BSP have already launched their election campaign to woo various communities, the Congress under the leadership of its General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is sparing no effort to revive the party at the grassroots level.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, AAP and over a dozen small caste-centric regional parties have also announced that they are entering the ring in the politically significant state.
Singh said they will highlight the "failures" of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the past four and a half years.
"We are exposing them at the grassroots level. This government as promised during the polls made 'Shamshan' (cremation ground) in every village. In corona pandemic, every village became 'Shamshan' and people died without treatment and lack of medicines," he alleged.
"The government failed to control crime and criminal activities. Incidents like Hathras and others exposed tall claims on law and order. There are scams galore and even Kumbh and Ram Temple were not spared by scamsters," he alleged.
In the BJP regime, the state went "backwards" as they have "no concept of development", he said adding that without increasing the "purchasing power" of people there will be no economic boost.
About the presence of Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM in the UP polls and other fronts of smaller parties, Singh said, "Everyone has the right to contest in democracy."
Kejriwal, who entered politics after gaining the spotlight during Gandhian Anna Hazare's movement for the Lokpal legislation, is also spearheading the party's campaign in neighbouring Uttarakhand, where the AAP is projecting itself as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress.
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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
