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In country’s food bowl, urbanites hold the key
LJP rolls out red carpet for minorities
LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan releases the party manifesto in Patna on Tuesday. — PTI
Poll Interview
For a change, MNS pins hopes on Punjabi from UP
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Pollspeak Had I been ignored in the party set-up, I would not have been campaigning for Congress nominees |
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It’s do-or-die phase on Telangana issue
Nominee in one constituency, voter
Nafisa Ali battles ‘outsider’ tag
Cong picks Rita Bahugana
Code violation: BSP candidate booked
Ladakh
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In country’s food bowl, urbanites hold the key
Chandigarh, April 7 Decisive shifts in urban votes have been making and breaking governments in Punjab and the Lok Sabha elections this time are no different. The only difference is that none is prepared to take the urban voter for granted as the Congress did to its dismay in the last Assembly elections. While the BJP-SAD combine has a definite edge after having won most of the urban seats in the state in the Assembly elections, the Congress is banking on the anti-incumbency factor as well as “Dr Manmohan Singh for Prime Minister” campaign for success in urban pockets. The SAD-BJP combine had won four assembly seats in major cities of Jalandhar and Ludhiana and three in Amritsar. The Congress has been able to win one seat in Amritsar represented by its Amritsar candidate OP Soni. In other smaller towns also, the BJP led the race, blanking out the Congress except in pockets like Patiala and Bathinda. The major shift has seen the increase in the SAD seats in the cities with the SAD winning one seat each in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. This, sources said, is partly due to the changing demography in the cities of Punjab with a large number of Jat Sikh farmers migrating to cities. All municipal corporations are presently in control of the SAD-BJP combine which has made an attempt in the run-up to the elections to woo the urban voters by announcing grants for corporations, committees as well as nagar panchayats. While 26 category one municipalities have been allocated Rs 3 crore, 41 category two have been allocated Rs 2 crore and 27 category three Rs 1 crore. Nagar panchayats have also been allocated Rs 1 crore. Besides, the SAD-BJP combine has also made the money being spent on water sewers and drinking water schemes in urban areas an election issue. Both the CM and the Deputy CM on part of the SAD and Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia on the part of the BJP have “hailed” these achievements through government advertisements before the model code of conduct came into force. It has allocated Rs 850 crore for the purpose. The Congress on its part is trying to cash in on the alleged highhandedness used by the SAD-BJP combine to make a clean sweep in elections to corporations as well as municipal committees in the state. This includes elections to the Patiala Municipal Corporation, which also went to the SAD-BJP combine despite unprecedented development works undertaken in the city during Amarinder’s chief ministership. While all four major cities of Bathinda, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana will dictate results in these constituencies, smaller towns will be crucial also. The SAD has the edge in Bathinda city where the result of its Rs 45 crore-beautification project is visible. Similarly, in Amritsar the flyover to the Golden Temple and water and sewer works could become a factor in the election campaign. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has been concentrating on Ludhiana and expects the BJP to deliver on the seat despite the urban appeal of Congress candidate Munish Tiwari. In the traditional Congress bastion of Jalandhar, the SAD-BJP combine is still to find its feet and the Congress is pinning its hopes on PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee to bounce back in the constituency.
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LJP rolls out red carpet for minorities
New Delhi, April 7 The party manifesto released here and in Patna today makes some loud promises including a dalit regiment in the Armed Forces to infuse “self respect” in the backward classes and a constitutional amendment to erase the 49.5 per cent ceiling on quota fixed by the The LJP wants 15 per cent reservation for minorities --- of this, 10 per cent will go to Muslims alone, with the LJP taking refuge in the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission report. “We are not ourselves mooting the idea of this reservation. It is the recommendation of the commission, whose report could not be tabled in the last session of parliament. It needs to be made public,” said Abdul Khaliq, party secretary general, who further clarified that the LJP would strive for reserving positions in the government services for the economically poor and would also work to ensure SC status for Dalit Muslims and Christians. A subplan for “all-round development” of Muslims is also on the cards, if the LJP comes to power.
