Thursday, September 23, 1999
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Thursday, September 23, 1999 |
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Power shortage hogs
limelight RAMPUR: For 40 years after Independence, former princely state of Rampur, was a quiet backwater tucked away between the industrial city of Moradabad and the cantonment town of Bareilly. Come elections and Rampur’s loyal Muslim (42 per cent at present) and Hindu population would vote its former rulers back to power, and life would go on. Democracy in Rampur merely meant that the royals now ruled from Delhi rather than the Rampur palace, and were now part of the Indian state. Then came Mr L.K. Advani’s fiery rath of 1990, transforming Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape beyond recognition. Though Rampur escaped the subsequent riots it was not immune from the communal polarisation. In 1991, for the first time in its history, Rampur voted in a Hindu, Mr Rajesh Agarwal of the BJP. In 1996 it again voted in the royals, represented by Begum Nur Bano, widow of former Nawab Mickey Miya, by a margin of 70,000 votes. In 1998, a mellowed BJP changed tack. If it took a Muslim to win in Rampur it would find one. It fielded a party activist from Allahabad, Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naquvi, against Begum Nur Bano. It was a long shot, but it paid off Mr Naquvi won by over 5,000 votes, becoming the Hindu party’s lone Muslim MP. And a model MP at that, as the Minister of State in the high-profile Ministry of Information and Broadcasting where his visage stared down reassuringly at fellow Muslims. If he could live and prosper in the BJP so could, they he seemed to suggest. The lack of major communal incidents highlighted this fact. Now, Mr Naquvi is back in the Rampur vote bazaar, hoping to add at least 25 per cent of the undecided Muslim vote to the Hindu vote he won on last time. And on good credentials, for he tended the constituency well, even shifting home to be with his constituents. But in the inky darkness of the Rampur night there are hundreds of little lamps glowing, lamps should they come together may generate a wind strong enough to snuff out Mr Naquvi’s political candle. Their catalyst needs no explanation, for it is inherent in the darkness itself. Power, the kind that comes not from the ballot but power stations. There is no electricity. Hasn’t been in the day. And now, at the night, there are unannounced power cuts. To add insult to injury, the UPSEB has hiked power tariffs 50 per cent, imposed steep rentals on meters and stiff penalties. The power shortage has darkened the mood of traders and contributed to spate of industrial closures, including that of Rampur largest employers, its sugar factory and the Modi-Olivetti factory. The growing lines of the unemployed have been joined by farmers, state employees angry over wage arrears and teachers over the new education policy. Add to these allegations of harassment by the Muslim staff of Rampur Cooperative Bank and intimidation and arrest of the Begum’s supporters and voters, and the wind against Mr Naquvi transforms into a steady breeze. Sensing this, a confident Begum Nur Bano says that her main contest is not with Mr Naquvi but the BJP government of UP, which, she alleges, stole the last elections from her by imposing Section 144, intimidating voters into staying home. To buttress her allegation she points out that the administration relocated 44 of the nearly 380 booths in the constituency on Tuesday, just four days before polling to confuse voters. But she believes she will triumph despite the administration. If for no other reason than because the Samajwadi party vote (just under 70,000 in 1998) will return to her, now that the party has lost favour with the Muslims. |
September 22, 1999
September 21, 1999
September 20, 1999
September 19, 1999
September 18, 1999
September 17, 1999
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| Also Mr Ghanshyam Lodha of the BJP will
bite deep into the BJP’s Lodh vote (1.2 lakh) and
corner the Dalit vote (1.5 lakh). But the contest isn’t over yet. The BJP has the largest cadre, the best organised campaign and its candidate has earned grudging acceptance here. The party also has some not-so-public aces. Haji Kamaluddin Ansari, contesting on the JD (S) ticket but rumoured to have the backing of the BJP, should get a good share of the 60,000 Ansari vote. The Samajwadi Party’s Abdul Salaam, a Turk, could do even more serious damage to Begum, should he lure away a section of the 100,000 Turk vote. In spite of the palpable
