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Defectors, scamsters and a PM-in-waiting
Independents fail to find favour with Punjab voters
Sick Soren puts Cong in a fix
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The BJP should The social justice plank embraced by the Praja Rajyam Party is |
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Mallika gets CPI backing
Saran
Troubles crop up for Cong in Rajasthan
NTR legacy becomes hot
Double role
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Defectors, scamsters and a PM-in-waiting
It is a state with defectors and scam-tainted candidates; with fresh entrants, many of them assembly legislators; and with, of course, also a prime ministerial candidate.
Although LK Advani, a PM-in-waiting, may be the star candidate in Gujarat, the BJP in this state is solely defined by Chief Minister Narendra Modi. So, for that matter, is even Gujarat where Modi’s BJP has been ruling for the last decade. Yet, it has been a slightly different story for the BJP in the Lok Sabha. In 2004, the BJP tally fell from 20 seats in 1999 to 14 while the Congress increased its strength from six to 12 out of the 26 parliamentary constituencies. Any Congress hope that this was a precursor to the downfall of the BJP in this state was belied during the 2007 Assembly elections when Modi’s party won an almost two-third majority - 117 seats, which, again, was slightly less compared to the earlier 128 seats won in the 2002 Assembly elections. Desperate to increase its Lok Sabha tally, the BJP has taken some unusual steps. It has axed 10 of its sitting MPs and is fielding only four of the 14 sitting MPs from the state. The axed MPs include Vallabhbhai Ramjibhai Kathiria (Rajkot), Somabhai Gandabhai Patel (Surendranagar) and Kashiram Rana (Surat), all of whom had led a rebellion against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2007 Assembly elections. In all, the BJP is fielding 19 new candidates for the Lok Sabha. Of the 10 axed sitting MPs, one has defected to the Congress while a second was suspended for his alleged role in an immigration racket. Three of the “new” BJP selects are Congress “rejects” from Dahod and Patan. In Dahod, a tribal constituency in eastern Gujarat, the BJP has fielded Somji Damor, a Congress turncoat, who, ironically, was defeated by the BJP in 1999 after having earlier won a record seven times. The sitting BJP MP from this constituency, In Patan, located in northern Gujarat, the BJP candidate is Bhavsinh Rathod, a sitting Congress MLA. In Surendranagar, the BJP is fielding Congress ex-MLA Laljibhai Chaturbhai. The Congress has changed tactics by fielding six MLAs in addition to 10 out of its 12 sitting MPs. They are hoping that the successful 2004 experiment of allocating tickets to five sitting MLA’s, four of who won, would be repeated this time. Like its competition, the Congress has two BJP turncoats as their candidates - Dhirubhai Gajera in Surat and Somabhai Gandhabhai Patel, a sitting BJP MP from Surendranagar. The Congress party’s two women candidates include Neelben Virjibhai Thumar (Amreli), wife of sitting MP Virjibhai Thumar, who the Congress alleges has been framed by the ruling party in a cooperative bank scam. Not to be left behind, the BJP has fielded at least three candidates (the Congress alleged five) who were allegedly involved in cooperative bank scams. Two of these candidates were jailed but the BJP asserts that they have paid their dues and been acquitted. Four more sitting BJP MPs have not been issued tickets because of the recent delimitation of constituencies - the Dhandhuka seat has been cancelled; a new Ahmedabad (West) seat created; Patan, an earlier scheduled caste (SC) seat, has been turned into a general category seat; while Kutch - the country’s third largest parliamentary constituency - has turned into a SC seat. Both parties are inviting star campaigners comprising top party leaders and Bollywood actors. For the people of this state, there should be plenty of visual sighting of interesting names from the entertainment industry and the country’s polity before the electorate casts its vote in this state on April 30.