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Poll Interview
New Delhi, April 7 “I contemplated the idea last time when I was offered the ticket but I was not prepared then. Now, I am geared up to start a new inning of my life. I want to do it wholeheartedly. I made up my mind after meeting Sonia Gandhi,” said Shekhar, who is known for hosting various comedy shows. “I am not a hardcore politician. I know what not to do in this field so I won’t give anybody a chance to pull my leg. I want to change the image of cine stars who become “Eid ka chand” after winning the elections”, said Suman, who keeps revamping his screen image. Suman’s prime opponent from the Patna Saheb parliamentary seat is BJP’s Shatrughan Sinha, the actor-politician who in his acting days was known as “Bihari babu”. Regarding the contest between the two “Biharis” Suman said: “If he is a “Bihari babu”, then I am also Khanti (original) Bihari. I am proud to be a Bihari,” Suman said. The former host of “Laughter Challenge” says he may change his image frequently, sing a pop song once a while but his roots has always remained in Bihar. “I have always maintained that I am and will always be a Bihari, no matter wherever I live. My parents are there in Patna. I can fluently speak Bhojpuri and connect with the locals,” he said. Known for his sharp one-liners and mimicry of politicians in his show “Movers and Shakers”, Suman said his straight forwardness was his forte. “I am a very straight forward person but not flamboyant. I believe in delivering. I do not carry the baggage of being a film star,” he said indicating to his rival Sinha without naming him. When asked that both the candidates from Patna Sahib are popular showbiz stars and what will be the deciding factor for voters, Suman said he had age on his side. “I think people need younger representatives. Change is required. They need fresh approach and I have certain edge on this point,” said the actor. Regarding an “unwritten rule” in the film industry where actors do not contest against each other in the elections and if he had broken it, “I did not break any rule. It was he (Sinha) who initiated it when he contested against Rajesh Khanna in 1989. In any case it is the battlefield where nobody is your brother or relative,” he said. When asked if it a mere coincidence that Sinha replaced him in the TV show “Laughter Challenge”, he said it was only a coincidence. — PTI
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For a change, MNS pins hopes on Punjabi from UP
Mumbai, April 7 Shalini Thackeray, 40, is the first daughter-in-law from the politically powerful Maharashtrian family to enter the heat and dust of electoral politics. She is the wife of Jeetendra Thackeray, a cousin of MNS founder Raj. Going around her constituency of Mumbai North West, meeting people from all walks of life, she seeks to dispel many myths about herself and her chosen party. “I am into this because of my conviction and faith in Raj’s policies and his vision for Maharashtra,” she said. “(There is this) wrong image that my party is against north Indians living or working in the state, or that I am a novice from the Thackeray family entering politics just for kicks. Mind you, I have been working with MNS for three years and heading my family business for many years, so I am no Rabri Devi,” Thackeray smiled. Thackeray told IANS that contrary to certain perceptions, MNS was simply against the unchecked influx of people into Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra. “We are not against any group or community or caste or religion, but against influx. Uncontrolled influx leads to a spurt in crime and builds pressures on the state’s limited resources such as water supply, housing and infrastructure. “If I am elected as MP, I shall definitely examine how to tackle this issue without compromising anybody's interests,” Thackeray said. Her qualifications, including an MBA in marketing from Masachusetts, have made her realise the importance of better coordination among elected representatives at the municipal, assembly and parliament levels to solve people’s problems effectively. “Apart from being concerned with national or international issues, why can't the MP be concerned about local issues? I shall initiate appropriate steps to ensure that even MPs can exercise some authority or control over local developmental issues,” said Shalini. The third important cause she promises to champion concerns women. Though women have made great strides, Thackeray feels that a lot needs to be done on the education, health and financial fronts. Thackeray is unfazed by the stalwarts pitted against her, including Shiv Sena's Gajanan Kirtikar, the Congress’ Gurudas Kamat, the Samajwadi Party’s Abu Asim Azmi and others. When Raj Thackeray launched the MNS three years ago, like many other professionals and technocrats, she too joined him and worked in and around Mumbai’s north-western suburbs. Before joining the MNS, Shalini was engrossed in the family's traditional business. “I can prepare both ‘puran poli’ (traditional Marathi sweet dish) and ‘pakora curry’ (a Punjabi accompaniment) with ease,” she said. “I think I fit the MNS ideology to the core.” — IANS.
