Meanwhile, the state government claims to have made adequate arrangements for a fair, free and smooth poll.

As many as 114 candidates are contesting the election with the maximum number of 29 candidates in the Bhiwani constituency and a minimum of six each from Sonepat and Sirsa (SC).

Two Shia bodies back NC
Cong spotlight on local issues
From Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR: While Kargil has become major issue during the election campaign in the rest of the country, it is a non-issue in the Ladakh parliamentary constituency of which Kargil is a constituent. The Constituency comprising twin districts of Leh and Kargil goes to the polls in the first phase of elections on Sunday.

It was for the first time in 1998 elections since 1967 that the National Conference (NC) bagged the Ladakh seat comprising Buddhist-dominated Leh and Muslim-dominated Kargil. That was mainly because of the virtual merging of the ideologically diverse schools of the Shia Muslims, the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT) and the Islami School with the National Conference. The two schools as also other organisations of the Sunni Muslims and the Buddhists and Christians extended their support to the NC candidate, Syed Hussain, of the Islamia School.

The writ of the voters in Kargil district dominated the scene as the number of voters in Kargil is more than those in the Leh district. The Ladakh constituency has an electorate of 1,43,719, including 70,732 in Leh and 72,987 voters in Kargil. Out of 391 polling stations to be set up in the constituency for these elections, 205 will be in Leh district and 186 in Kargil district.

More than 90 per cent of the displaced persons of Kargil district in the May-July turmoil along the LoC has returned to their places. Only seven polling stations are being set up for the displaced persons of Baru, Kharbu, Kaksar and Ando and other villages in the district.

The shifting of the polling stations has been undertaken in spite of the normal situation along the LoC,. There were no reports of any shelling from across the border since August 8 last. The area has been witness to frequent shelling from across the border since early May this year.

The two schools of the Shia Muslims, have formally extended their support to the ruling NC. The Chief Minister and NC president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, addressed the gathering in Kargil on Wednesday. Another former MP, Haji Rangeen Ali (Cong) has also extended his support to the NC. With this the morale of the NC candidate, Mr Ghulam Hassan Khan, and the high command seems to be high.

It is going to be a close fight between the Congress candidate. Mr Thupstan Chhewang, and Mr Khan. Mr Chewang is the chairman of the Congress-dominated Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) which has been at loggerheads with the National Conference government on various issues. It has been demanding the Cabinet Minister status to the LAHDC Chairman and ministerial status to other 30 members of the Council. The LAHDC was constituted in 1995 by the Governor, Lt-Gen Krishna Rao (retd). The Congress has been concentrating on various local issues related to Leh district only and also on more powers to the LAHDC.

The campaign has been on a quite note as no top leaders of any party have joined the election campaign in the constituency like that of the last year, when a number of prominent leaders, including Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and film-star-turned politician Vinod Khanna of the BJP were among those who visited the constituency.

As compared to four contestants during the Lok Sabha elections of 1998, this time seven candidates are in the fray. One woman candidate was also in the fray for the Ladakh constituency in the last parliamentary elections, but there is no woman candidate from this sprawling constituency for the ensuing elections.

The other five candidates trying their luck are Mr Sonam Paljor (BJP), Mr Nassrulla Advocate, Janata Dal (Secular), and three Independents — Mr Kamal Kishore, Mr Mohammad Hassan Commander and Mr Mohammad Murtaza.

Kids’ issues gain importance

NEW DELHI: Children's issues are slowly but surely gaining importance in the national agenda with almost all political parties giving this subject greater prominence in their manifestos.

The growing awareness of the problems posed by persisting low levels of literacy and high drop-out rates is reflected in the fact that almost all political parties have mentioned something about education in their manifestos as against only three parties raising this issue in the 1996 general election.

Similarly, while only two parties have a vague reference to the issue of child labour in the 1996 poll, as many as five parties have mentioned it this time. The Child Labour Action Network (CLAN), in an analysis of the manifestos of eight political parties, finds that the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the CPM, the BJP and the Congress have all, to a greater or lesser extent, announced measures to abolish child labour.

The TMC, which has some areas of influence in Sivakasi and Thirurpur (both child labour intensive areas in Tamil Nadu), has announced the "abolition of child labour" while the NCP, under the influence of former Labour Minister and child rights advocate P.A. Sangma, indicates the party's support for the abolition of child labour and the introduction of compulsory primary education.

The CPM says the "abolition of child labour and enforcing the rights of children subject to such exploitation" would form part of its policy on child care. The BJP, however, merely mentions that it will "take measures to eliminate child labour" without elaborating on how it will go about it.

The answer, says CLAN chairperson Jospeh Gathia, seems to be in the Congress manifesto which talks of creating special educational facilities in child labour endemic areas, strengthening of the mid-day meal scheme, poverty alleviation and strict enforcement of laws against child labour. "The Congress is, in fact, the only party which has taken pains to explain strategies for tackling the child labour problem," he says.

