Countering SP chief Mulayam Yadav’s claim on early Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Friday told him that there was “no point creating an air of uncertainty or instability where none exists”. Virtually ridiculing the observation, Congress spokesman, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “There is obviously no guarantee that the sky may not fall on our heads or that Yeddyurappa will stop demanding the chief minister’s chair.” He then went on to add: “The possibility of mid-term polls is as remote as that.”

Fresh from a landslide victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday spoke of the possibility of a mid-term election next year. The Congress, however, claimed that such a possibility was “remote”.

Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal on Thursday kicked up a major controversy when he said in Kanpur that if the Congress failed to get a majority in the UP elections, the state would head for President’s Rule.

The multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in UP claimed its sixth life on Thursday when Mahendra Sharma, a clerk with the state health department who had gone missing on February 7, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Lakhimpur district.

If the CBI investigation reveals that Mahendra Sharma and Sunil Verma had roles in the NRHM scam, the agency will definitely approach the competent authority for transfer of these two cases to the Central probe agency, sources said.

Continuing the trend that began with the first phase of polling, Uttar Pradesh recorded 59 per cent polli-ng in the second phase on Saturday in eastern UP, known as Purvanchal, which covered 59 Assem-bly seats spread over the nine districts of Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia and Ghazipur. The first phase had recorded around 63 per cent polling. This phase has a total of 1,098 candidates and 1.94 crore voters.

Despite incessant rains and inclement weather, Uttar Pradesh recorded 62-64 per cent polling in the first phase of the crucial Assembly elections on Wednesday, when votes were cast in 55 seats across

A week before polling begins in Uttar Pradesh, the battle reached fever pitch on Wednesday as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and BSP leader Mayawati crossed swords, calling themselves the saviour of Indi

The CBI is also taking the assistance of the ED whose officials are examining FIRs filed by the CBI in the NRHM scam case. “The ED may register case against accused, named by the CBI in its FIRs, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and also under the Foreign Exchange Management Act if it finds violations of forex rules,” sources said. Sunil Verma is the fourth victim in the NRHM scam.

The multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh claimed its fourth victim when Sunil Verma, an official who is a suspect in the case, allegedly shot himself dead at his residence in Lucknow on Monday morning.