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Independents fail to find favour with Punjab voters
Chandigarh, April 12 Though the 1989 general election in Punjab set many records of sort, including Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), now (Amritsar), chief Simranjit Singh Mann recording the biggest ever win from Taran Tarn, the electors of the state sent Kirpal Singh (Amritsar), Atinderpal Singh (Patiala) and Dhian Singh Mand (Ferozepore) to Lok Sabha as Independents. Only other Independent declared elected from Punjab since 1977 has been Satnam Singh Kainth. Though Satnam Singh had parted ways with the Bahujan Samaj Party just before the elections and defeated sitting BSP MP Harbhajan Lakha in 1998, he lost the subsequent elections as a nominee of Democratic Bahujan Samaj Morcha to Santosh Chaudhary of the Congress. In fact, Punjab has been witnessing another interesting phenomenon. Whosoever changed his political alignments did not succeed more than once.Satnam Singh Kainth after leaving the BSP won once as an Independent but subsequently when he contested again by floating a new party, the electors of Phillaur rejected him. Similarly, Kamal Chaudhary, son of another firebrand leader of Punjab, Ch Balbir Singh, won the three consecutive elections from Hoshiarpur on the Congress ticket. Then he switched his loyalties to the BJP and won against Colonel Charandeep Singh Kamboj of the BSP in 1998. In 1999, he lost to Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress. Incidentally, Channi, who was denied the Congress ticket in 2004, contested on the BSP ticket and lost to Avinash Rai Khanna of the BJP. This time after delimitation, Hoshiarpur has become a reserve seat. Kirpal Singh, who won the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in 1989, subsequently joined the Janta Dal but could return to the Lok Sabha again. He lost in 1996 to Raghunandan Lal Bhatia.This time there are two contestants - Gurcharan Singh Galib (Ludhiana) and Sukhdev Singh Libra (Fatehgarh Sahib) - who will be fighting against the parties they earlier represented in Lok Sabha. Galib has left the Congress to join Shiromani Akali Dal and Sukhdev Singh Libra left the Akali Dal to join the Congress.
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Sick Soren puts Cong in a fix
Ranchi, April 12 In consonance with the Congress Working Committee’s decision, the party jettisoned its allies SP (UP) and RJD (Bihar) in the long term interest of reclaiming its base in these states. But in the case of Jharkhand, the Congress, as an exception, handed over the electoral command of the alliance to the former Chief Minister and JMM chief Shibu Soren. But sadly for the grand old party and perhaps more so for JMM, Soren, ‘Guruji’ as his followers popularly call him, is away in Delhi convalescing at the AIIMS in New Delhi. He is most likely to stay away for the entire campaign duration, jeopardising his party’s prospects. A fallout for the Congress also appears almost inevitable. To make mattrs worse, Soren’ son Durga Soren after declaring himself the “caretaker chief” of the JMM has created a rift in the alliance by refusing to support sitting Congress MP from Godda Furqan Ansari who is seeking a reelection. Consequently, star Congress campaigners Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have so far kept away from Soren’s jurisdiction, his eight parliamentary constituencies. Congress is contesting six out of the total 14 as per the deal. Sonia on Sunday addressed an impressive public rally in in Khunti for her party candidate Niel Tirkey. As for any joint campaign with the JMM or campaigning for the alliance candidates, Congress leaders said, “They (JMM) have not made any request to us to campaign in their constitutencies.” Despite all this, in Ranchi at least, the party appears on a strong wicket, thanks to Union Minister of State for Food Processing Subodh Kant Sahay who shines in comparison to his immediate rival Ram Tahal Chaudhry. With strict EC regulations, there are hardly any visible signs of an election here. But that seems to have just added to the near zero visibility of the BJP and Ram Tahal Chaudhry. BJP rebel and former CM Babulal Marandi, who is floating his outfit --- Jharkhand Vimukti Morcha (JVM) --- and setting up his candidates in all 14 constituencies, will further hurt the safron party.
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Mallika gets CPI backing
Ahmedabad, April 12 "The CPI has decided to support Sarabhai who is contesting as an independent candidate from Gandhinagar constituency,"
party district president Jethalal Gambhukar said in a statement here. "Sarabhai is committed towards secularism and is dedicated to solve the problems of the masses. So our party has decided to extend support to her in this elections," he said. The Left and secular parties in the Centre have decided to form a non-Congress and non-BJP government in the country, and for that they have been
putting up a strong third front, the statement further said. Sarabhai will be fighting BJP bigwig and prime ministerial candidate L K Advani who has won four times from the seat. She will also face Congress candidate and a sitting MLA from Kalol Assembly constituency Suresh Patel. —
PTI
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Saran
Lalu Tola (Saran), April 12 The ongoing construction work of Rs 1400-crore Cast Wheel Project of the Railways further gives the impression that the residents here may have named there village after Lalu as a mark of gratitude for gifting the railway scheme to the area. But that is not the truth. Lalu Tola, which falls under Parsa Assembly segment, came into existence several years before Lalu made his electoral debut from Chhapra (now Saran) Parliamentary constituency in 1977. But will Lalu’s ‘generosity’ be able to impress Lalu Tola? Not much. Reason: In Bihar, people have the tendency to vote their caste. Amresh Sharma, who runs a small dhaba at the entrance of the upcoming railway project at Lalu Tala, frankly admits that he would vote for the NDA candidate Rajiv Pratap Rudi because he belongs to the Bhumihar community which has been a die-hard opponent of A majority of the inhabitants of Lalu Tola are either upper caste Bhumihars or Awadhia Kurmis, the latter has also opposed Lalu. To a question that they should have been grateful to the Railway Minister for bringing three mega railway projects in the constituency, including one at their village, Nilesh, an Awadhia Kurmi, belonging to the adjoining village — Koila — said, “Why should we be indebted to him, he (Lalu) as a part of design deprived us (Bhumihars and Kurmis) of our livelihood by acquiring our agricultural land for this project.” However, Yadavs of the area are firmly backing Lalu and all efforts of the local JD(U) MLA — Chhotelal Rai — to woo them have gone in vain. “Rai recently organised a big community feast in the area. But not many Yadavs went there,” claimed a Lalu supporter. There’s also a clear polarisation of Yadavs and Muslims in favour of Lalu in Saran constituency and even the presence of Salim Parvez as BSP candidate in the fray does not seem to be affecting the equation. Says a daily wager Zubrail Mian of Musahari village: “Why should I vote for the BSP which may form a post-poll alliance with the BJP.”
