More farmers pour into protest site at Ghazipur border, extra forces withdrawn
New Delhi: Crowds swelled at the Ghazipur border on Friday as around 1000 farmers from western Uttar Pradesh joined the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) members who have stayed put on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway to demand repeal of agri laws, while several farmers from Haryana decided to move towards Delhi borders to join the stir.
Notwithstanding the Ghaziabad administration's ultimatum to the protestors to vacate the UP Gate protest site, more farmers from western Uttar Pradesh districts such as Meerut, Baghpat, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad and Bulandshahr reached the UP Gate early morning to join the stir following an emotional appeal by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait.
The crowd of protesters that had reduced to 500 on Thursday night has now again increased with around 1000 farmers joining the stir.
Flanked by supporters, Tikait remained at the centrestage of the protest site on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which has been barricaded from both sides, prohibiting regular traffic movement.
However, extra security forces deployed at the protest site have been sent back.
Several farmers from parts of Haryana have also decided to move towards Delhi borders to join the ongoing agitation against agri laws and held protests against lookout notices to peasant leaders and the Ghaziabad administration's ultimatum to vacate protest site.
The farmers claimed that issuing the lookout notices and asking the farmers to vacate the site will not weaken the ongoing agitation against the Centre's new farm laws.
A number of farmers from Jind, Rohtak, Kaithal, Hisar, Bhiwani and Sonipat will be heading towards various protest sites at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, farmer leaders from Haryana claimed.
Backing the protesting farmers, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh announced support to the BKU.
The former Union minister spoken to BKU president Naresh Tikait and spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, RLD vice president and his son Jayant Chaudhary said.
"It is a matter of life and death for farmers, but do not worry. All have to stay together, united in this -- this is Chaudhary sahab's (Ajit Singh's) message," the RLD vice president said in a tweet in Hindi.
Jayant Chaudhary also visited the protest site at Ghazipur.
The Kejriwal government also extended its support to the farmers with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visiting the Ghazipur border protest site to check the arrangements made for them by the city government.
Talking to reporters, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said the farmers' protest has full support of the Delhi government. Sisodia said farmer leader Rakesh Tikait had spoken to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and asked for basic amenities.
"On the orders of the chief minister, the arrangements were made at night," he said.
Kejriwal said the AAP fully backs the ongoing protest of farmers, calling their demands valid and attempts to discredit them completely wrong.
The Ghaziabad administration late Thursday night gave an ultimatum to agitating farmers to vacate the UP Gate protest site but Tikait remained adamant, saying he would commit suicide but won't end the stir.
Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani visited the protest site post midnight to review the situation at the site where hundreds of security personnel in anti-riot gears were deployed on Thursday.
Many of these personnel, including those from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), left the protest site in the dead of the night following official instructions.
"Excess security force from the protest site has been withdrawn and only a minimal deployment of personnel remains there," a Ghaziabad police officer told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"Tension was building at the UP Gate due to an excessive deployment of security personnel since Thursday evening," he added.
According to the officer, some BKU protestors were served notices under section 133 (removal of public nuisance) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on Thursday.
Ankit Sahrawat, a farmer from Muzaffarnagar, said he reached the UP Gate early on Friday along with 40-50 people.
"More farmers from western Uttar Pradesh districts will reach here. Everybody has condemned what happened in Delhi on Republic Day but now they have made Chaudhary sahab (Rakesh Tikait) cry. Unke aansu nikle hain, wo sahan nahi hoga (Farmers will not tolerate that Tikait had to shed tears)," Sahrawat told reporters.
The Ghaziabad administration made a "verbal" communication to the BKU on Thursday, giving it an "ultimatum" to leave the UP Gate by midnight, a move that came close on the heels of three farmer unions calling off their protest against three farm laws of the Centre over the violence in Delhi on January 26.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The protesting farmers have expressed the apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.
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Vartha Bharati–Sankalp predictions align closely with Karnataka bypoll results
Bengaluru: The Vartha Bharati–Sankalp election analysis has shown a high level of accuracy in predicting the outcome of the recent Karnataka Assembly by-elections held in May 2026, correctly calling winners in both constituencies and closely estimating vote share trends.
The by-elections were held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, drawing significant political attention as both seats were seen as key tests for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
According to the analysis, Vartha Bharati–Sankalp had made three major projections ahead of the results the winning party, vote share percentages, and margin of victory.
In both constituencies, the platform accurately predicted that the Congress would emerge victorious. The outcome matched the projections, with Congress candidates winning in Bagalkot and Davanagere South.
In terms of vote share, the predictions were largely in line with the final results. In Bagalkot, the BJP’s vote share was forecast in the range of 40 to 46 per cent, while the actual figure stood at 42.9 per cent. The Congress vote share, however, exceeded expectations, with the party securing 55.4 per cent against a projected range of 43 to 48 per cent.
The margin of victory in Bagalkot turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. While the projection had placed the margin between 2,000 and 3,500 votes, the final margin was around 22,332 votes.
In Davanagere South, the predictions also remained largely accurate. The Congress vote share was projected between 43 and 51 per cent, and the final figure stood at 43.9 per cent. The BJP was expected to secure between 42 and 50 per cent but ended with 40.3 per cent.
The analysis had also identified the role of SDPI as a potential spoiler in the constituency. While its vote share was estimated around 6 per cent, the party eventually secured around 12 per cent of the vote.
The margin of victory in Davanagere South was predicted to be between 1,500 and 2,600 votes. The actual margin was higher at around 5,708 votes, though the contest remained relatively close as anticipated.
Overall, the performance of Vartha Bharati–Sankalp stood out for correctly identifying the winning parties in both seats and maintaining close accuracy in vote share estimates, with only limited deviations in specific cases.