The other parties whose manifestos have been analysed by CLAN are the Samajwadi Party (SP), the CPI and the TDP.

Mr Gathia says a distinct feature of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is that it mentions that the NDA will present a national charter of children.

With regard to education, the Congress has taken a "visionary" position by announcing that "girls and women belonging to the Dalit, Adivasi, other backward class and minority communities (should) have access to the best education and health facilities by, at the most, the end of the next decade."

The Congress manifesto states that "a time-bound programme for universalising access to elementary education for all children up to the age of 14 by the year 2003 will be implemented and resources found for making this happen."

The CPM's stand on this issue is that free and universal education should be guaranteed to all children up to the age of 14 years. The significant point to note here is that this is the only party which has mentioned that the 83rd constitutional Amendment Bill, which lapsed, must be revived and adopted to make education a basic right for children up to the age of 14, says Mr Gathia.

The BJP, on the other hand, has announced a major shift in the constitutional position of children. The Constitution of India (Article 45) states that all children should receive education up to the age of 14 years. The BJP says: "We will implement the constitutional provision on primary education (to be) free and compulsory up to the 5th standard."

According to CLAN analysis, this is a major policy stand which all constitutional experts must examine as it will mean sending children into the labour market at the age of 11 years. This situation is in conflict with another constitutional provision that no child below the age of 14 shall be employed in hazardous occupations (Article 32), it points out. — UNI

Change in electoral arithmetic
From Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA: The electoral arithmetic in Himachal Pradesh has undergone a sea change since the last Lok Sabha poll. It is for the first time that the state is going to the polls under a coalition government. Himachal Pradesh remained a bastion of the Congress for decades. The party was so well-entrenched that it did not lose a single seat until the 1977 elections when the Janata Party made a clean sweep of all four Lok Sabha seats.

Prior to this, there was no organised opposition in the state to the Congress. Once the Janata wave demolished the Congress citadel, a two-party system gradually emerged with the BJP, an off-shoot of the Janata Party, occupying the centrestage along with the Congress. Efforts of the CPI, the CPM, the Janata Dal and other like-minded parties to raise a third front came a cropper all these years.

The Congress regained lost ground in the 1980 Lok Sabha poll winning all four seats securing 52.88 per cent of the votes. The vote percentage of the Janata Party came down from 57.19 in 1997 to 38.18 in 1980.

Riding the sympathy wave in the wake of Mrs Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the Congress polled a record 67.58 per cent votes to win all seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, with a 23.27 per cent share, was the only other party to get a substantial number of votes.

However, the BJP turned the tables on the Congress in the 1989, wresting three of the four seats. It secured 45.25 per cent votes whereas the share of the Congress dwindled to 41.96 per cent. The Congress could retain only the Shimla seat.

The two parties shared the four seats in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections with Kangra and Hamirpur going to the BJP and the Congress emerging victorious in Shimla and Mandi. The Congress had to contend with two seats even though it polled 46.16 per cent votes, about 3.50 per cent more than the BJP.

The Congress once again swept the Lok Sabha poll in 1996, winning all seats. Its vote percentage also improved to 54.33 from 46.16 in 1991. The 1998 Lok Sabha poll turned out to be a replay of 1989 when the BJP wrested three seats and the Congress managed to retain only the Shimla seat.

However, the emergence of the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC), a regional political outfit, in 1998 added a new dimension to the election scene. The party polled about 11 per cent votes and won five assembly seats to signal the arrival of a third political force in the state. The BJP, which secured just 39 per cent voter, formed government with the support of the HVC.

The post-1998 election alliance between the BJP and the HVC has altered the electoral arithmetic drastically. The alliance has won all assembly byelections held since with impressive margins.

The coalition partners are contesting the ensuing elections jointly. It is for the first time that one of the main contenders, the BJP and the Congress, has entered into an alliance with a regional party for the Lok Sabha poll. The HVC is contesting the Shimla (Reserve) seat from where it has fielded Col Dhani Ram Shandil. The BJP has renominated Mr Shanta Kumar (Kangra), Mr Suresh Chandel (Hamirpur) and Mr Maheshwar (Mandi) who were members of the dissolved House.

With the BJP and the HVC joining hands, there will be no real triangular contests in the state. In the last assembly elections, when there was no such alliance, the two parties together polled about 50 per cent votes as against 43.51 secured by the Congress.

The Opposition Congress, which is making an all-out bid to wrest the three seats, has given the ticket to three sitting legislators, Mr Ram Lal Thakur (Hamirpur), Mr Gangu Ram Musafir (Shimla) and Mr Kaul Singh Thakur (Mandi). All are contesting the Lok Sabha poll for the first time. However, Mr Sat Mahajan, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, will once again take on the BJP stalwart, Mr Shanta Kumar, in the Kangra constituency.

