Assembly election: It is natural for BJP and MGP to come together to form next govt in Goa, Fadnavis says

Riding on their poll plank of development and improved connectivity in the state in the last five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will try to retain the power in Manipur while the Congress-led alliance is seeking to wrest the state from the BJP and is hoping for a favourable verdict as the countdown begins for the counting of votes polled in the 2022 Assembly elections.

On the eve of the counting of votes, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday exuded confidence that the people of Punjab will deliver a positive verdict in favour of his party's alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt).

The Election Commission of India on Wednesday deputed special officers to supervise counting of votes in Meerut and Varanasi amid complaints from opposition parties about alleged irregularities in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

President of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, Girish Chodankar, has approached the Supreme Court challenging the judgment of the Bombay High Court at Goa bench dismissing petitions seeking disqualification of 10 Congress MLAs who later joined the BJP. He has approached the Supreme Court after the High Court on February 24, 2022 upheld the order of the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly dismissing the disqualification petition filed against 10 members of Congress who had crossed the floor over to Bharatiya Janata Party in the Goa Legislative Assembly.

A day before the Goa Assembly poll results are to be declared, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said his party is confident of getting the support of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) as both the parties are "ideologically aligned".

The BJP is attempting fraud as the SP-led alliance is going to win the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday, exhorting party workers to foil the ruling party's conspiracies.

Sub Divisional Magistrate of Uttar Pradesh's Sobhadra, Ramesh Kumar was removed on the orders of the Election Commission over the allegations of carrying postal ballots in his car. Kumar was replaced by Shyam Pratap Singh as the returning officer of 400-Ghorawal.

Three officials were removed from election duty in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, a day after the Samajwadi Party alleged that electronic voting machines were being shifted in an unauthorised manner.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that the Congress party does not trust their candidates and is keeping them in isolation without even knowing the results of the Goa Assembly elections. His remarks came after Congress has moved its Assembly poll candidates in Goa to a resort to avoid poaching bids by rival parties.

Counting of votes polled in the February 14 Assembly elections in Goa will be taken up on Thursday morning in the state, where the ruling BJP is seeking a third straight term in power, while the opposition Congress is hoping for a clear mandate in its favour to avoid the fiasco of 2017.

Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said the results of the assembly elections held in the five states will bring a change and that Congress' performance will be better.

Amid controversy over alleged violation of rules in the transportation of training electronic voting machines (EVM), the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday ordered action against Varanasi Additional District Magistrate NK Singh. Now, after the order, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer will proceed accordingly, the EC stated.