anti-incumbency sentiment, there are still many
imponderables. Thus should Mr Kalyan Singh’s Lodhs
stay with the BJP, Mr Naquvi is home and safe. Should
they turn against him in strength it will be end of
transmission for the information and Broadcasting
Minister. |
Vora finds going tough RAJNANDGAON: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Motilal Vora of the Congress is striving for a win in succession from the Naxalite-infested Rajnandgaon constituency where elaborate security measures have been made to avert any attempt to disturb the poll process on September 25. Mr Vora, who could ensure an easy victory last time, seems to be finding it tough in the current poll as the BJP has fielded Dr Raman Singh, a local candidate. Mr Vora, who hails from Durg town, still banks on the support of his former Socialist friends in the campaign in the sprawling backward constituency, spread over Rajnandgaon and Kawardha districts. Dismissing reports that supporters of former Union Minister V.C. Shukla, who was denied the party ticket this time, were not actively campaigning for him, Mr Vora claimed that he had the support of all Congress workers. His confidants former legislator Ramesh Varlyani and former Raipur Development Authority Chairman Gangaram Sharma, both belonging to Raipur, are managing his campaign in Rajnandgaon and Kawardha districts. Other candidates in the fray are Mrs Sitadevi Vaishnav of the Ajeya Bharat Party (ABP), Mrs Meera Borkar of the Chhattisgarhi Samaj Party (CSP), Mr Ramesh Kumar of the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) and Mr Dev Singh Nandeshwar, an Independent. BJP candidate Raman Singh, a former legislator from Kawardha, has the advantage of being the first politician from the newly carved out district to be fielded by any political party in the Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Ashok Sharma, who won the seat in 1996 on the BJP ticket, belongs to Rajnandgaon. Denial of the party ticket to Mr Sharma this time initially made a section of the BJP workers of Rajnandgaon unhappy but they were pacified by senior party leaders, including Mr Lakhiram Agrawal, who is party in charge for Madhya Pradesh. The Congress seems to be trying to exploit the resentment among BJP workers. It has said that senior BJP leaders are considering a proposal to support Mr V.C. Shukla if he was interested in contesting from Rajnandgaon. Mr Vora also says the BJP bid to change its candidate even at the last moment is an admission of its impending defeat and lack of confidence in its own nominee. However, Dr Raman Singh denies any resentment among the BJP workers and says entire party machinery is with him. He says the high-profile image of Mr Vora as a former Chief Minister will not do any miracle. The BJP leader alleges that Mr Vora has not maintained contact with the electorate nor has he fulfilled assurances given during his tours. On the other hand, Mr Vora claims that a number of development works, including a level-crossing, construction of a bypass and survey for a railway line between Rajnandgaon and Jabalpur, had been taken up after he was elected last year.These works had been pending for over 40 years, he said. Five legislators elected from the constituency belonged to the Congress and three to the BJP. Among the voters, lack of a proper road network, growing unemployment and other local issues are more dominant than the Kargil conflict, stability and other national issues. The backwardness of Rajnandgaon and Kawardha districts bordering Maharashtra has encouraged the People’s War Group (PWG) to launch its operations. The looting of arms by naxalites from Mainpur police station a year ago and their recent bid to loot Chhuria police station, both in Rajnandgaon district, highlights the heavy infiltration of Naxalites among the common people, particularly tribals. This time also, the Naxalites have given a call for a poll boycott. Both Mr Vora and Dr Raman Singh claim that the naxalite threat poses no hurdle in their campaigning, nor will it affect polling. Tribesmen are in sizeable number among the more than a million-strong electorate. The Naxalites, who are known in local parlance as “dadas”, have a large number of sympathisers among the tribesmen. In the urban pockets, the recent hike in electricity tariff is being highlighted by the BJP to criticise the performance of the state government. The focus is also on the failure of panchayati raj institutions to come up to the expectations of the common man. A seasoned politician,
Mr Vora prefers to raise only national issues at his
campaign meetings like the pro-development approach of