The stakes are high for the BJP which has the formidable task of retaining the three seats.

The total number of the electorate in the state has increased from 36, 12, 136 in 1998 to 37, 76, 547. In Hamirpur and Kangra constituencies women voters outnumber men.

Industrialists shy of giving funds
From A.S.Prashar
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana: A prolonged recession in this industrial and commercial capital of Punjab has hit the fund-raising drives of various political parties for financing electioneering in the parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday.

Shortage of poll funds has, in turn, cramped the campaigning style of most political parties. Things have been so bad that most parties have had to scale down the election expenses on printing of posters, banners, bunting, arches and setting up of election offices. Candidates have been relying primarily on door-to-door canvassing in villages and towns and holding street-corner meetings where they try to educate prospective voters on their merits.

It is only during the past couple of days that the candidates have begun spending in a big way and posters, pamphlets and bunting and banners have begun appearing on the city walls.

Ludhiana is the commercial and industrial hub of Punjab and has traditionally been a major source of election funds for various parties. Certain big industrial houses of Ludhiana are known to have been contributing crores to the poll war chests of certain political parties in the past.

This time things are different. As one fund-raiser put it: “Things are so bad that those who used to think nothing of contributing Rs 1 lakh in the past are unwilling to come for anything more than Rs 11,000 this time. Many industrialists have migrated out of Ludhiana temporarily to avoid being besieged by fund-seekers. How can you fight a Lok Sabha election in such circumstances?” he asks in exasperation.

One candidate has been forced to sell a couple of shops he owned in the city for Rs 35 lakh to finance his election campaign. “I will need another Rs 25 lakh to put up a respectable show”, he confides. “I don’t know from where this money will come...”

Contribution by central offices of major political parties to the funding of election campaigns has been minimal. Fear of the Election Commission coupled with the general shortage of funds has prevented them from making hefty contributions to the election campaigns of their candidates. This has forced most candidates in the fray in Punjab to fend for themselves.

Certain outfits like the newly formed SHSAD have no funds at all. “We have no big contributors for reasons obvious. Not many want to make a donation to us and run the risk of falling foul of the Badal government,” says a party activist. “Still, individuals have been coming forward and making contributions... However, it is left to individual candidates to try to run the show as best as they can”. Little wonder, many of the SHSAD nominees have been trying to make up for the lack of funds by making fiery speeches at their poll rallies.

7 polling stations shifted

SRINAGAR, Sept 3 (UNI) — The authorities have decided to shift seven polling stations which come under the direct threat of Pakistani shelling in the Ladakh parliamentary constituency going to the polls on September 5 along with the Srinagar seat.

“In view of possible threat of Pakistani shelling, we have decided to shift seven polling stations in Dras and Kargil sectors to safer places. We do not want to take any chance as security of the voter is most important,” state Chief Electoral Officer S.V. Bhave said here.

He said new polling stations had been identified in relatively safer places.

Out of four assembly segments in the Ladakh seat, the Kargil and Zanskar Assembly segments have been divided into 17 magisterial sectors to ensure peaceful poll.

Mr Bhave said 29 polling stations had been identified as hyper-sensitive and 24 sensitive in the entire Ladakh constituency. He said adequate security arrangements had been made to face any eventuality.

The Chief Electoral Officer said poll material had already been sent to all 391 polling stations.

It's star trek in Karnataka

BELLARY: Politics in Karnataka has begun a star trek in the current Lok Sabha and assembly elections as never before, turning increasingly to film and television personalities, taking a leaf out of the experience in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

A host of cinema and television artistes have either been roped in to contest the poll or canvass for their candidates by the political parties.

However, none of those canvassing or in contest is in a position to become the Chief Minister, unlike in Andhra and Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh had the late matinee idol N.T. Rama Rao as Chief Minister, while Tamil Nadu has seen Mr M. Karunanidhi, Mr M.G. Ramachandran, Ms Janaki Ramachandran and Ms Jayalalitha — all from filmdom — ascending the Chief Minister's throne.

And in their urge to draw artistes from the tinsel town, political parties have left these stars opposing one another.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Congress are the main draws for these stars, of whatever calibre they may be.

Having already launched Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna, "Sita" Deepika and "Krishna" Nitish Bhardwaj into politics, the BJP has attracted "action heroine" Vijayashanti from the Telugu screen last year.

During the current elections, she is campaigning here for her party candidate Sushma Swaraj against Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

In fact, Vijayashanti was considered by both the BJP and the Telugu Desam for contesting against Ms Sonia Gandhi if the Congress President was to contest from Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh.

Another actor who has found recognition in the BJP is Kannada character actor "mukhyamantry" (Chief Minister) Chandrud. In fact, he shot into prominency by shooting off a letter to Ms Sonia Gandhi raising nine points, starting from her educational qualification.