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Troubles crop up for Cong in Rajasthan
Jaipur, April 12
Buta Singh had been eying Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat, but the Congress denied him the same. In Jalore, which he has represented on various occasions in the past, the Congress has fielded Sandhya Chaudhary, a political greenhorn. According to sources, the Congress stalwart saw a potential in the constituency as the BJP too has fielded a first timer --- Devji M Patel. An industrialist, Patel belongs to Choudhary community that has two lakh votes in the constituency. Buta Singh had won as an Independent from Jalore in 1998 under similar circumstances, relegating the party’s official nominee to the third position. He retained the seat on the Congress ticket in 1999, but lost it to former BJP president Bangaru Laxman’s wife Susheela Bangaru in 2004. The Congress, on the other hand, is yet to react to the development. Congress spokesperson Satyendra Raghav said they would not like to comment over the issue before April 18, which is the last date of withdrawal of nominations. “Let the clear picture emerge regarding candidates in the fray first," he said. Meanwhile, Congress candidate from Jaipur Rural Divya Singh has decided not to contest from the seat. Sources said she has even intimated the party about her decision. On Divya Singh’s issue, Raghav said her husband Vishvendra Singh is keen on contesting from the constituency. Divya is a former BJP MLA from Deeg.
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NTR legacy becomes hot property
Hyderabad, April 12 In a bid to rework NTR’s magic, the Telugu Desam Party, which he had founded in 1982, has roped in his actor sons N Balakrishna and N Harikrishna and grandson and young mass hero “Junior NTR” for campaigning. Two other grandsons of NTR and actors Kalyan Ram and Tarakaratna are also working for the success of the regional party. However, NTR’s daughter and Union Minister N Purandareswari, who is with the Congress, has cautioned her brothers and other family members against “falling into the trap” of TDP chief and NTR’s son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu had dethroned his father-in-law in a midnight political coup in August 1995 and taken over the reins of the party, an act that earned him the tag of “back-stabber”. He still carries the stigma, despite his claim to be the true successor to NTR’s political legacy. “My father died a sad man, betrayed by Naidu. He would have lived longer had he not been back-stabbed by his son-in-law,” said Purandareshwari, who along with her husband D Venkateswara Rao had joined the Congress before the 2004 elections. She is now seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam. "Naidu is a cunning politician who uses people around him like curry leaves only to discard them later,” she said. NTR, the matinee idol of Telugu cinema, had stormed to power in the state within nine months of floating the Telugu Desam Party in 1983. After losing power in the previous elections, Naidu rediscovered the magic of NTR and made calculated moves to get closer to his family members. He got his only son N Lokesh married to Balakrishna’s daughter last year, further cementing the family ties. The star power of NTR’s scions is being unleashed to offset the impact of another popular hero Chiranjeevi who has entered politics with a bang. The gambit has clicked with road shows of “Junior NTR” turning out to be big hits. However, NTR’s widow Lakshmi Parvathi has lashed out at Naidu for “hijacking” NTR’s legacy and “exploiting” his family members for his own selfish political ends.
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Double role
Jammu, April 12
“I want that the residents and politicians of Jammu and Kashmir should come out of their state and embrace the country,” says Bhatti, who has already filed nomination from the Jammu-Poonch. Though he represents the All India Forward Block party, which was formed by Subash Chandra Bose, the man believes in Gandhian ideology of social equality and non-violence. He is president of All India Mahatma Gandhi foundation and is a regular at Hindu functions. Interestingly, the man also likes the great martyr Bhagat Singh. “There are lot of similarities between Subash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. I would like to spread their teachings ,” he quips. A law graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, Bhatti said all religions have a common agenda: Teaching love and tolerance. Actually, he wanted to contest from three seats, the third being Srinagar. His posters annoncing his candidature from three places dot walls and poles in Jammu as well as on Jammu-Srinagar highway. However, when he filed his nomination from Jammu, he learnt that he can only contest from two places, as per the election rules. Bhatti says he owns properties in all the three places. “I belong to all these places. Also, the polling in five phases would have enabled me to contest from all seats. But now I would be contesting from Jammu and Chandni Chowk only." he adds. Bhatti had polled 56,000 votes in last parliamentary elections. He claims that NC supremo Farooq Abdullah won Assembly elections with his support from Sonawar constituency in Srinagar in 2008, “ I withdrew my candidature at the last moment. Farooq managed to win by a margin of 54 votes.,” says Bhatti.