the Congress and alleged failures of the Atal Behari
Vajpayee government. The BJP was on the
“defensive” on the separate Chhattisgarh state
issue. Mr Vora and other Congress leaders claim that the
BJP raised the statehood issue only during the poll and
later forgot about it. Only the Congress can form the
separate state, Mr Vora says. — UNI |
Defying caste pattern RUDRAPUR: The prestigious Naini Tal seat has sent in Congress stalwarts like Gobind Ballabh Pant and his son K.C. Pant to the Lok Sabha. More recently it has been the hunting ground of Congress veteran Narain Dutt Tiwari, who won the seat thrice, including in 1996 on the Congress (T) ticket, and lost it twice, including in 1998, when he lost by 15,000 votes to Mr K.C. Pant’s wife Ila Pant, who contested on the BJP ticket. A rejuvenated Mr Tiwari is looking to wrest this seat from the BJP, which has fielded Mr Balraj Passi, a Punjabi from Udham Singh Nagar. On the surface, the formidable Mr Tiwari looks like a winner. He defeated Mr Passi in 1996, despite the strong showing by the BJP that year and lost in 1998 due to last-minute, sympathy vote in favour of the BJP because of the infamous Ambika Pal episode when, in the midst of the poll, the United Front ousted the Kalyan Singh government by buying out one of his supporting partners. Also, unlike last time, when Mrs Ila Pant split the hill vote, Mr Tiwari is the lone ‘pahari’ candidate. Yet despite this, he is fighting desperately for the seat, even asking for votes on the plea that this is his last elections. Mr Tiwari has good reason to be worried. Though the BJP has lost some of its sheen because of its failure on Uttaranchal it is still a formidable opponent, with strong grassroots support. The BSP and the SP, the two other contenders in Uttar Pradesh, have also put up strong candidates who could well eat into Mr Tiwari’s traditional support. So suddenly, Naini Tal looks wide open. Unlike most UP seats, Naini Tal’s 13.4 lakh voters defy the usual caste bank pattern because of the large number of outside settlers. The constituency is dominated by Muslims and hill people (around 3.5 lakh or 24 per cent each), the rest are accounted for by Punjabis (1,60,000), Bengalis (almost 1 lakh), Tharu and Buxa tribals, (around 80,000), Jatavs (1,25,000) and other Hindus, including Dalits (160,000). In both 1996 and 1998, the BSP put up a strong showing when it fielded Sikh candidates, polling just over 100,000, mostly Dalit votes each time. This time its candidate, former Miss India Naina Balsavar Ahmed, hopes to get a large section of the Muslim votes as well. Her husband Akbar Ahmed (Dumpy) is a local and, has a formidable political reputation. As the candidate of the little-known Sanjay Vichar Manch, he won the assembly elections from Haldwani in 1981. And then the byelection from Kashipur in 1988 beating the Congress candidate. He also virtually propelled political novice Maneka Gandhi to power from neighbouring Pilibhit, and more recently shifted to Azamgarh, winning the Lok Sabha seat for the BSP. He is hoping to pull in the Muslim votes for his wife, which combined with the traditional Dalit votes, should be sufficient to see her through. The Samajwadi Party, the other contender for the Muslim votes, has fielded film director Muzzafar Ali, an outsider (though his supporters fondly tell you he has a house in Naini Tal, appears to be a relatively weak candidate of a strong party. Its weak candidate got almost 80,000 votes last time. And the Samajwadi Party has found some unexpected allies in the Udham Singh Nagar Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, which has been battling to keep the plain district outside the Uttaranchal state. The samiti has the en bloc support of the Sikhs (1,25,000 votes) and claims the support of Bengalis, Tharus and Buxas, all of whom fear ethnic submergence in a hill state. Riding this wave and a sympathy factor for its former candidate Abdul Rauf Qureshi who was murdered days after the last poll, Mr Muzzafar Ali could also secure much of the Muslim votes and cause an upset. In fact the samiti, which has an undercurrent of support among other Punjabi and local traders, including the BJP cadre, is giving sleepless nights to the BJP too, as it viewed many of these groups as its supporters. To woo them, it roped in Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, without much success. With every seat counting and a wide open contest, the Congress has brought in leaders from Punjab including former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and film star Dilip Kumar. Ms Mayawati too has been camping in the area. Mr Pramod Mahajan and Ms Sushma Swaraj have campaigned for the BJP. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav is also scheduled to campaign here. Nothing dull about the