Chandrud was also an important campaigner for the BJP in Bellary along with Srinath, Avinash and television personality Malavika (of Kannada mega serial "Mayamruga" fame).

The Congress, on its part, attempted to rope in film artistes through its "artistes wing" in Bangalore last week but met with stiff resistance from some artistes led by another Kannada actor Sunderaj, who had contested on the Congress ticket for the assembly from Basavangudi in the last elections.

However, artistes like director Ravee (K.L. Swamy), his wife B.V. Radha, Srinivasamurthy, "Tennis" Krishna, playback singer Surekha, actress Ashalata and Padma Vasantha have come forward to help the Congress.

But a major Congress gain in this election is villain-turned-hero Ambarish, who has defected from the Janata Dal, Ambarish, who won for the erstwhile Janata Dal, the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, is seeking re-election from there this time on the Congress ticket.

Ambarish, grandson of violin maestro Chowdiah, will get some helping hand from another leading Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan, who has featured in a couple of Tamil films also.

The Congress has in its ranks another star, Kumar Bangarappa, son of former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa, seeking re-election from the Soraba assembly segment. Kumar may not have to worry much as the segment is part of the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency, from where his father is also seeking re-election.

The Janata Dal (United), a partner of the NDA, too has attracted its share of film personalities.

It has pitted Tamil and Kannada heroine of yesteryears Jayanthi from the Kotagaree assembly constituency this time. Last year, she had lost in the Lok Sabha poll contesting on the Lok Shakti Ticket from Chickaballpur.

A leading star for the JD (U) will be state Information and Technology Minister Ananth Nag, a leading actor before he took to politics full time.

The JD (U) has also another Kannada star T.N. Sharma (director of the "Mayamrug" serial) contesting from the Gowribidanur Assembly constituency, while his co-star Shashikumar tries his luck on the same party ticket from the Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency.

The Janata Dal (Secular) has former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Godwa's son H.D. Kumaraswamy from the Tinsel town. — PTI

Three Cs dominate campaign
From A. Balu

CHENNAI: Once bitten, three times shy — this quote of the late British Prime Minister James Callaghan should serve as a cautionary note to pollsters in Tamil Nadu who are itching to make predictions on the outcome of the parliamentary elections in the state, scheduled for September 5 and 11, but are hesitant to venture into the tricky exercise.

The last time they tried to project the election results (1998), they ended up with egg on the face. They had predicted that the DMK-TMC front would sweep the poll, but it was the AIADMK-led front that cornered most of the 39 parliamentary seats. The Congress suffered the worst defeat in its electoral history.

What can be said with certainty at this stage is that voters are utterly confused, thanks to the multiplicity of political parties, factions and unprincipled alliances. The campaign is in full swing, as leaders of three major alliances, namely, the DMK-BJP-PMK-MDMK front led by Mr M. Karunanidhi, Ms Jayalalitha’s AIADMK-Congress alliance and the so-called third force, the Progressive People’s Front led by Mr G.K. Moopanar, are making whistle-stop tours of the constituencies. Media reports of the election speeches indicate that the issues are getting fuddled in the cacophony of mutual attacks and recrimination. The campaigns are being treated as a “horse race.”

The one redeeming feature of the elections is that the campaigns, unlike in other leading democracies, USA are free from bedroom scandals. Instead, three Cs— caste, communalism and corruption — are the primary “mantras”.

If campaign echoes are to be summed up, it is that Ms Jayalalitha is a notoriously corrupt politician responsible for the present unwanted elections, Mrs Sonia Gandhi is a “videshi”, Mr Karunanidhi is without scruples in embracing a communal party, and Mr Moopanar lives in a fool’s paradise. The key competitors in mudslinging are, of course, Ms Jayalalitha and Mr Karunanidhi.

The latter has made much of the “rebuffs” the AIADMK leader gave Mrs Gandhi in Villupuram in northern Tamil Nadu by staying away from the election rally there. Mr Moopanar has also joined in reading political significance into the incident which Ms Jayalalitha’s rivals see as a fresh pointer to her arrogance.

It was quite some time before the AIADMK leader chose to put the record straight with the statement that no snub was intended and that both Mr Karunanidhi and Mr Moopanar were trying to make “political capital” out of the issue. But the damage has been done and no amount of explaining by Ms Jayalalitha has helped check the media hype.

Mr Karunanidhi’s snipes against Ms Jayalalitha have prompted several women’s organisations in the state to protest against the “sexist and derogatory” remarks directed at the AIADMK leader.

Ms Jayalalitha told an election rally at the weekend that the DMK leader had no moral authority to accuse her of corruption when his own partymen had made accusations of corruption against several DMK ministers. She promised the voter that she “will send him (Mr Karunanidhi) home.” Ms Jayalalitha also taunts the Chief Minister reminding him that in the 1998 elections he had taken out a full-page advertisement in newspapers portraying the BJP as being responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid and describing that party as a “poisonous snake.”

