A 20-year-old man named Mohit Kumar from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district died after being bitten by a snake. Instead of seeking proper medical treatment, his family decided to immerse his body in the Ganga River, believing it would cleanse the poison. Despite keeping the body in the flowing water for two days, Mohit did not survive. The incident has sparked outrage online, with many criticizing the prevalence of superstition and the lack of scientific temper in the country.
A 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh was allegedly held hostage and sexually assaulted multiple times for three days by a man who had proposed to her and was rejected. The incident came to light on April 21 when the girl’s mother filed a complaint with the police. The accused, identified as Aman, has been arrested and remanded to jail.
Eight Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh went to polls in the first phase, with another eight set to vote in the second phase on April 26. The 2019 elections were largely bipolar, with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) contesting together. However, this year’s election is expected to be a three-cornered contest after Mayawati decided to go alone. A total of 91 candidates are in the fray for the second phase, covering Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, and Bulandshahr seats. Key seats to watch out for in the second phase include Amroha, Meerut, Mathura, and Ghaziabad. In Amroha, BSP’s winning candidate from 2019, Danish Ali, is now contesting on a Congress ticket against BJP’s Kanwar Singh Tanwar and BSP’s Mujahid Hussain. In Meerut, the BJP has replaced three-time MP Rajendra Agarwal with actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in the popular TV serial ‘Ramayan’. The BJP had a narrow victory in 2019, winning by a margin of 5,000 votes against the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. This time, both Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati have fielded Hindu candidates in a seat where Muslims constitute 36% of the population. In Mathura, the BJP has fielded two-time sitting MP Hema Malini. The actor-turned-politician faces challenge from OBC leader Mukesh Dhangar of the Congress and Chaudhary Suresh Singh of the BSP. In Ghaziabad, Mayawati has fielded Nandkishore Pundhir to capitalize on the resentment among the Rajput community against the BJP. The Congress has fielded Dolly Sharma from the seat.
A 21-year-old woman named Shalu was found dead in a straw shed in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, on the eve of her engagement. The woman had gone missing from her house on Tuesday evening, and her body was discovered the following morning with a gunshot wound to the head.
Uttar Pradesh gangster and scrap metal mafia Ravindra Nagar alias Ravi Kana, along with his girlfriend Kajal Jha, have been detained in Thailand. The Noida Police, with the assistance of their Thai counterparts, apprehended the duo. Kana faces multiple charges, including kidnapping, theft, and extortion, and has been declared a fugitive under the Red Corner Notice. The police have seized assets worth over ₹ 120 crore belonging to Kana and his associates.
The fourth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will take place on May 13 in various states across India, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 10 states and Union Territories will participate in this phase of voting, covering 176 constituencies. The counting of votes will be held on June 4 for all 545 constituencies. Key constituencies to watch in this phase include Chittoor, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Begusarai, Darbhanga, Srinagar, Dewas, Indore, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Berhampur, Adilabad, Hyderabad, Etawah, Hardoi, Asansol, and Bardhaman Durgapur. Prominent candidates in the fray include Y S Sharmila, Giriraj Singh, Mirza Sajad Hussain Beigh, Anil Firojiya, Sujay Vikhe Patil, and Shatrughan Sinha. The Election Commission of India has made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the elections, and voters are encouraged to exercise their franchise to strengthen democracy.
Union Minister Smriti Irani issued a cautionary statement during a public address in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, regarding Robert Vadra’s alleged knowledge of Jagdishpur. She urged residents to safeguard their property documents due to potential risks associated with Vadra’s familiarity with the region.
Uttar Pradesh continues to battle a relentless heatwave, as temperatures soar past 40 degrees Celsius. While some areas found temporary relief from late afternoon showers on Tuesday, others like Bundelkhand endure oppressive heat that disrupts daily life and confines residents indoors. The extreme heat has particularly affected schoolchildren, with temperatures in Gorakhpur reaching a staggering 41.5 degrees Celsius by 11:00 am. Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 39.6 degrees Celsius, while other cities like Bulandshahr, Prayagraj, and Varanasi also experienced extreme heat. The state Met department has issued a heatwave warning for the coming days, with dry hot winds expected to exacerbate the situation.
During the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, Muslims have remained largely silent. This tactical silence reflects their fear of political participation and their belief that their silence will mitigate polarization. It is a disturbing shift in the community’s political psyche, indicating a moral downfall for the majority and a failure to take responsibility for India’s fissures. Muslim voters have accepted that their participation is limited to staying safe from majoritarian politics and that their vote carries no political currency. They cannot trade their vote for development promises, but only for silent neglect. This silence tells us that Muslims fear visible political participation. Over the last decade, Muslim political action has met with State brutality and social ostracism. While it is arguable that the Indian State has shown general disapproval of dissent, its response to protests by Muslims has been exceptionally oppressive. Police action during the CAA-NRC protests, house demolitions after the protests to Nupur Sharma’s remarks, and the legislative assault on Muslim rights have confirmed the State’s intolerance and society’s disdain for any Muslim political mobilization.
The first two phases of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh will provide crucial insights into the political dynamics of the region and the country as a whole. With its diverse social demography, dominated by Muslims, Dalits, and Jats, the region has witnessed significant political experiments and permutations in recent years. The results of the western region may have a profound impact on political combinations and alliances in the future.
