UP at work after Nitish victory

After the Bihar elections,Mayawati had attributed Nitish Kumars victory to the nepotism of Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan rather than to good governance.

After the Bihar elections,Mayawati had attributed Nitish Kumars victory to the nepotism of Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan rather than to good governance. Yet,apparent efforts to emulate that state have picked up with the Uttar Pradesh government making constant departmental reviews and asking officials to speed up development; take people to task for deadlines missed; discuss hurdles in project implementation; review progress separately on every major scheme. From top bureaucrats to lower ranked officers,targets and deadlines have been set. Officers are being told their work is being monitored,especially in case of roads and infrastructural projects. Sources in the government say ministers,too,have been told they should be visible in the field during programmes involving their departments and should dispose of complaints as early as possible. Mayawati has denied these moves having anything to do with Nitishs victory.

No contest in rural polls

Amid complaints of violence,kidnapping and threats,BSP-supported candidates have done exceptionally well in the panchayat elections. Of 71 Zilla Panchayat posts,20 have had leaders elected unopposed; of 821 Block heads,more than 200 are set to be elected unopposed. This has happened amid a number of complaints by other parties to the Election Commission and the Governor alleging that their candidates were not allowed to file nominations,and how the government machinery was being misused at places where relatives of top BSP leaders were contesting the elections. The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court had directed the state Election Commission to ensure free and fair panchayat elections without pressure from any quarter.

Uma leaves state BJP cold

Story continues below this ad

After L K Advanis recent blog about the possibility of Uma Bharti rejoining the BJP and working towards strengthening the party in Uttar Pradesh,many state BJP leaders met her in Lucknow and Ayodhya,giving her a warm welcome,but few seemed excited about the role she could play in the state. Bharti claims both Advani and Nitin Gadkari want her to join the party; most UP leaders have little to say beyond,We will accept whatever the party decides. Many feel,in fact,that her presence might overshadow theirs with the Assembly elections round the corner. Bharti has,however,clarified,I look forward to contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and not the 2012 Assembly polls.

Amars agenda

Former Samajwadi party general secretary Amar Singh has started making the news for reasons other than his blogs,for the first time since he resigned. He has defied his poor health and gone on a foot march,holding public meetings across eastern Uttar Pradesh to demand a separate state of Purvanchal. His Purvanchal Swabhiman Yatra began from Allahabad on December 1 and will end on December 30 at Gorakhpur. However,his favourite subject during public meetings has remained Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family. If I open my mouth,then Mulayam will go to jail, he has said. People of the Purvanchal region are wondering what his real agenda is.

Nizamuddin went to the US in December 2015 for a Master’s course in Computer Science, which he completed from Florida Institute of Technology in 2017. He completed his B.Tech in ECE from Jayaprakash Narayan College of Engineering, Mahbubnagar.

‘Complained of racial discrimination’: Family of Indian techie shot dead by police in US

India2 hr ago

31-year-old Mohammed Nizamuddin was allegedly shot dead by police in Santa Clara, California on September 3. His family was informed 15 days later and are struggling to understand what happened. Nizamuddin had complained about racial discrimination and harassment before quitting his job. His father has requested assistance in bringing his son's body back home.

View all shorts

Live Blog