The TMC leader, Mr Moopanar, takes credit for “belling the cat” in forming a third front, moving away from both the main Dravidian parties — DMK and the AIADMK. He keeps repeating that the TMC is fighting both communalism and corruption. Mr Moopanar claims that the TMC has taken the initiative to bring around all Dalit outfits to create “a new effort in Tamil Nadu history.”

His main ally is Puthia Tamizhagam (PT), a Dalit party that has gained strength in recent times. Keen contests are predicted in some of the constituencies where political stalwarts like Mr Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, Mr Mani Shankar Iyer, Mr P. Chidambaram, Dr Subramanian Swamy, Mr Vaiko, Mr Murasoli Maran, Mr T.R. Balu, Mr S.R. Balasubramanian and Mr Vazhapadi Ramamurthi are contesting.

TDP fields 38 kin of leaders
Sons of 2 CWC members in fray
From K V Prasad
Tribune News Service

HYDERABAD: It is election time and sons and stars have started to appear on the political horizon of Andhra Pradesh once again.

With the state witnessing elections both to the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies and 294-strong state legislative assembly, political parties have done their bit of fielding both relatives of prominent politicians as well as those from Tollywood (Telugu film industry).

If the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has fielded as many as 38 relatives of political leaders, the Congress has not lagged behind. In the fray are sons of two Congress Working Committee (CWC) members and a former Governor, brother of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief, and wife of a former Chief Minister.

Mr K Surya Prakash, son of CWC member and former Chief Minister, K. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy is a candidate from the Adoni Assembly constituency while his father is seeking re-election from the Kurnool Lok Sabha constituency.

Mr B K Sivaji, son of newly-inducted CWC member B. K. Lakshmi Devi, is contesting for the assembly as is Mrs N. Rajya Lakshmi, wife of former Chief Minister, N. Janaradana Reddy. Mr Reddy is recontesting the Narsaraopeta Lok Sabha seat polling for which has now been put off from September 5 to October 3, following a bomb blast last week that killed four.

If former Governor and Union Minister, P. Shiv Shankar is the Congress nominee from Tenali Lok Sabha constituency, his son Mr P Sudhir Kumar is trying his luck from Malakpet Assembly constituency.

The APCC chief, Dr Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy who was a member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, has decided to shift to the state politics and will contest from the Pulivendula Assembly constituency.

Dr Reddy, hopes to steer the party to power in the state and be a major contender for the Chief Ministerial chair. To keep his traditional Cuddapah Lok Sabha constituency safe, he has managed to get a nomination for his brother Y. Vivekananda Reddy.

Former Union Minister G. Venkataswamy in the Peddapalli Lok Sabha constituency and his son G. Vinod in the Chennur Assembly constituency are yet another father-son duo in the fray this time.

The Telugu Desam has taken out a leaf out of the Congress tradition by fielding as many as 38 relatives including the brother of Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, and brother of former Union Minister, K. Yerran Naidu in the assembly elections.

Mr N Ramamurthy Naidu is contesting from Chandragiri while his Chief Minister brother is heading towards a hat-trick of wins in the Kuppam Assembly constituency in Chittor district.

Mr K. Achannayudu in the Harishchandrapurma Assembly constituency is the brother of Mr Yerran Naidu who seeks re-election from the Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency.

Yet the Congress drew a blank when it came to attracting the film stars to its side as the Telugu Desam and its partner the BJP stole the show.

Leading the brigade is former hero, Mr Krishnam Raju, member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, from the Narsapur constituency while heroine of 1970s Vijaya Nirmala (Kaikalur) and popular character actor, Kota Srinivasa Rao (Vijayawada-East) are the BJP candidates for the assembly.

The Telugu Desam, founded by thespian N. T. Rama Rao, has kept up the tradition. Urvashi award winner and heroine of yesteryears, T. Sarada (Venkatagiri) and comedian Babu Mohan (Andole) are contesting the assembly elections. Mrs Sarada was the member of the 11th Lok Sabha.

A new entrant is well-known film producer, D. Rama Naidu, who has over 100 titles to his credit. He is contesting from the Bapatla Lok Sabha constituency.

In addition, the BJP-TDP has got support from leading Telugu stars like Vijayashanti, Naresh and former Congress MP Jamuna, a heroine of the 1960s, who have cast their lot with the new poll partners.

Jaya’s nephew vs fiery orator

PERIYAKULAM: The Lok Sabha election in this stronghold of the AIADMK may well be a referendum on the political career of party supremo J.Jayalalitha whose close aide Sasikala Natarajan’s nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran is pitted against the DMK’s fiery orator Selvendran.

