Sunday, August 22, 1999
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EC cancels poll in 5
Assembly seats 97 candidates in fray for 7 LS
seats |
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BJP: Cong biggest destabiliser NEW DELHI, Aug 21— The Bharatiya Janata Party today said the Congress party’s opposition to the proposal to ensure a five-year term for all elected bodies, including the Lok Sabha, through legislative change establishes that it was the biggest destabilising influence in Indian politics.
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Elevate politics to new
level: Sonia Cong objects to use of Kargil
mural BJP decides candidate for
Khajuraho GVG to tour J-K from tomorrow CM: Delhi to be cyber city in 3
years Hoax RDX call creates flutter Textbook on geriatrics |
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EC cancels poll in 5 Assembly seats NEW DELHI, Aug 21 (PTI) — The Election Commission today cancelled elections in five Assembly constituencies in Karnataka on the ground that the election process had been vitiated due to dereliction of duties by state poll officials and directed that fresh nominations be filed and polling adjourned to October 3. The constituencies are Bagepalli falling under the Chikballapur Lok Sabha seat and Maleswaram, Rajajinagar, Gandhinagar and Basavanagudi Assembly constituencies coming under the Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat. All five Assembly constituencies were to go to polls on September 5, the first day of the two-phased polling in Karnataka. Stating that a formal recommendation to the Karnataka Governor to cancel the poll processes in these constituencies was made today, the commission in its order said "elections in the five constituencies will now recommence on September 7 with filing of nomination afresh and balloting will take place on October 3". Counting of votes will be taken up on October 6 along with counting in all other 28 parliamentary and 224 Assembly constituencies in the state. Taking a severe exception to "serious dereliction" and lapses on the part of the state officials, the commission directed that the Returning Officer, Assistant Returning Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Circle Inspector of Police of Bagepalli be immediately transferred. Referring Bagepalli Assembly seat, the order said the election process was vitiated as one of the candidates of a recognised national party was prevented from filing his nomination paper on August 18, the last day for the purpose, by a mob of supporters of a rival candidate. A large crowd of four to five thousand persons had gheraoed the RO's office for several hours, preventing anyone from entering it. Acting on an on-the spot inquiry report by commission's Secretary K.J. Rao, who visited the constituency, the commission said "The district administration failed to take any timely action" and this led to arson and rioting, and firing by the police resulting in death of one person and injuries to several others. On Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Gandhinagar and Basavanagudi Assembly constituencies, the order said the commission had received that the ROs of these four seats "misled" candidates of the Nationalist Congress Party by telling that they required only one proposer for their nominations. The ROs later accepted the nomination but rejected them at the time of scrutiny on August 19 on the ground that they required 10 proposers and not one, it said adding that the complaints were enquired by Mr Rao. Ordering immediate
transfer of the ROs of the four constituencies for
committing "grave error" and compounding them
by their "misdemeanour by trying to cover up lapses
by manipulating election records", the commission
passed strictures against the officials saying
"their conduct has been severely condemned". |
97 candidates in fray for 7
LS seats NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — With two Independent candidates withdrawing their nominations today, a total of 97 candidates are left in the fray for the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi. The elections will take place on September 5. While East Delhi parliamentary constituency would have the largest number of 20 candidates contesting for the seat, 12 candidates each would be contesting from New Delhi, South Delhi and Karol Bagh constituency. Thirteen candidates each are contesting from Outer Delhi and Sadar, 15 candidates are in the fray for Chandni Chowk parliamentary seat. One Independent candidate each from Sadar and New Delhi withdrew their nominations today out of a total of 126 nominations filed. The Chief Electoral Officer had rejected 27 nominations during scrutiny. The election office said one electronic balloting unit would be used in all seats except East Delhi where maximum number of 20 candidates are contesting. During the last Lok Sabha polls 134 candidates were in the fray. About 10,500 electronic voting machines would be used for polls in Delhi and around 60,000 poll officers would be busy in election duty for 9100 polling stations. The Election Commission has appointed 21 senior officials as observers for ensuring free and fair Lok Sabha polls in Delhi. In the Capital the contest is primarily between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. During the last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won six seats and the Congress won lone reserved seat of Karol Bagh. The BJP candidates are Dr Vijay Kumar Malhotra from South Delhi, Mr Lal Bihari Tiwari from East Delhi, Mr Sahib Singh Verma from Outer Delhi, Mr Madan Lal Khurana from Sadar, Mr Vijay Goel from Chandni Chowk, Ms Anita Arya from Karol Bagh and Mr Jagmohan from New Delhi. The Congress candidates
are Mr R. K. Dhawan from New Delhi, Ms Meira Kumar from
Karol Bagh and Dr Manmohan Singh from South Delhi, Mr HKL
Kapoor from East Delhi, Mr Deep Chand Sharma from Outer
Delhi and Mr J. P. Aggarwal from Chandni Chowk
constituency. |