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It’s do-or-die phase on Telangana issue
Hyderabad, April 7 Though the Telangana issue was routinely raised by its protagonists during every election since the first agitation in 1969, it had never occupied centre-stage of the poll agenda. “This is going to be the final push. We have succeeded in building a consensus at the national level over the formation of a Telangana state,” said Telangana Rashtra Samithi founder-president K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been in the forefront of the movement. Founded in 2001, the TRS has been the dominant political force in the region. It reaped a rich electoral harvest in the 2004 elections when it had an alliance with the Congress, which was then in the Opposition, and Left parties. After being a partner in the Congress-led governments at the Centre and in AP, it had walked out of the UPA in 2006 protesting against the delay in carving out a separate state. In a role reversal, the TRS is now aligned with the Opposition Telugu Desam Party, the CPI and the CPM with an aim to defeat the Congress government. With Telangana sentiment emerging as a key poll issue, parties across the political spectrum, barring the ruling Congress and the CPM, have come out in support of the statehood cause. The most stunning aspect has been the volte face of the TDP which had steadfastly opposed the bifurcation of the state since its inception. In fact, the TDP was founded 27 years ago on the main plank of “Telugu pride and integrated state.” It has also joined the Telangana bandwagon now in a desperate bid to regain power. The Opposition party is already unnerved by reports projecting a clear edge for actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi in the coastal belt and for the Congress in the Rayalaseema region. The TDP, which lost power in the 2004 elections, had faced a near-total rout in the Telangana region, managing to retain just one Lok Sabha and 11 Assembly seats. The Telangana region, which accounts for 119 seats in the 294-member Assembly and 17 out of a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats, is expected to play a crucial role in deciding the shape of the next government in the state. The official position of Congress is that it has no objection to creation of Telangana state but there was no political consensus as yet. Besides, there are other related issues, including similar demands from other regions and questions over the status of the state capital, that need to be addressed. Chiranjeevi, the megastar of Telugu cinema who entered politics in August this year, has also come out in support of the statehood cause. On its part, the BJP has promised to deliver Telangana state within 100 days of the NDA coming to power at the Centre.
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Nominee in one constituency, voter in another
Mumbai, April 7 Prominent among them are Ram Naik of the BJP and Gurudas Kamat of the Congress, who have represented Mumbai North and Mumbai North East, respectively. Naik, who won the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North, for five consecutive times before being defeated by actor Govinda in the 2004 elections, is a voter in Goregaon, a suburb which is now in the newly carved out Mumbai North West constituency. Sanjay Nirupam, who is pitted against Ram Naik in Mumbai North, lives in Lokhandwala area, which falls in the re-carved Mumbai North West constituency. While Kamat represented Mumbai North East for four terms, major parts of the constituency including Chembur, where he lives, have been merged with Mumbai South central after delimitation. Samajwadi Party candidate Abu Asim Azmi who has filed his nomination from Mumbai North West and BJP candidate Mahesh Jethmalani (Mumbai North Central) are residents of Mumbai South. — PTI
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Nafisa Ali battles ‘outsider’ tag