The AIADMK thinks Mr Dinakaran’s victory will serve as a vindication of Ms Jayalalitha in the corruption cases against her and the DMK thinks that his defeat will clearly denote that the guilt has been proved in the people’s court.

Actor Mansur Ali Khan of the Puthiya Thamizhagam (PT) is also in the fray as a candidate of the third front led by the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) chief G.K. Moopanar.Nominees of the AIADMK have been returned to the Lok Sabha since 1977 except in 1980 and 1990 from this picturesque constituency nursed by tributaries of the Periyar and Vaigai and known for plantation crops such as cardamom and commercial crops such as cotton and sugarcane.

Founder of the AIADMK and late Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran and Ms Jayalalitha has successfully contested the state assembly elections from Andipatti and Bodi, respectively, forming part of the Periyakulam constituency of 1.12 million voters.Mr Selvendran, a former MP then representing the AIADMK, is a “local” and tries to take advantage of the son of the soil theory. Mr Dinakaran hails from Mannargudi in Thanjavur district but lives in Chennai these days.

This is being exploited by Mr Selvendran.In his campaign meetings he also pronounces that Mr Dinakaran, if elected, would not be even accessible to the voters as he would be in Ms Jayalalitha’s Poes Garden bungalow which opens only to a select few.Mr Dinakaran is also the managing director of the new Tamil satellite channel Jaya TV which started airing programmes a few days ago and has the channel to his benefit.

Mr Dinakaran’s campaign meetings are well attended with the party’s known strength in mobilising people.When Mr Dinakaran filed his nomination, AIADMK workers accompanied him in 700 vehicles, considered to be the biggest ever turn out for the occasion.Unmindful of the past record, Mr Selvendran and his supporters say the DMK would win this time as according to them now there was a clear “Vajpayee wave” in the constituency as elsewhere and the voters were disgusted with Ms Jayalalitha for toppling the BJP-led government.However, national issues rarely influence the voting decisions in this constituency where caste and party loyalties and the personal charisma of the candidates or their backers play a crucial role.Ms Jayalalitha and DMK President M Karunanidhi are campaigning in this constituency.

The AIADMK has recently appointed a Muslim, Mr Syed Khan, as party district secretary in an attempt to woo the Muslim voters.

Supporters of the party describe Mr Dinakaran as a headquarters candidate and every party functionary who is somebody is submitting daily progress report to the party hierarchy.

Platform speakers do the speaking for Mr Dinakaran who travels in an open jeep with folded hands. Women who perform arti are liberally tipped.

Both Mr Dinakaran and Mr Selvendran belong to the dominant community - Thevars - who form 22 per cent of the electorate. The Dalits form 17.7 per cent and could be a deciding factor in any elections. However, the Puthiya Thamizhagam, taking a large chunk of the Dalit votes could indirectly help the AIADMK nominee as those would otherwise have gone to the DMK candidate, interviews with a large number of voters in the constituency indicated. — UNI

Water shortage foremost issue

RAJKOT: Quick to exploit resentment in Saurashtra, where people’s hopes are pinned on the Sardar Sarovar Project, the Opposition Congress is going all out to charge the BJP governments at the Centre and in Gujarat with failure to resolve the Narmada issue.The BJP had won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the Saurashtra region in the 1998 elections.

People are unhappy at the failure of the Vajpayee government to resolve the Narmada project imbroglio while it amicably settled the nagging Cauvery river water dispute among southern states.

The BJP contention, articulated also by Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, that as the matter was before the Supreme Court it could do little, has failed to convince people.

Water shortage is a perennial problem in the region. Scheduling of the mid-term elections at a time when the monsoon has played truant has placed the ruling BJP in a spot, observers say.

Saurashtra, which is a BJP citadel, is crucial for the party if it were to once again form a coalition government at the Centre.

In the 1998 elections, the BJP candidates had romped home in the seven parliamentary constituencies of Rajkot, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Porbander and Junagadh.

Even a strong Congress candidate like Sanat Mehta was trounced in Surendranagar district by a relative greenhorn like Bhavnaben Dave of the BJP, a former Mayor of Ahmedabad.

The BJP has renominated all its MPs in the dissolved Lok Sabha and though placed on a sticky wicket because of the water crisis is still not down and out in Saurashtra. Its candidates are involved in a direct contest with the Congress in all seven seats.

Of the seven seats, Congress presence is being strongly felt in Porbandar and Jamnagar. The Congress was late in deciding on candidates for the 26 seats in Gujarat, including those in Saurashtra.

The Congress fielded Balwant Manvar in Porbander and Raghavji Patel in Jamnagar at the eleventh hour but the two, who are Patels and very popular, can give the BJP candidates a run for their money.

In Jamnagar, the BJP candidate is Chandresh Patel while Gordhan Javia is the BJP nominee from Porbander.

