Assembly Election 2022 LIVE Updates: PM Modi's cash scheme outreach to 16 lakh women in Prayagraj

Goa minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday said state Congress chief Girish Chodankar must apologise in 48 hours after the latter accused him of being involved in irregularities connected to land allotment in special economic zones (SEZs). Refuting the allegations, Rane, who hold the industries portfolio in the state cabinet besides health, said in a video message that he would file a defamation case against Chodankar if an apology was not received. “I have no role as far as SEZ is concerned. You (Chodankar) need to withdraw the statement, otherwise I will file defamation suit against you,” Rane said.

Senior Goa Congress leader Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco who resigned as an MLA on Monday morning ahead of next year's assembly election, reached Kolkata in the evening and is likely to join the Trinamool Congress. The working president of the Goa Congress was welcomed at the Kolkata airport by TMC MP Santanu Sen. Lourenco resigned as a Member of the Goa Legislative Assembly on Monday, reducing the Congress' strength to two in the 40-member House.

BJP president J P Nadda is coming on a two-day visit to poll-bound Goa on Tuesday. As per the schedule, Nadda will arrive in Goa at 2.30 pm. He will hold a meeting of BJP functionlaries in the party's Margao office in the south Goa district. Nadda will address two public meetings at Shiroda and Quepem, respectively, in south Goa. On Wednesday, the BJP president will hold a meeting at the party's office in Mapusa in North Goa. Later, he will release a report card of ten years of BJP government in Goa and flag off of a 'Sankalp' rath near BJP's head office in Panaji.

The full bench of the Election Commission (EC) arrived in Goa on Monday evening to meet senior government officials and take stock of poll preparedness in the coastal state. The EC team, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, will review preparations for the upcoming elections to the 40-member Goa legislative assembly, the state's chief electoral officer, Kunal, told PTI. He said the team, which also consists of commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anoop Chandra Pandey, will be in Goa till December 22. On Tuesday, the full EC bench will meet representatives of political parties followed by a meeting with Goa's chief electoral officer and police officials. They will also meet officials from enforcement departments, he said.

Farmers have blocked rail tracks at several places in Punjab, demanding complete loan waiver and compensation to families whose members died during the course of the stir against the Centre’s farm laws. They also demanded the cancellation of police cases registered against farmers who protested the laws. The train movement was affected in the state due to their “rail roko” agitation, which started under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee. According to railway officials, over 55 trains were affected following the protest by farmers at Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. They said 27 trains were cancelled, 11 were short-terminated while 17 were halted.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday wrote to the Centre, asking for obtaining presidential assent for two bills passed by the state Assembly in 2018 for ensuring stringent punishment for those involved in desecration incidents. Randhawa wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for ensuring assent to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, which provide for life imprisonment for the sacrilege of holy books.

Congress MLA Navtej Singh Cheema has slammed Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh for levelling "false" allegations against state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Cheema asked Rana Gurjeet Singh not to question the “honesty” of Sidhu, stating the former cricketer has been working hard to strengthen the Congress in the state ahead of the Assembly elections. Cheema’s statement has come a day after Rana called Sidhu a “political mercenary” and accused his of creating fissures in the party. On the other hand, Cheema accused Rana of weakening the party in several Assembly constituencies in the Doaba region.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the Prime Minister would inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various projects worth Rs 11,000 crore during his two-hour visit on December 27. Modi's proposed visit to the chief minister's home district Mandi is significant after the defeat of the ruling BJP in recent bypolls. The BJP lost Mandi Lok Sabha and all three assembly seats -- Fatehpur, Arki, Jubbal-Kotkhai -- in the October bypolls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a public meeting in Mandi on December 27 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Jai Ram Thakur-led government in Himachal Pradesh. State BJP president Suresh Kashyap claimed that one lakh people from all parts of Himachal Pradesh would participate in the rally.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday alleged that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cannot understand the importance of toilets and free gas connections for women. The UP assembly poll campaign in-charge made the allegation a day after Priyanka Gandhi reportedly said in Rae Bareli that free gas connections, oven and ration are being given to women for their votes. She also reportedly told women that toilet and gas connections alone will not do and they have to be empowered. "She (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) says that toilets and gas cylinders do not empower women. She does not feel the pain and 'sharm' (humiliation) of those women who have to go in the open after the sunset or before the sunrise to answer nature's call,” said Pradhan in a statement. “She is not connected to the ground reality, and so she is talking like this," he added.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has accused rival parties of ignoring women, saying they started talking about them only after her party gave the slogan of "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" (I am a girl and I can fight). She said her party’s "one small initiative has awakened all political parties". The Congress has announced it will give 40 per cent of tickets to women candidates in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" is one of the slogans it has given to underscore women power.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the ruling BJP of “polluting” the country’s politics and said the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls will also decide the fate of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The opposition leader claimed that there is a wave against the BJP, which runs the government in the state and the Centre. "There is a threat to democracy. By repeatedly lying, the BJP wants to present lies as truth. It not only polluted the rivers but also the politics of the country," Yadav claimed.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has praised the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh saying it was just a “trailer” and the “real film” was yet to come. Gadkari made the remark addressing a public meeting after flagging off BJP's Jan Vishwas Yatra in Chandpur in Bijnor district. "We are not just ending hooliganism in Uttar Pradesh, we are also going to end poverty, hunger and unemployment. The five years that you saw was a trailer. The real film is yet to start. Give chance to the double engine of the BJP government in the state once again and sit in peace and see how miracles will happen," the minister said. He claimed ‘Ram Rajya’ was started in the country in 2014 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated and laid foundation stones of road projects worth Rs 4,160 crore in Jaunpur and Mirzapur districts of Uttar Pradesh. While in Jaunpur, Gadkari laid the foundation stone for three national highway projects costing Rs 1,123 crore, he in Mirzapur inaugurated four national highway projects worth Rs 3,037 crore. "We are committed for the development of Uttar Pradesh. These road projects will give a boost to the development of state and provide better connectivity in the region," he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday took a swipe at the BJP over the Uttar Pradesh government's move to introduce ‘happiness curriculum’ in primary schools, saying the Yogi Adityanath dispensation is copying the AAP government. Preparations are underway to implement ‘happiness curriculum’ in primary schools of Uttar Pradesh, on the lines of Chhattisgarh and Delhi, under a pilot project aimed at making students more sensitive towards nature, society and the country. The course is being developed keeping in mind the geographical and cultural conditions of Uttar Pradesh, state in-charge (happiness curriculum) Saurabh Malviya told PTI on Sunday.

Foolproof security arrangements have been made in Prayagraj for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will stay in Prayagraj for two hours as per the programme, during which the traffic movement will be diverted. The entire route has been sanitized and special vigil is being maintained at the venue. Prime Minister Modi will arrive in the holy city at around 1 p.m. at Bamrauli airport and the proceed to the parade ground by helicopter.

PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of 202 supplementary nutrition manufacturing units when he visits Prayagraj on Tuesday. The Prime Minister has already visited poll-bound Uttar Pradesh six times in the past month. He has been to Gorakhpur, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Jhansi, Greater Noida and Balrampur to unveil various projects. He was also in Lucknow for the directors general of police (DGPs) conference.

The Prime Minister will transfer Rs 20.20 crore to 1.01 lakh beneficiaries of Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme under which conditional cash transfer is made to a girl's account at various stages, with each being entitled to Rs 15,000 in total.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Prayagraj on Tuesday to attend programmes related to women. The Prime Minister will transfer Rs 1,000 crore into the accounts of 1.60 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) and Rs 20.20 crore to 1.01 lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana on Tuesday.