Lucknow, April 7 Fiftytwo-year-old Nafisa Ali, who was given the ticket after the Supreme Court rejected actor Sanjay Dutt's candidature, is keen to remove the outsider tag attached with her that her political opponents and even locals raise frequently. "I would like to remind the people of Lucknow that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also an outsider as he was from Gwalior and lost the elections from there. It was only after coming to Lucknow that he won five elections in a row and this city gave him the chance to be the Prime Minister", the soft-spoken actress told PTI in an interview. She said her affiliation with the City of Nawabs went back to her college days in Kolkata when she used to visit this city for cultural and extracurricular activities. Committed to be an asset to Lucknow, Nafisa Ali, who lost the previous LS poll contesting as a Congress candidate from Kolkata, said: "One of the main tasks will be to realise the unfulfilled dream of Vajpayee, to build an outer ring road". To a question that a section of the Muslims, who form the core vote bank of the SP, see her as a weak candidate when compared with Dutt, Nafisa said:"It is not fair to select a candidate on the basis of religion, caste or creed. They should be selected on the criteria of vision, capability and accountability". Nafisa Ali has her own plans to develop Lucknow, which includes making it as an IT hub and tourist destination, besides improving healthcare and sewerage. "I also want to build the Nargis Dutt cancer hospital in Lucknow and help Sanjay realise his dream", the SP candidate said. In spite of not getting the Congress ticket this time, the actress said she had has no ill-will against the party, saying: "I have high regard for Sonia Gandhi".
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Cong picks Rita Bahugana
New Delhi, April 7 Joshi, daughter of late Uttar Pradesh chief minister H N Bahuguna, will take on Samajwadi Party’s Nafisa Ali, BJP’s Lalji Tandon and BSP’s Akhilesh Das in a key contest for the seat, represented by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the outgoing Lok Sabha. With this, the Congress has named candidates for 61 of the 80 seats in the state. The party is supporting two candidates each of the Rashtriya Swabhiman Party and the Mahan Dal. The Congress had earlier stated that it would not field its candidate in Lucknow if actor Sanjay Dutt was the Samajwadi Party candidate for the seat. Dutt, however, could not join the poll fray as the Supreme Court rejected his petition seeking a stay on his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai blast case. This prompted the SP to name social activist and actor Nafisa Ali for the Lucknow seat. Lalji Tandon is a BJP stalwart, who is considered a close aide to Vajpayee. BSP nominee Akhilesh Das is the son of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister B D Gupta. Congress sources said the party might name a few more candidates for Uttar Pradesh, where it failed to sew up a seat-sharing arrangement with the SP. The Congress, meanwhile, lambasted BJP president Rajnath Singh for paying ‘obeisance’ to Varun Gandhi at the Etah Jail. Party spokesman Ashwini Kumar also did not approve of Railways Minister Lalu Prasad’s statement that he would have run a road-roller on Varun for his hate speech had he been the home minister. “It is incumbent on every politician and political activist to express himself in line with the civilised political discourse.” — PTI
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Code violation: BSP candidate booked
Lucknow, April 7 “A case has been registered against Jaiswal for holding the meeting,” Jayant Dixit, Kushinagar Additional District Magistrate said. The temple is located in Fazilnagar in Kushinagar. The meeting by the BSP candidate was to be held at a community centre in Ahroli village on Saturday, but Jaiswal chose the religious site. — IANS
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Ladakh
Srinagar, April 7 Ladakh Parliamentary constituency, which goes to the polls on May 13, has an electorate of 1,52,391, including 77,899 male and 74,492 female voters. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Thupstan Chhewang, an Independent won the seat by defeating his nearest rival Hassan Khan of NC by a margin of 25,713 votes. While Chhewang polled 66,839 votes, Khan polled 41,126 votes. The total poll percentage was recorded at 73.52. Kargil district has the highest number of voters (77,514) followed by Leh. (74,877) As many as 476 polling stations, spread across four segments of the constituency, are being set up for the voters. While the last day of filing nomination is April 24, scrutiny of papers would take place the next day. The last day for withdrawal of candidatures is April 27. In 1967 and 1971 midterm polls, Kaushuk Bakula of the Congress represented the parliamentary seat. In 1977 elections, the seat was won by Parvati Devi of the Congress, while during the 1980 midterm elections, P Namgyal, an Independent emerged victorious. In 1984, 1989 and 1996 elections, Namgyal notched up three successive wins on the Congress ticket. In 1998, the seat was won by Syed Hussain of NC, while in 1999 the constituency was represented by Hassan Khan of NC.