campaign in Naini Tal. That’s for sure — unless
the rain or voter play spoil sport. |
Muslim voters’ mood vital SAHARANPUR: The BJP faces an arduous task to retain the Saharanpur parliamentary constituency for the third time. In this industrial hub of western Uttar Pradesh, voters so far are inscrutable. But what is clearly discernible is that there is an undercurrent of new political alignments between the Muslims and Dalits. The BJP, which had won this seat twice, is not on a very firm ground this time. Its candidate Mr Naqli Singh, seems to be struggling with the inner dissensions in the party and opposition in the villages because of the revolt by Mr Nirbhay Pal Sharma, MLA from Sarsawa. Mr Sharma, who was a hot contender for the BJP ticket from the constituency, revolted against the party when Mr Naqli Singh was renominated for the third time. Mr Sharma filed his nomination papers as an Independent. As the polling day of September 25 is nearing, Mr Sharma seems to be in a position to rock the BJP vote. With his style of functioning, Mr Sharma has made Mr Naqli Singh to tread on a slippery road to victory. For one Mr Sharma had nurtured his constituency of Sarsawa and the adjoining areas of Nukkad and Gangoh well. He is not only popular amongst Brahmin voters, but Gujjars and Muslims are also his followers. The latest political trend show that Mr Sharma has made the contest triangular i.e. among the Congress, the BJP and himself. His devoted cadre of workers has been touring the countryside. So much so that the recent visit by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh to Sarsawa to address an election rally could do little to brighten the chances of the BJP. There are 3.5 lakh Muslim voters in the constituency. If they decide to unite and go whole-hog for the Lok Dal-Congress candidate, Kazi Rashid Masood, the BJP would face rough weather. Although the Samajwadi Party candidate, Mr Mohammad Irshad and the BSP candidates are also Muslims, yet the Muslims this time are no longer in a mood to divide their votes. Therefore, they are not taking up the cause of either the BSP candidate or the Samajwadi party candidate. Even the best efforts of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and the visit by BSP leader Mayawati, have failed to turn the tide of Muslim voters in favour of the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, respectively. The Congress candidate faces danger at the hands of Mr Yashpal Singh, a known Gujjar leader of the area. He is upset at the move of the Congress to deny him the ticket and go for a poll pact with the Lok Dal led by Mr Ajit Singh. Mr Yashpal is reported to have directed his supporters not to vote for the Kazi. Amongst the Gujjars, a majority is that of Muslim Gujjars in the area. The Gujjar voters, therefore, are likely to face division. This would damage the chances of the Lok Dal-Congress candidate. On the other hand, Mr Madani, a Muslim leader, has also revolted against the Congress because his candidature for a seat in Assam was not considered. He, therefore, is also working overnight to ensure the defeat of the Kazi. The BSP has its influence in the Harora assembly segment from where Ms Mayawati was returned to the UP Assembly at one time. But as during the 1998 poll, the BSP supremo, Mr Kanshi Ram, had to lick dust here and managed 2,15,267 votes. It seems difficult for the BSP candidate to retrieve the party’s lost position. The local issues in this industrial city are also important. For instance lack of sanitation, insufficient water supply and haphazard traffic are also exercising the minds of voters. During its two terms, the BJP has done little to provide these basic amenities to the people. What appears has come to
the help of the Kazi is the hurricane visit of Mrs Sonia
Gandhi to the city on Tuesday. Her visit is going to
consolidate Dalit and Muslims voters against the BJP, but
as a reaction, Punjabi voters also seem to backing Mr
Naqli Singh. But the deciding factor appears to be the
mood of the Muslim voters. |
Politicians’ “family