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Pollscape
He has been stretching his physical endurance to prove his political loyalty. A farmer in Andhra Pradesh has been on a unique mission to seek divine blessings for Telugu Desam Party’s victory in the elections. S Yesudeva Reddy, a hardcore fan of TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, has been climbing the hill shrines in the state on his knees to pray for the return of the regional party to power. Fifty-three-year-old Reddy has climbed 24 shrines on his knees in the past one-and-a-half years and has plans to continue the mission till the TDP “wins the elections”. “I want to see Naidu back as the Chief Minister. He alone can provide efficient, clean and corrupt-free administration,” said Reddy, who is also the vice-president of the Telugu Rythu, farmers’ wing of the TDP. —
TNS Angry senior
He means business
After graduating from IIM-A and establishing a successful catering business, a youth is all set to enter the electoral fray as an Independent from South Chennai, vowing to create more employment opportunities for youths by improving the political environment. Having rose from the lower rungs of society, 28-year-old E Sarath Babu, whose mother supported his education by selling “idlis”, says that better atmosphere should be provided to youngsters and it is possible when enterprising youths with good ideas enter politics. He is planning to start door-to-door campaigning and will launch a website soon. —
TNS
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Poll buzz
NEW DELHI: A distant relative of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is also in the electoral fray from the Lucknow parliamentary constituency. The president of the 75-year-old women’s organisation Bazm-e-Khawateen, Shehnaz Sidrat, has filed her nomination from Lucknow. — ANI Media moguls
BHUBANESWAR: Media barons in Orissa are all set to try their luck in this election. As many as five media barons, belonging to both the Congress and the BJD, will put their Lok Sabha ambitions to test on April 23. While Tathagat Satpathy, editor of the Oriya daily - Dharitri - and the BJD’s sitting MP of Dhenkanal is in the fray, the party’s RS candidate Baijayanta Panda is also contesting. Panda is the owner of a news channel - OTV. Ranjiv Biswal, managing editor of Oriya daily ‘Samaya’, is the Congress candidate from the Kendrapara seat. — PTI Catchy slogans
NEW DELHI: The 15th Lok Sabha election campaign is churning out new slogans and catchphrases. Leading the race is the BSP led by UP Chief Minister Mayawati. The rallying cry of the BSP this time is: “UP hui hamari hai, ab dilli ki bari hai; Bharat ki majboori hai, behen Mayawati zaroori hai”. From “Tilak, taraju aur talawar, inko maro joote char” to “Hathi nahi Ganesh hain, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh hain”, the BSP has travelled quite a distance. —
PTI Sonia’s security
SHILLONG (MEGHALAYA): Over 1,500 armed police personnel have been deployed here as part of a massive security blanket in view of a bandh called by a tribal rebel group to protest Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s visit on Monday. Khasi rebel group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has called for a 24-hour bandh, beginning 6 pm on Sunday against Gandhi’s visit. A team of Special Protection Group (SPG) arrived here on Saturday and held extensive meetings with state police officials to assess security arrangements. - PTI
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Voter’s guide
Like all physically challenged voters, a visually disabled is permitted to take a companion with him. Besides, many EVMs have Braille signage on the ballot units indicating the serial number of the candidate. A dummy ballot paper indicating the names and serial numbers of the candidates is provided to the presiding officers, with the help of which they can cast their vote independently
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Yet, both women and minority candidates figure least prominently in the list of candidates being fielded by both the BJP and the Congress in this border state which is straightforward bipolar. The Congress has fielded a solitary Muslim candidate, the BJP none. The Congress has fielded two women candidates, one by default compared to three by the BJP.
A central election observer has landed in trouble here for allegedly making his subordinate to half-squats for arguing with him. PL Darbar, an IAS officer hailing from Gujarat, who is the central observer for Vatakara and Nadapuram assembly segments, allegedly forced sectoral officer K Soopy to do ten half-squats after a verbal duel on sealing an EVM near Vatakara in Kozhikode on Friday. District Collector PB Salim said he had informed the state Chief Election Officer Nalini Netto about the matter. “The district administration is not empowered to do anything other than bringing such incidents to the notice of the state election chief,” Salim said. —
PTI