Election round-up: Former union minister R P N Singh deserts Congress for BJP; setback for Majithia in court

NEW DELHI: The BJP's Uttar Pradesh campaign received a boost as former union minister R P N Singh quit Congress and joined it.
As Singh wields considerable clout in Padrauna and neighbouring areas of eastern UP, the BJP seems to have found an answer to the setback it received when former minister Swami Prasad Maurya left the party.
In Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal received a setback as the high court dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Bikram Singh Majithia, one of its top leaders.
Here is a quick round-up of the developments on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh
Weeks ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Congress leader RPN Singh quit the party and joined the BJP, in a setback to the grand old party, which is already facing an existential crisis in the state.
Singh was named as a star campaigner on Monday by the Congress for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. A day later, he posted his resignation to party chief Sonia Gandhi on Twitter with a caption "Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind."
A former Union minister in the UPA II government, the 57-year-old leader joined the BJP at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
By bringing in Singh, a kurmi leader, an OBC in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is also seeking to neutralise the effect of OBC leader Swami Prasad Mourya's exit from the party.
Punjab
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted a three-day protection from arrest to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia for approaching the Supreme Court to challenge its order in which the anticipatory bail plea of the former minister had been dismissed. The court of Justice Lisa Gill on Monday had dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Majithia, who had been booked in a drug case earlier.
"….petitioner is afforded three days to enable him to approach the Hon'ble Supreme Court for challenging this order. Till then, petitioner be not arrested," according to the order which came out on Tuesday.
Majithia's counsel had prayed for protection for seven days from the court.
The dismissal of the anticipatory bail plea has come as a setback to Majithia, who is the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from the Majitha Assembly constituency in Amritsar district.
Meanwhile, according to reports,Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and all 117 party candidates in Punjab will pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and sit down for a langar on Thursday. Later in the day, Gandhi will address a virtual rally of the party from Jalandhar's Mithapur.
Uttarakhand
At a time when the BJP is busy pacifying leaders denied ticket for the Uttarakhand Assembly polls, Yamkeshwar MLA Ritu Khanduri said for her the party is paramount and the decision of not fielding her must have a good reason. The party has gambled on Renu Bisht in place of Khanduri from Yamkeshwar this time.
Party sources said the decision was based on a pre-poll internal survey, which showed grim chances of her winning the seat.
Ritu Khanduri is the daughter of former CM Maj Gen Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri.
When asked why she was denied the ticket, Khanduri said, "I come from a family in which I don't ask many questions. There must have been some reason for not giving me the ticket. For me, the party is paramount."
"I feel if the party has taken this decision, it must have been for some good purpose. I have no problem with this decision," said Khanduri.
Khanduri had defeated Bisht by 8,982 votes in the 2017 Assembly polls. Bisht had contested as an independent candidate then.
Goa
The Trinamool Congress Party announced its third list of six candidates for the Goa Assembly elections scheduled to be held on February 14. With this, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has declared a total of 24 candidates for the upcoming polls.
As per the list, the Goa Congress' former spokesman Rakhi Naik Prabhudesai will be contesting from Sanguem, while former Congressman Saifulla Khan will contest from the Vasco Assembly seat.
Tarak Arolkar, who had recently quit the Congress to join the TMC, has been given a ticket from Mapusa Assembly constituency, it was stated.
Former Congressman Bholanath Ghadi Sakhalkar will fight from Saligao and folk artist Kanta Kashinath Gaude will contest from Quepem.
The TMC is fighting the polls for the 40-member Assembly in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
Manipur
Parties continued to reach out to voters ahead of elections. Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party president, Conrad Sangma along with Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh of Manipur and State president L Jayantakumar Singh on Sunday virtually released the manifesto (Action Document 2022) for the upcoming Manipur Assembly elections.
The five states go to polls next month.
(With inputs from agencies.)