doctors” NEW DELHI: Pollsters may be on the run thanks to the election commission’s long stick but their desi predecessors — the star gazers and palm readers — are laughing all the way to the bank. For unlike the pollster, they can also tell the politician how to “change the future” and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. So it does matter if Taurus is in Saturn or Jupiter in retrograde motion. Equally important becomes the colour of clothes and also the stones for the ‘star-struck’ Indian politician. The politician’s schedule, more so during electioneering time, seems incomplete without the all important astrologer who’s keeping a minute by minute tab on the planets lest anything goes wrong. And if the timing is not right, an elaborate puja is supposed to do the trick for a price of course. “The moment a person assumes power, he is walking a tight rope between power and insecurity and he needs astrology to solve quite a few of his fears and provide him advice,” says astrologer Ajai Bhambi, claiming a clientele of several politicians. Several noted politicians from the two major parties are always consulting me for making the next move, which mainly includes starting a new thing from a campaign, nomination, papers, important announcement on an auspicious day, claims Bhambi. “Politicians had started flocking astrologers right from the day the 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved. Preparations for a powerful future are taking shape from the last four months,” says Acharya Kewal Anand Joshi, who claims to be consulted by many top notch politicians. Thus it’s no surprise that the Prime Minister files his nomination from Lucknow after a havan and prayers at an “auspicious” time, while one of his predecessors delayed his swearing in ceremony for the stars to ring in the right moment. “Astrologers are like family doctors for the politicians and almost all of them follow their advice”, says Bhambi, who also writes astro-columns for several newspapers. “Like a doctor who prescribes a diet for the patient’s well being, a astrologer advises the politician to chart a particular course and the correct time to accrue maximum benefits,” he says. And for the elections times, the astrologers have lined up quite a few predictions both for their political patrons and the believing sections of the public. The astro predictions are varied but not the efforts. Exhaustive pujas, fasts, chanting of mantras — everything to deliver the winning streak. Prayers costing anything between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh are being carried out in the jungles of Nepal, Assam and Kerala where a number of priests are performing rituals for certain candidate’s well-being, says Joshi, who writes astro columns for Navbharat Times and Sandhya Times. And the prayers last anything from a day to several months . Agents and friends of politicians are reported to be flocking all the important astrologers in town and seeking advice over a variety of poll related problems. “Politicians as a clan are obsessed with astrology and you can gauge it by the fact that there is not a single Member of “Parliament who does not subscribe to my magazine,” claims astrologer Lachhman Das Madan, who is also the editor of Babaji, a magazine on religion and astrology. And it’s not only the traditional branches of astrology which the politician is lapping up but also new concepts like tarot card predictions. “Politicians are always interested in star gazing — whatever form it may be in. Thus, while tarot cards predictions are relatively new to India, many politicians are interested in what they have to say, says tarot card reader Veenu Sandal. And in the changing political scenario, politicians are mainly interested in knowing as to whether they should switch loyalties to other parties and which party is destined to play an important role in national politics in the future. “Elections are like examination time for politicians where their ability and performance is at stake, thus it is important to select a right mahurat and time, says Amitabh Sinha, media’cell in charge of the BJP.’ Astrology in our country is also treated like a science thus we have a holistic approach towards it. If the predictions click for some politicians they believe in it otherwise they do not. But prayers and rituals are also more a part of spiritualism which we need to respect, says Sinha. Astrologers thus are
going to remain in limelight for some time at least till
it’s “time” again for announcing the right
moment for the new government to be sworn in. — PTI |
Chhoti bahu’s idea of an
