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The Samajwadi Party (SP) finds itself in a complex situation in two Lok Sabha constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh, namely Rampur and Moradabad, as multiple candidates have filed their nominations, causing a stir within the party.
In both Rampur and Moradabad, there is more than one candidate claiming allegiance to different factions within the SP. One faction supports senior party leader Mohd Azam Khan, while the other is reportedly backed by SP President Akhilesh Yadav.
In Moradabad, Akhilesh Yadav had renominated S T Hasan, the incumbent MP, as the official party candidate, and Hasan has already filed his nomination papers. However, sources indicate that Azam Khan has opposed Hasan's candidature and expressed his dissent to Akhilesh Yadav during a recent visit to Khan in jail.
Azam Khan suggested the name of Ruchi Veera for the Moradabad seat, and Veera subsequently filed her nomination papers on Wednesday as per Akhilesh Yadav's instructions. Consequently, Moradabad now has two SP candidates vying for the same seat.
A similar scenario is unfolding in Rampur, where Akhilesh Yadav endorsed Maulana Mohibullah Nadwi, the Imam of the Jama Masjid at Parliament Street, as the official party candidate. However, on the last day of nomination filing, Asim Raza, a close associate of Azam Khan, submitted his nomination papers, claiming to be the rightful SP candidate for Rampur.
The situation in Rampur became tense as party workers threatened to boycott the elections if their preferred candidate was not fielded.
In efforts to resolve the crisis, senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav has departed for Sitapur to meet with Azam Khan in jail, indicating ongoing internal tensions and power struggles within the Samajwadi Party ahead of the elections.

Samajwadi Party faces dilemma over multiple candidates in Rampur & Moradabad

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In a recent development, the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over reports suggesting that the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) political headquarters, located at Rouse Avenue in Delhi, was built on land originally allocated to the Delhi High Court.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, voiced concern that the land, meant for public use, was now being utilised as a political office.
“No one can take law into their own hands... How can a political party sit tight on that (land)? The unencumbered possession must be given back to the high court,” said a bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud.
Highlighting the issue during a hearing on judicial infrastructure, advocate K Parameshwar, representing the Delhi High Court, brought the matter to the court's attention. Parameshwar stated that despite attempts by Delhi High Court officials to reclaim the allotted land, it was occupied by a political party office, preventing the court from taking possession.
The Delhi government's law secretary, Bharat Parashar, informed the bench that the land had been in the possession of the political party since 2016. He explained that the structure on the plot, initially designated as a bungalow for a Delhi minister, was later repurposed as the office of the political party in question.
While neither Parameshwar nor Parashar explicitly mentioned the AAP, lawyers involved in the case confirmed the AAP's connection to the disputed plot.
Expressing dismay over the situation, the bench instructed senior bureaucrats from the Delhi government to meet with the registrar general of the Delhi High Court to devise a plan for returning the land to its original purpose.
In response to the allegations, the AAP refuted claims of encroachment, asserting that the land had been legitimately allocated to them by the Delhi government. The party emphasised its intention to present documentation in court to support its position, highlighting that the same land had been allocated to various government officials in the past without any encroachment issues.
“It is appalling that the central government has made incorrect submissions to mislead the Supreme Court. We will submit documents before the court, which shall clearly show that the land has been allotted to the AAP by the government of Delhi. Be it noted, that the same land, since 1992 has been allotted to IAS officers &amp; three ministers. There has been no encroachment whatsoever,” the party said in a statement.
The court's scrutiny of the matter underscores the importance of upholding the integrity of land use allocations and ensuring adherence to legal protocols.

Supreme Court criticizes AAP for encroachment on land allotted to Delhi High Court

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The second phase of elections for District Development Council (DDC) are currently underway in the newly formed union territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir.
The polls for the first phase have already been conducted successfully on 28th November, when an impressive voter turnout of 51.28% was registered, considering the freezing sub-zero temperature and an ongoing pandemic.
<ins>Historic for certain people</ins>
The abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35-A has brought relief to numerous people, who otherwise had lived an isolated life in the heavenly land of Jammu and Kashmir. These people are the refugees from West Pakistan, Valmiki Samaj (Dalits), and Gurkhas - all of whom will cast their votes for the first time in 70 years!
Until last year, people of these communities, amounting to more than 4 lakh voters, did not enjoy any voting rights, reservations in government jobs, and could not buy land or property even after living in J&amp;K since partition.
<ins>Local body elections</ins>
A total of 1427 candidates belonging to various political parties are contesting these elections. The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party are the major competitors. The recently formed People’s Alliance consists of Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party and Sajjad Lone’s J&amp;K People’s Conference.
Voting for 280 constituencies in total 20 districts (14 in each district) will take place in 8 phases from 28th November to 19th December, 2020, and the counting will be conducted on 22nd December. About 169 companies of central armed forces have been deployed for the overseeing of elections.
&nbsp;<ins>What is District Development Council (DDC)?</ins>
The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is currently being run under the administration of the Lieutenant Governor who works under the interests of Union Government (Ministry of Home Affairs). Recently, on 17th October an amendment was brought in the J&amp;K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, through which a new unit of grass root governance in the form of District Development Council (DDC), together with District Planning Committee (DPC) were established in all the districts. This system replaced the the erstwhile system of District Planning and Development Boards.
The job of the DDC is to prepare and approve district planning and capital expenditure. It consists of 14 elected representatives from each district, the MLAs, and the chairpersons of all Block Development Councils. Its CEO will be an IAS officer who will be called District Development Commissioner. The term for a DDC will be of 5 years, and it will conduct meetings at least four times a year.
The DPC will consider and guide the formulation of development planning of each district, and thus will finalise the budget accordingly. It will include chairperson of DDC, MPs, chairperson of Municipal bodies, and district development commissioner.
The key difference in the new system of governance is that a district level of government body will be there which will consists of directly elected representatives.&nbsp;
This body will work in tandem with the lower levels, that is, Block Development Council, and Village Panchayat, thus bringing robustness in the idea of democracy at grass root level.

Samajwadi Party faces dilemma over multiple candidates in Rampur & Moradabad

Supreme Court criticizes AAP for encroachment on land allotted to Delhi High Court

4L people to vote for the first time in J&K since partition