BJP promises Vananchal RANCHI, Aug 21 (UNI) — The General Secretary of the Bihar unit of the BJP said today a separate state of Vananchal would be created before the Assembly elections in the state, due early next year, if the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was voted to power. Mr Rai, who is in charge of the Vananchal area, said here that he was confident that the NDA would be voted to power with an absolute majority. “The Bihar State Reorganisation Bill, 1998, introduced in Parliament late last year, could not be taken up for discussion in the Budget session following the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. It would again be brought in Parliament by the NDA, if voted to power,” he said. “The alliance will also ensure that the Bill, along with other state reorganisation bills, is adopted in the larger interests of those aspiring for statehood,” Mr Rai added. He said the decision of the Congress to align with the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which was opposed to the statehood, had proved the “dishonesty” of the former towards Vananchan. The NDA would call upon pro-state forces to rise above the party line and support the BJP in the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of South Bihar, Mr Rai said, adding that the BJP would seek active support of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Jharkhand People’s Party and the All-Jharkhand Students Union for the realisation of this regional demand. He said the party’s regional unit had been authorised by the central committee to make the necessary electoral preparations in the Vananchal area. The party’s Vananchal committee would, for the first time, independently look into the poll arrangements. The BJP had won 12 of the 14 seats from Vananchan in the last elections. Mr Rai said electioneering for the 13 seats of Vananchal, going to the polls on September 18, and for the lone Rajmahal seat where polling was scheduled for October 3, would be launched on August 25, at a meeting of the Vananchal Election Campaign Committee here. The meeting, he said,
was likely to be attended by the BJP National
Vice-President, in charge of Bihar, Mr Kailashpati
Mishra, the General Secretary, Mr Govindacharya, the
Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, the Union
Minister of State for Forest and Environment, Mr Babu Lal
Marandi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar
Assembly, Mr Sushil Kumar Modi, and the state party
chief, Mr Nand Kishore Yadav. |
Elevate politics to new level: Sonia NEW DELHI, Aug 21 (UNI) — Congress president Sonia Gandhi today called for elevating politics to a different level to usher in a new era of economic change and social transformation and give people fresh hope and aspirations. Ms Gandhi said she was not for a politics which was a cynical game of numbers or an opportunistic game of manoeuvrings. The Congress president was speaking on the theme of a free Press for a free society to mark the 60th jubilee year celebrations of the All-India Newspaper Editors Conference here. More than 360 newspaper editors drawn from various parts of the country took part in the celebrations which included a lecture by Election Commission G.V.G. Krishnamurty on the media’s adversarial role with political parties in the run off elections. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also spoke on the occasion. The editors also met
President K.R. Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan for over
60 minutes and had a personal interaction with him this
evening. Mr Narayanan talked to each of them and
exchanged some words by way of introduction. The editors
were led by conference president Vishwa Bandhu Gupta. |
Cong objects to use of Kargil
mural NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — The Congress and the Left parties today objected to a mural having pictures of the three service chiefs, Indian Air Force planes, Prithvi missiles which formed the backdrop when the Prime Minister addressed an election rally in Karnal, Haryana yesterday. Describing it as a "misappropriation of the grossest political kind", the Congress said it constituted an electoral offence and urged the Election Commission to take note of it. Reacting to pictures splashed across newspapers today depicting the mural, AICC spokesman Kapil Sibal said, that the development came soon after the Election Commission's specific injunction on the issue. He said it comes simultaneously on the heels of the BJP's unfortunate reaction to the EC's, "eminently sensible directive, further makes clear the BJP's calculated disregard for institutional mechanisms". "Lest the BJP is tempted to lay the blame for this gross misuse of apolitical institutions as the Armed Forces on the enthusiasm of its regional allies, and pass it off as another inadvertent slip. The Congress wishes to bring to the notice of the nation yet another and telling example of misuse of national emblems", the Congress said. The CPI and the CPM have also demanded action against the BJP and the Indian National Lok Dal alleging that they violated the model code of conduct. The CPI general secretary, Mr D. Raja said his party had taken exception to the "brazen violation" of the model code for political exploitation of the defence forces by the BJP and its ally, the INLD. The CPM urged the
President, Mr K.R. Narayanan to intervene to ensure that
such violation of the code was not allowed and action was
taken against the offenders. |
BJP decides candidate for
Khajuraho NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — The Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party today selected Mr Akhand Prasad Yadav to contest from the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency in place of the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Ms Uma Bharati. Ms Bharati was shifted to the Bhopal constituency after she expressed her inability to contest from Khajuraho from where she was returned twice, on health grounds. The BJP general secretary, Mr Narendra Modi, said the Central Election Committee of the party also decided to field Mr Tapir Gao from Arunachal East. Of the two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP under its seat sharing agreement with the Arunachal Congress has left Arunachal West for its ally. Mr Modi also announced
the names of three candidates to contest the Andhra
Pradesh Legislative Assembly seats and three candidates
for the Maharashtra Assembly seats. |
BJP: Cong biggest