MP RAMPUR: On Tuesday Rampur played host to India’s “first family”. In the afternoon, Mrs Sonia Gandhi flew in to remind a crowd of over 75,000 of national ‘issues’. In the evening Ms Maneka Gandhi drove in from nearby Pilibhit to address a street corner meeting attended by about 750 people. She talked about little things, like water pumps, schools and what it means to have your MP. According to the ‘chhoti bahu’ Maneka Gandhi, “an MP is your representative in Delhi. Someone who will complete with 544 others, plead, beg, cajole, for a portion of the small resources with the Centre for a bridge, a school, a road for his poor constituents. Before you vote ask yourself if the person you are voting for will be willing to do that. Or able to. For one thing that is plain is that there is a BJP government in UP, and will be one at the Centre. Will your MP, sitting in the Opposition, get a share of these very limited resources or complementary resources and support from the state government?” Answering her own question she said, “No. Vote for the Opposition and what you get is ‘kuda’ (bad administrators, bad policing, bad everything). After all why pamper someone who won’t vote for you”. Why indeed? Although
this begs the question why ‘chhoti bahu’ did
not give the same advice to her constituents the first
time around in 1989. For, if she had and had they
followed it, the Congress would still be in power and Ms
Maneka Gandhi lost in the sea of political oblivion. |
No voting right CHENGRABANDHA (PTI):
Over one lakh Indians residing in the 130 enclaves along
the Indo-Bangla border in Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar
districts of West Bengal are yet to get their fundamental
right for voting, despite assurances by almost all
political parties since Independence. At a time when the
entire country is in the grip of poll-fever, the enclave
residents, who are illegal entrants to the mainland, look
blank as their names are missing from the electoral roll
for the 13 Lok Sabha poll. |
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Every political party should have the patience to sit in the opposition for the term determined by the people. — Kushabhau Thakre, BJP President It is true she (Sonia) is a foreigner. But more than that, she has not done any social work. She does not have any training. — Maneka Gandhi in a television interview I had decided not to contest in ordinary circumstances... but when a Kargil happens, when there are foreign intruders, one has to take a stand. — Sushma Swaraj Handing over the reins of the country to a foreigner will be a security risk, more so as India has become a nuclear state and the control will rest with the Prime Minister. — Shanta Kumar, BJP candidate from the Kangra constituency We want to teach Laloo a lesson that he cannot expect his castemen to blindly follow him. — A resident of Bishnupur village in Bihar Those who are doubting my commitment to India should look inwards. It is they who gave a clean chit to the Pakistani Prime Minister on the Kargil issue and provided a safe passage to the Pakistani intruders who had killed our jawans. — Sonia Gandhi at an election meeting in Saharanpur It is regrettable that an august constitutional authority like the EC should make statements in the language of an opposing political party, ignoring the concerns of a responsible party leadership about the partisan manner in which the poll is conducted in Bihar. — Jaya Jaitly reacting to the EC’s indictment of George Fernandes over the ballot paper printing controversy in Bihar —(Compiled
by Mukul Bansal) |
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Sensitive booths HAMIRPUR (UNI): There are a total of 340 sensitive polling booths, including 80 hyper-sensitive ones in the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh, which goes to poll on Saturday. Elaborate arrangements have been made by the administration to conduct fair and free poll in the constituency, said Hamirpur Commissioner cum-Returning Officer Kamlesh Kumar Panth here on Wednesday. Security BHOPAL (UNI): Security has been tightened in five Naxalite infested Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh in the wake of a boycott call and recent poll-related Naxalite violence in Bihar. The Director-General of Police Subhash Chandra Tripathi said here that a close vigil was being maintained in the five constituencies spread over eight districts of Bastar, Kanker, Dantewara, Rajnandgaon, Kawardha, Balaghat, Mandla and Dondori going to polls on Saturday. Women nominees GANGTOK (PTI):
Of the 105 candidates in fray for 32 assembly seats in
Sikkim for the October 3 poll, only six are from the fair
sex, official sources said here on Wednesday. While the
ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the main
opposition Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) has fielded a
woman candidate each for the elections, the Congress has
four women nominees in the race. |
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