M A I N   N E W S

EC bans exit polls
Campaign for first phase ends, polling tomorrow

New Delhi, April 14
Curtains came down today on an acrimonious campaign in 124 constituencies in 17 states for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 16, with electioneering marked by a bitter war of words between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and hopeful LK Advani and joined by others.

The Election Commission has reiterated that the result of opinion/exit polls should not be published from Tuesday evening till the conclusion of polls on May 13. "The result of opinion/exit polls carried out at any time cannot be published, publicised or disseminated in any manner, during the period starting from 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in the first phase of election and till the conclusion of poll in the last phase of election," the Election Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

The poll panel had issued the guidelines in this regard on February 17 in the wake of the order passed by the Supreme Court on January 19. "The period referred to in the guidelines started from 3 p.m. today (Tuesday) and will continue till the conclusion of polls in the last (the fifth) phase of election," the Election Commission said.

RJD's Lalu Prasad, BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi, Telangana Rashtra Samiti's K Chandrasekhar Rao, Congress' Renuka Chowdhury, actress Vijayasanthi, NTR's daughter D Purandeswari and former Union Minister B Dattatreya are among the prominent names seeking election to the lower house of Parliament in the first phase.

While all 20 seats in Kerala and two in Meghalaya would go to polls in a single phase on Thursday, polling would also be held in parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir. The lone seats in Andaman and Nicobar islands, Lakshadweep, Mizoram and Nagaland would also be covered. Prominent campaigners included Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP prime minister hopeful LK Advani, Congress youth icons Rahul and Priyanka, Gujarat Chief Minister Narednra Modi and Left party leaders Prakash Karat and AB Bardhan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, recovering from a heart by-pass surgery conducted in January, lent his bit to the Congress campaign when he went to Kerala and then to Mumbai. As the dust and din settled down, campaigners started moving house to house.

With Advani repeatedly taunting him as the "weakest" Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh hit back in equal measure yesterday saying the BJP's 'iron man' had "melted" during the Kandahar hijack crisis. Singh had also said Advani's only contribution in public life was the demolition of Babri Masjid.

The campaign saw Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi provoking the Congress, likening it to a 'budhiya' (an old woman) and later to a 'gudiya' (doll) after Priyanka asked whether she and her brother Rahul looked old to Modi.

The 'budiya' comment drew strong reactions, with Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal saying it shows how much the saffron party respects the elders although it itself has put up an 80-year-old as its prime ministerial candidate.

Priyanka herself had dismissed the importance attached to Modi's remarks, when she said: "I think it's a great pity that we waste so much time on this nonsense.

There are big issues in front of us. There is development, economy and all sort of challenges and every responsible leader must discuss these challenges.” Earlier, the ruling JD(U) in Bihar had complained to the Election Commission that RJD leader Rabri Devi had made insulting remarks about Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Rabri Devi had said at a poll rally, “Lalan Singh is brother-in-law of Nitish...and Nitish is the brother-in-law of Lalan. That is why both of them are always seen holding each other’s hands.” Nitish and Lalan are not related but the description of brother-in-law was supposedly made in a derogatory manner.

A police case was then registered against Rabri after the matter was taken to the Election Commission.

But nothing compares to the sentiments whipped up by Varun Gandhi, who ran into trouble with the law after an alleged hate-speech in Pilibhit from where he has been nominated to contest the Lok Sabha polls.

The Uttar Pradesh government invoked the National Security Act and arrested Varun. He agreed to give an undertaking to the Supreme Court that he will not make any provocative speeches during his Lok Sabha poll campaign, if granted bail. The case has been adjourned till April 16.

RJD President Lalu Prasad himself saw a police case being registered against him after he said he would have crushed Varun Gandhi under a “roller” for his alleged hate-speech. — PTI