India News

Adityanath, his 2 deputies and ministers to enter UP Assembly as MLCs, not MLAs

Published

9 years ago

August 30, 2017

Adityanath, his 2 deputies and ministers to enter UP Assembly as MLCs, not MLAs

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Uttar Pradesh chief minister shies away from contesting by poll to enter state Assembly, election for UP Vidhan Parishad scheduled for September 15

At a time when the BJP has been riding high on its remarkable victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections held earlier this year, it seems Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath – who is still a Lok Sabha MP from the state’s Gorakhpur constituency – doesn’t wish to face the electorate in a by poll to be elected to the Vidhan Sabha.

Adityanath, his deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya (Lok Sabha MP from Phulpur) and Dinesh Sharma, as also his cabinet colleagues Swatantradev Singh and Mohsin Raza will all enter the Uttar Pradesh assembly as Members of Legislative Council and not MLAs.

The BJP central election committee has finalised their names to contest MLC polls due on September 15 for the five seats in the UP Vidhan Parishad (the state equivalent of Parliament’s upper house – Rajya Sabha) that fell vacant after the resignation of four Samajwadi Party members and one Bahujan Samaj Party MLC.

The MLCs who had resigned earlier this month were Samajawadi Party’s Bukkal Nawab, Yashwant, Sarojini Agarwal and Ashok Bajpai and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Thakur Jaiveer Singh.

The SP and BSP MLCs – whose terms were anyway about to expire – had recently resigned from their respective parties when BJP national president Amit Shah was on a visit to Lucknow. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati have both accused the BJP of engineering the resignations of the MLCs – who later switched to the saffron party – to facilitate the entry of Adityanath and his cabinet colleagues into the council without sacrificing any lawmakers in the Vidhan Sabha.

The desperation of the BJP and Adityanath in avoiding a direct (MLA) election to enter the Vidhan Sabha can be gauged from the fact that the UP chief minister had recently written to the Election Commission urging it to hold by poll for the seat vacated by Thakur Jaiveer Singh at the same time as the election for the other four seats.

Jaiveer Singh’s tenure as MLC was scheduled to end on May 5, 2018. Though six MLC seats were vacant, the EC had announced by poll only for four seats as terms for the remaining two seats was to end in less than one year and the poll panel usually avoids holding by-election to seats that are set to open up for election within such a short period.

However, on Tuesday, the EC – obliging Adityanath’s request – announced elections for the seat vacated by Jaiveer Singh.

The ECI is not holding by poll for the sixth seat vacated by SP member Ambika Chaudhary, who had later joined the BSP.

While nominations to four Vidhan Parishad seats began on Tuesday, the nomination procedure for the fifth seat – vacated by Jaiveer Singh – will now begin onAugust 31 and end on September 7. The last date of withdrawals is September 11. Voting, if necessary, will take place on September 15 and counting of votes will be done on the same day. Adityanath and his four cabinet colleagues have to be elected to either house of the UP Assembly by September 19.

Although the five leaders will now not be required to contest direct polls to enter the UP Vidhan Sabha, their entry into the Vidhan Parishad will force a by-election to the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats represented by Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya respectively. Adityanath and Maurya will be required to resign from their Lok Sabha seats within 15 days of their election as MLCs.

Yogi’s decision to enter the UP Assembly as an MLC has surprised many as the BJP top brass had maintained that the controversial priest-politician will contest the assembly by poll after asking one of the sitting BJP MLAs to resign. Several BJP MLAs had even offered to resign from their seats in order to allow Adityanath to contest a by poll.

Sources say with a strong presence in both houses of the UP Assembly, the BJP can easily pass laws and take decisions without Opposition veto.

Like the Rajya Sabha, members of the Vidhan Parishad are elected for six years by legislators and others. Many would say this saves candidate the grind of facing the electorate directly through campaigning, public rallies and voting.

Yogi Adityanath’s predecessors Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati were also Members of the Legislative Council as were former UP chief ministers Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Narayan Dutt Tiwari and Ram Prakash Gupta.

Members of the Vidhan Parishad cannot participate in a vote of confidence or suggest money bills, unlike their counterparts in the Vidhan Sabha.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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INDIA bloc likely to meet on September 30 over Gyanesh Kumar row

INDIA bloc parties are likely to meet in New Delhi on September 30 amid growing opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Published

3 hours ago

September 26, 2026

APNLive Desk

Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc are set to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss concerns surrounding the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a proposed removal motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The proposed meeting comes amid growing coordination among opposition parties over the functioning of the poll panel and demands for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The parties are also discussing a possible joint response to the developments.

Why is the INDIA bloc meeting being planned?

The INDIA bloc meeting on September 30 comes amid reports of objections within the Election Commission over certain decisions and orders related to the SIR exercise.

According to the report, Opposition leaders have been discussing a coordinated response to their concerns over the Election Commission and the electoral-roll revision process.