destabiliser NEW DELHI, Aug 21— The Bharatiya Janata Party today said the Congress party’s opposition to the proposal to ensure a five-year term for all elected bodies, including the Lok Sabha, through legislative change establishes that it was the biggest destabilising influence in Indian politics. The BJP general secretary and spokesman, Mr Narendra Modi, told newspersons here the National Democratic Alliance had promised that a mere vote of no-confidence should be replaced by a vote of no-confidence accompanied by a vote of confidence in an alternative combination or a party and this had been opposed by the Congress in tune with its nationally declared policy of "political negativism". Mr Modi said the new legislation if passed would ensure political stability and prevent frequent expensive elections. He said the anti-defection law enacted in 1986 was not effective. He said ensuring a full five-year term of an elected House was the best remedy for political stability and it would discourage political groups from frequently changing alignments and prevent the hijacking of the political mandate unless an alternative combination is in place. Tracing the track record
of the Congress, Mr Modi said it had destabilised every
government that it supported at the Centre. This included
the governments of Mr Charan Singh, Mr Chandra Shekhar,
Mr Deve Gowda and Mr I.K.Gujral. The party spokesman
pointed out that the Congress during its regime had used
Article 356 at least 100 times against state governments
to destabilise them. |
GVG to tour J-K from
tomorrow NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — The Election Commissioner, Mr G.V.G. Krishnamurty will tour Jammu and Kashmir for three days starting on Monday to extensively monitor the election planning and preparation in the state for the 1999 general election. During the visit, Mr Krishnamurty will hold detailed discussions at Srinagar with the Governor, the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Chief Electoral Officer, the Director-General of Police, the Inspector-General of Police and other officers regarding overall poll planning and preparation including preventive measures contemplated during the period of poll to contain law and order problems, a press note of the EC said today. Mr Krishnamurty will also visit Suru Valley, Kargil and Pahalgam in order to familiarise himself with the prevailing and future field conditions and circumstances. During the visit he will
discuss in detail poll planning assessment of law and
order and availability of poll personnel, requirement of
paramilitary forces and possible law and order scenarios
in the State with the civil and police authorities, the
press note added. |
CM: Delhi to be cyber city
in 3 years NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — The information technology industry would be given priority in the new industrial policy to be announced by the Delhi government after the Lok Sabha polls, the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, said here today. “We want to make the national Capital region a cyber city in the next two-three years, the Chief Minister said during an interaction on opportunities for bilateral cooperation between the Delhi government and the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. She said a new industrial policy would be announced which would lay down the government’s priorities in seeking foreign investment in non-polluting industries like IT. Delhi Chief Minister said though the CNG buses supplied by Ashok Leyland and Telco had not been up to the mark, efforts were on to make them successful. “The Telco bus which is slightly better than Ashok Leyland’s will continue on trial run for a month or two before a final decision is taken,” she said. She said the possible reasons for the low success rate of these buses was due to the fact that the city had an unusually long and hot summer. Earlier, Dr Walter Doring, Minister of Economic Affairs, State of Baden-Wurttemberg, expressed hope that trade between his state and Delhi would grow dramatically over the next few years and suggested that education could be an ideal field for future cooperation. India could emerge as a
major power in the IT sector, Dr Walter said, adding that
the cooperation between Germany and India would have to
grow rapidly especially in the software sector. |
Hoax RDX call creates flutter CALCUTTA, Aug 21 (PTI) — There was a flutter inside the busy Sealdah station here during peak hours this morning as the police conducted a search for bombs after an anonymous caller claimed that RDX explosives were planted inside the station building. Around 8.45 a.m., an anonymous caller told the PTI office here that ULFA had planted RDX on platforms 3 and 4 of the main section, as also in the station building’s first floor. Those were set to explode at 10.30 a.m., he said. Speaking in Bengali, the caller claimed that he was an ULFA activist, but refused to give his name. The police, who was
immediately informed about the matter swung into action,
but nothing was found. |
Textbook on geriatrics NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — A textbook on Geriatrics and Gerontology titled “Geriatric Care in India” was released here today by the Director-General of Health Services, Dr S.P. Aggarwal. The chapters in the book
have been written by specialists from various parts of
the country. The book said to be the first of its kind in
India has contributions by Prof P.K. Dave, Director,
AIIMS, Dr Kamaljeet Kaur from Patiala Medical College and
Prof B.C. Bansal from Rohtak Medical College. Problems
related to diminished vision, loss of hearing, nose,
throat, bones, joints, gynaecological problems and
nursing care have been covered in detail. |
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| PWG ultras gun down 4 PATNA: Four suspected activists of the banned Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) were gunned down by underground Peoples War Group (PWG) ultras at Islampur in Patna district in the wee hours on Saturday, the police said. Over 50 heavily armed marauders swooped down on the village around 2 a.m. and dragged Brijendra Singh, Uday Singh (both brothers), Jogi Singh and Gorakh Singh out of their home and shot them dead. The killers, according to eye witnesses, shouted anti-MCC slogans and held the victims as supporters of the banned outfit. — PTI 10
killed as bus overturns HC order on
water park project ULFA condemns
killing Japanese award
for Indian 1 killed, 46
hurt in accident Former IAF man
arrested Woman hacked to
death |
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