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Overheard
BULANDSHAHAR (UP): An FIR was lodged against 11 BJP leaders, including former Union Minister Ashok Pradhan, for allegedly violating the model code of conduct on Tuesday. “A case had been registered against 11 BJP leaders, including Ashok Pradhan, sitting MLA Virendra Singh Sirohi, former MLAs Mahendra Singh Yadav, VP Singh and Vajai Raj Singh for violating the prohibitory orders and model code of conduct,” District Magistrate SBL Sushil said. — PTI MLA quits
AHMEDABAD: The Congress MLA from Sami Harij, Bhavsinh Rathor, who has joined the BJP and contesting the Lok Sabha poll from Patan seat, resigned as MLA. Rathor, a politician who was chargesheeted for his alleged involvement in drug smuggling, had joined the BJP in order to get ticket for parliamentary elections. –
PTI Group rivalry
BERHAMPUR (ORISSA): An independent candidate was attacked by a rival group while he was campaigning in Ganjam district of Orissa on Monday. Three persons were also injured in the incident. The candidate has been identified as Nilamani Bisoi from the Surada assembly seat. — PTI
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Pollscape
There is one polling booth in Gujarat where the only mode of reaching is a one-hour boat ride as it is located in a village surrounded on three sides by water and one side by dense forest. The village is located upstream of the Karjan Dam on river Karjan. “To reach this village (Junaraj) there is no other alternative but to travel in boat and cross the reservoir. It takes nearly an hour to reach the village,” Rajpipla mamlatdar Rohit Pakhawala said. Pakhawala said he had visited Junaraj to take stock of poll arrangements. Old ways
Chai party
For many Jeetu Ram Ratna is just a roadside vendor serving tea to customers at a popular demonstration site here which is bang opposite Uttar Pradesh’s power centre-- Vidhan Sabha. But this tea shop owner also runs a political party --- Vikas Party, which is registered with the Election Commission since 1996. Operating from a 4X8 square feet room, which doubles up as a tea shop and the party headquarters, the Vikas Party has announced to field candidates from four parliamentary constituencies of the state, which has a total of 80 seats. “We will make a difference in this election and our candidates will surely win. We have fielded candidate from Mirzapur, Lucknow, Bhadohi and Kheri constituencies, where we have a support base,” claimed Jeetu. Source : Agencies
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Voter’s guide
What is the deadline after which no public meetings and processions can be taken out?
Public meetings and processions can’t be held during a period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the polling Is there any restriction on the presence of political functionaries in a constituency after the campaign period is over? After the closure of the campaign period, the political functionaries, etc, who have been brought from outside the constituency and who are not voters of the constituency should not remain in the area. They should leave immediately after the campaign period ends |
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New Delhi, April 7
New Delhi, April 7
However, somewhere down the line there was a disconnection with urban voters which cost him his government.
After winning the Miss India title three decades ago and winning hearts through screen roles, Bollywood actress Nafisa Ali is now confident of success in the Lok Sabha elections, which she is contesting as the Samajwadi Party candidate from the Lucknow seat.
Despite an increasing number of politicos turning tech-savvy and using mobile and Internet to reach out to the electorate, a sizable chunk of candidates are still relying on postal department to woo voters. “With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, sale of specially-designed Meghdoot card has gone up,” Maharashtra and Goa Chief Postmaster General MS Bali said. Launched in September 2002, Meghdoot cards are specially suited for use in rural and semi-urban areas. Each card costs 25 paise as against the normal post card at 50 paise each. “Politicians are buying these cards in bulk and employing people to write to voters asking them for their votes,” Bali said.