Fate of 847 to be decided today
Poll put off in Vidisha, Hoshangabad

NEW DELHI, Sept 17 (PTI) — The Election Commission (EC) today postponed Lok Sabha polls in the entire Hoshangabad and Vidisha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh to September 28 due to incessant rains and flooding in these areas.

These constituencies were to go to polls tomorrow.

Meanwhile, an estimated 92.7 million electorate are expected to exercise their franchise in the third phase of polling tomorrow in 76 Lok Sabha constituencies in five states amid tight security with shoot-at-sight orders in place in parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Simultaneously, polling will be held for 97 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh where the outlawed Peoples War Group (PWG) has given a poll boycott call.

As many as 847 candidates, including 58 women, are in the fray in Andhra Pradesh (14), Bihar (19), Jammu and Kashmir (one), Madhya Pradesh (12) and Uttar Pradesh (30).

In Jammu and Kashmir, where militants have made repeated attempts to disrupt the poll process, unprecedented security measures have been taken to ensure smooth conduct of the poll in Baramullah Lok Sabha constituency, from where former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz is seeking re-election as an Independent, and byelection to two Assembly seats.

Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued against anyone attempting to capture polling booths in 19 constituencies in Bihar and security put on high alert in all extremist-affected Parliamentary constituencies of South and Central Bihar where several outlawed groups, including the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and the PWG, have given a poll boycott call.

In Andhra Pradesh, amid growing apprehension of disruption of the election process by the PWG Naxalites, security has been beefed up in the Telengana region and some coastal parts of the state.

Polling has been postponed in the Hoshangabad and Vidisha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh due to heavy rains.

"The full Election Commission, after emergency consultation and review of the situation in these two constituencies, has decided to postpone the polls scheduled to be held tomorrow to September 28," an EC spokesman told reporters here.

"Due to incessant rains in the constituencies of Hoshangabad and Vidisha it has not been possible to despatch poll parties in a large number of polling stations," he said adding the district administration was preoccupied in meeting with this contingency.

Meanwhile, the Army has been called by the District Magistrate in Hoshangabad to assist the civil authorities in carrying out flood relief operations.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission today removed two of its observers in West Bengal and Orissa from duty for taking their families to the constituencies and sought explanation for their "unacceptable" conduct.

The general observers in Lok Sabha seats of Dumdum in West Bengal and Balasore in Orissa have been replaced by two substitute observers, commission sources here said.

The two observers, who are senior officers in Uttar Pradesh, had taken with them their families in violation of strict instructions of the commission which had been in force since the last elections, they said adding the Chief Electoral Officers of states and Union Territories were keeping a close vigil on the conduct of total of 2200 observers appointed by the three-member panel.

Crucial battle for Bihar
Stakes high for NDA leaders
From Gobind Thukral
Tribune News Service

PATNA: It is not a matter of retaining seats alone in Bihar. What matters to all contestants is as to who will rule the state after the elections. If the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress-CPM combine wins a majority of the 54 Lok Sabha seats, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav remains in power, of course through Mrs Rabri Devi. If the BJP Janata Dal (United) combine emerges victorious Mr Laloo will be on his way out.

This is crystal clear not only to major political groupings, but even the CPI (ML), popularly known as MALE, the CPI and other Marxist groups which are either contesting or boycotting the poll. The left is in the fray not only to win some seats, but to tilt the balance in many. The MALE is contesting 24 of the 54 seats. The CPI has a partial poll pact with Mr Laloo. It is important to watch how the boycott finally affects the poll outcome in at least 16 odd seats.

"The left is mainly focussing on defeating the BJP-Janata Dal (United) group that has challenged the powerful bastion of Mr Laloo", says a Magadh University teacher.

A weak Congress and an equally feeble CPM had little choice but to abide by the wishes of Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav. If all three parties had not united to fight the combined strength of the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) that also includes the Samata Party, they would have lost more ground. The anti-BJP and JD (U) votes would have gone waste by sheer division. The RJD had 17 seats and the Congress five in the 12th Lok Sabha. The left, which had drawn a blank, is now hoping to win at least four seats, including that of Nalanda where Defence Minister George Fernandes is in the fray. Mr Yadav on his own strength had polled 26.58 per cent votes in 1998. The BJP had then polled 24.03 per cent votes and bagged 20 seats. Mr Laloo admits he is not only keen on keeping Bihar with him, but also halting the march of the BJP and its allies. He feels he has worked out the right strategy.

One motive behind the unity efforts and birth of the new party called the Janata Dal (United) is the ouster of Mr Laloo Prasad at every cost. So enemies have become friends. Mr Ram Bilas Paswan contesting from Hajipur was hard pressed for answers when asked how he felt in the company of the BJP whose critic he had once been. He was also asked why he did not help the BJP government to survive since it lost in Parliament by just one vote. He fumbled for answers. "There is a change of heart and this jungle raj of Laloo Yadav must end", he said unconvincingly.

The BJP and the JD (United) appear confident, may be a little too confident. Leaders from this group are making every effort to divide the RJD and cause its fall. "Many ministers and MLAs are willing to leave the sinking ship of Mr Laloo Yadav", Mr Paswan said while pointing at a single Independent MLA from Vaishali to mediapersons. This may be a boast now, but can become a reality if the results go in favour of the BJP and the JD (U). This is the reason that anti-RSS, anti-VHP and anti-BJP persons like Mr Paswan and Mr Sharad Yadav are on the side of the BJP along with Mr Fernandes and Mr Nitish Kumar. Mr Laloo Prasad calls this as the "most opportunist" alliance aimed at defeating the "forces of social justice". The BJP and its allies however, admit that Mr Laloo Prasad has an immense potential to survive and has made inroads into the vote-base of other parties, forcing the Congress to play the second fiddle.

The stakes are high is clear from the rounds Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister, has made to Bihar. Home Minister L.K. Advani and Mrs Sushma Swaraj have also canvassed in the state. Mr Vajpayee not only promised more reservation but also Jharkhand. Congress President Sonia Gandhi did not lag behind and declared soon after at Jamshedpur that she would set up a national commission for tribesmen. Many vernacular papers interpreted this as a promise to create a state of Jharkand comprising areas of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. But tribesmen appear least impressed.

Equally high are the stakes for the National Democratic Alliance. Its three stalwarts, Mr Fernandes, Mr Nitish Kumar and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha are trying their luck from Nalanda, Badh and Hazaribagh, respectively.

The BJP is contesting 29 seats and the JD (United) 25. Two seats of the JD (United) are with Mr Anand Mohan and his wife Lovely Anand Mohan. With an eye on the Rajput votes. The RJD has fielded 33, the Congress 16 and the CPM two candidates. One seat has been left for the CPI. But the CPI is contesting eight other seats also. Marxist Communist Centre leader A.K. Roy is pitted against Mrs Rita Verma of the BJP in Dhanbad.