The issue is also expected to be discussed at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29, a day before the proposed INDIA bloc meeting.

Gyanesh Kumar removal demand in focus

The demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has become a major point of contention between the Opposition and the Election Commission.

The CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation have demanded Kumar’s removal and an immediate halt to the SIR exercise. Congress has also intensified its criticism of the CEC.

Opposition parties are also working on a fresh removal motion against Gyanesh Kumar. The September 30 meeting is expected to finalise the strategy for the motion, including the collection of signatures. According to the report, this would be the Opposition’s third such attempt.

What is the SIR controversy?

The political dispute is linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, or SIR.

The controversy intensified following a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions concerning decisions and orders related to the SIR process.

The Election Commission has said that differing views and observations are part of normal deliberations in a multi-member constitutional body. The poll panel has also maintained that its orders have legal sanction and follow statutory procedures, while stating that the final decisions on the SIR were taken unanimously.

TMC and Left parties coordinate over the issue

The developments have also brought the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) together on the Election Commission issue, despite their political differences in West Bengal.

CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby proposed an immediate meeting to discuss a joint strategy. According to the report, Mamata Banerjee spoke with M A Baby and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, after which the leaders settled on September 30 for the meeting.

What could be discussed at the September 30 meeting?

The proposed meeting is expected to focus on:

Concerns surrounding the Election Commission
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls
Opposition demands concerning CEC Gyanesh Kumar
A possible fresh removal notice against the CEC
A coordinated response by INDIA bloc parties

The exact agenda and participation will depend on the discussions among the opposition parties before the proposed meeting.

India News

“Will die but won’t give up”: Sahil Wakode’s parents urge IIT students to continue fight

Sahil Wakode’s parents have appealed to IIT Bombay students to continue their fight for justice amid the ongoing investigation into their son’s death.

Published

4 hours ago

September 26, 2026

APNLive Desk

The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode have appealed to students to continue raising their voices and fighting for justice following their son’s death.

Sahil Wakode, a second-year student at IIT Bombay, died in his hostel room on September 18. His death has led to student protests and an ongoing investigation by the Mumbai Crime Branch.

What Sahil Wakode’s parents have alleged

Sahil’s parents have alleged that their son faced caste-based discrimination and harassment at IIT Bombay before his death. They have sought action against those they hold responsible and have demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The family has also called for a CBI inquiry and has sought the arrest of officials named in the case. These remain allegations and are part of the ongoing investigation.

The Mumbai Crime Branch took over the probe after an FIR was registered following the complaint by Sahil’s parents.

IIT Bombay’s position

IIT Bombay has said that Sahil was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination and had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.

The institute has maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. It said the matter had been discussed with him by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.

The circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death are being investigated by the appropriate authorities.

Investigation continues

The case remains under investigation, with the Mumbai Crime Branch examining the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death and the allegations made by his family.

His parents have continued to demand justice and action against those they believe were responsible, while the investigation is expected to establish the facts surrounding the case.

India News

Gyanesh Kumar meets election commissioners amid poll panel row

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar met Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi amid a controversy over reported objections to Election Commission decisions.

Published

4 hours ago

September 26, 2026

APNLive Desk

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar held a meeting with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi amid an ongoing controversy over the functioning and decision-making process of the Election Commission of India.

The meeting comes days after a report raised questions over formal objections allegedly recorded by the two Election Commissioners regarding several decisions and orders of the poll panel.

The Election Commission has maintained that differing views, observations and suggestions are part of its normal deliberative process. It has also said that all decisions taken by the full Commission over the past year were unanimous.

What is the Election Commission controversy?

The controversy followed a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period.

The reported objections included issues concerning changes to Form 6, the handling of additions and deletions from electoral rolls and the centralisation of electoral-roll data.

Form 6 is the statutory form used for applying for registration as a voter.

The Election Commission, however, has disputed the suggestion that the objections amounted to dissent over final decisions. The poll body said written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks and balances are standard parts of its functioning.

ECI says decisions were unanimous

The poll panel has said that all decisions taken by it during the past year were the outcome of unanimous decisions of the full Commission.

It also said that operational queries or inputs raised during the drafting stage are part of the normal administrative process and are intended to improve electoral procedures and safeguard voter rights.

The issue has gained significance because the Election Commission is conducting electoral-roll revisions, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), in several parts of the country.

Opposition parties have questioned the functioning of the poll panel and have cited the reported objections by the two Election Commissioners in their criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Political parties seek clarification

The controversy has also prompted calls for greater clarity from political parties, including some parties that are allies of the BJP-led NDA.

LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, TDP Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha have sought clarification from the Election Commission regarding concerns surrounding the voter-list revision and the reported objections.

The Election Commission has continued to maintain that its decisions have followed the applicable laws, rules and established procedures.