The Congress seems to have committed harakiri by not giving the ticket to Sanat Mehta, who was keen on challenging Bhavnaben Dave in Surendranagar. Mehta had lost by a wafer thin margin to Dave in the 1998 elections. This time Dave is facing a relatively unknown Congress candidate, S. Makwana.

In Junagadh, Bhavnaben Chikhalia of the BJP is pitted against mining magnate and Congress candidate Pethalji Chavda, who has lost every election he has contested so far.

Chikhalia has been elected thrice from Junagadh and gone on to consolidate her position over the years.

The BJP state unit president, Rajendrasinh Rana, is seeking re-election from Bhavnagar. She is being challenged by Dilip Sinh Gohil of the Congress, who has been unable to campaign because of illness, affecting his as well as his party’s chances in the elections.

In Rajkot, former capital of Saurashtra state, a keen tussle is on the cards between the BJP’s Vallabh Kathiria and Vithal Radadiya (Congress), an MLA from Dhoraji. Radadiya was earlier with the BJP but had left the party to join Shankersinh Vaghela’s Rashtriya Janata Party now merged with the Congress.

The Amreli constituency, too, is poised for an interesting fight between the BJP’s Dilip Sanghani and the Congress’s Virji Thu as both parties are afflicted by factionalism. —PTI

Patel riding rough wave

CHENNAGIRI (Karnataka): Aiming for a fifth term from his home constituency Chennagiri, Karnataka Chief Minister J.H. Patel appears to be riding a rough wave following his volte face — deciding to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

For one, Mr Vadnal Rajanna, a BJP rebel, is keen on dessinating Mr Patel's party.

Mr Patel is involved in a multi-cornered contest in this assembly constituency which goes to the polls on September 5 in the first phase.

Though it looks to be a direct contest between Mr Patel and Mr Rajanna, Mr Mohibullah Khan of the Congress and Mr Ramachandra Murthy of the Janata Dal (Secular), Mr Hanumanthappa of the Bahujan Samaj Party and two Independents are also in the fray.

While Mr Khan, a debutant, could garner the committed Congress and community votes, Mr Murthy could cause some damage to Mr Patel in the event of a close finish.

Mr Patel, who has been in the thick of electioneering in different parts of the state along with Union Ministers Ramakrishna Hegde and George Fernandes, has not been campaigning here.

His electioneering is being managed by family members and close friends. Though Mr Patel says the fight is between him and the Congress, the picture appears to be slightly different.

The Chief Minister is not being wholeheartedly backed by the local BJP cadre as they have opposed his rule for nearly three-and-a-half years. Local BJP leaders say they want Mr Patel to lose and will go all out to support Mr Rajanna, who finished third in the 1994 elections.

The opinion on supporting Mr Patel seems to be divided in this constituency, bordering Shimoga and the newly carved Davanagere district.

The youth are not much in favour of Mr Patel and say they want young blood. "The Chief Minister has been saying that he will not contest and will leave the seat to younger people. But he has suddenly decided to contest now," they say.

Elders, however favour letting their "gowdaru", as Mr Patel is reverentially called, enjoy another term in the Vidhan Sabha.

Mr Patel, after filing his nominations, had appealed to the voters to give him another chance, saying that though he had decided not to contest, he was running for another term because of the changed political scenario.

The constituency, like most others in state, suffers from lack of basic infrastructural facilities. Mariganur, the hometown of the Chief Minister, is no exception.

The common complaint of the voters in the constituency is that Mr Patel has not paid adequate attention to Chennagiri.

But Mr Patel's supporters argue that the Chief Minister can't spend his energies nursing only his constituency. He has sanctioned a lot of funds and taken up development work here, they point out.

However, with the BJP clandestinely supporting him, Mr Rajanna has been working with renewed vigour. The campaigning has been mainly door to door in this constituency that has an electorate of more than 1.35 lakh with Lingayats constituting the majority. — UNI

All eyes on Barmer, Sikar and Jalore
From Milap Chand Dandia

JAIPUR, Sept 3 — Campaigning came to an end in 10 constituencies comprising Barmer, Jalore, Sikar, Pali, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Sriganganagar, Nagaur, Jhunjhunun and Churu in Rajasthan.

In the last Lok Sabha elections the Congress won in all constituencies, barring Sikar which was wrested by the BJP. This time again both parties are main contenders but the battle has become triangular in some areas.

The Congress and the BJP have renominated their sitting MPs but in Jodhpur and Bikaner the fight is between new candidates. Sitting MP from Bikaner Bal Ram Jakhar has been shifted to Sikar while the Jodhpur seat had fallen vacant on Ashok Gehlot becoming CM.

Amongst the VIP candidates whose fate will be sealed in ballot boxes on September 5 are former Union Minister Buta Singh (Cong) and BJP’s national vice-president Bangaru Laxman, both in Jalore, former Lok Sabha Speaker Bal Ram Jakhar (Cong) from Sikar and former Union Minister Sheesh Ram Ola (Cong) from Jhunjhunun.

Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh’s prestige is also at stake in Barmer where he is fighting the poll battle through his journalist son Manvendra Singh. Jodhpur is Mr Askok Gehlot’s traditional constituency and the Congress has put former Speaker of Rajasthan Poonam Chand Bishnoi as its candidate there.

There is almost a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP in Ganganagar (SC), Bikaner, Churu, Jodhpur, Pali, Jalore and Barmer. But in Jhunjhunun, Sikar and Nagaur the battle is triangular because of the presence of an Independent, the CPM and the BSP, respectively.

Traders rake in moolah

NEW DELHI: Posters, banners, flags, badges and caps at the capital’s Sadar Bazaar, one of the biggest wholesale markets of Asia, business in poll material is raking in millions, never mind the hype over economic recession or the model code.

Whether it is a BJP flag depicting a more confident Atal Behari Vajpayee after Kargil or a Congress flag showing its President Sonia Gandhi traditionally attired and with folded hands, or reams of cloth and saris bearing the trademark print of leading political parties — all are selling like hot cakes.

From a big shop to a small “pheriwala” (roadside hawker), traders are busy selling their wares and raking in the moolah amid the hustle and bustle of electioneering.

The lanes and bylanes of Sadar Bazaar are agog with hordes of political workers, politicians and businessmen from far and wide thronging the shops and placing orders with great enthusiasm.

“No candidate can afford to contest election without unleashing blitzkrieg. And certainly they will come to us for buying poll material,” says a trader Anil Bhai “Rakhiwala” while taking orders.

Orders ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 lakh are taken on telephone alone, says Anil Bhai.

While some of the poll material comes from printing presses in Narayana, Nangloi and Daryaganj, badges and brooches are generally made in Teliwara near Sadar Bazaar.

Badges in various shapes and sizes depicting the party bosses and with the symbols are also getting ready in the dingy lanes of Teliwara.

Even as they take orders, many traders are cagey about revealing the figures or the amounts pouring in. The limit on poll expenditure set by the Election Commission as also political machinations are causing impediments in the business, they say, parrying queries on profits.

With the ceiling on poll expenditure, there is a bit of apprehension among traders that they may not be able to make desirable profits, says Anil Bhai.

“Elections have been imposed on people merely after a gap of 13 months. And there are candidates who are going for a second term or more. From where will the money come?” asks one trader.

“In such a scenario, you can’t think of making huge profits,” says Anil Sethi of Alpana Packers and Printers, who has set up his stall for poll material on the premises of the BJP headquarters in the Capital.

“It’s very difficult to ascertain what the profit will be. I have already bought 12 sacks of plastic for the purpose. One sack costs around Rs 950,” says Sahu.

“To top it all, we also suffer huge losses whenever a particular political party splits as we had placed orders much in advance,” says Anil Bhai.

“I lost Rs 10 lakh following the split in the Janata Dal as their symbol “wheel” has been frozen by the Election Commission. “Sab raakh ho gaya (every thing has come to a naught),” laments Vijay Kumar, another trader in the market.

“We are not merely depending on the reputation of the market but are wooing political parties too by sending feelers to various party functionaries,” says Anil Bhai.

“In the hope to strike gold,” he quips. — PTI

Quote...unquote

All political parties are roping in film stars and other celebrities for their campaigns ... the final verdict will not depend on these publicity stunts. Votes will be cast in favour of that candidate who will give utmost weightage to developmental issues and who will show that he actually cares for his country and constituency.

— Shabana Azmi on film stars campaigning for political parties

Politics is a boring thing. Politicians have boring things to say ... That is why I call film stars. People come out of curiosity.

—Vijay Goel, the BJP candidate from Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, on why he prefers 'abhinetas' over 'netas' for his campaign.

We don't need Kargil for election victory. The fine job we did while in the Government is enough.

— A.B.Vajpayee at an election meeting in Sikar, Rajasthan.

Senior political leaders from major parties should tell (the people) down the line to stop such attacks as people of India deserve a serious debate on issues relevant to them like economic policy, food, clothing, shelter, education and health.

— M.S. Gill, holding all parties guilty of "personalised attacks"

The political heavyweights in Punjab are knocking on the doors of sects, sadhus and sants, seeking not merely their benediction, but also their votes and those of their followers... The sadhus, in return, are hoping for land to expand their ashrams and expecting to wield substantial clout in the government.

— Report in The Telegraph

He clasped Karunanidhi in his palm, he took us for a ride on Cauvery, he promised us heaven and earth, this nice gentleman Vajpayee.... He simply betrayed our trust.

— J. Jayalalitha at an election meeting in Dharampuri, Tamil Nadu

I would like to remind you that you have got the best opportunity to make it clear to Sonia Gandhi that she is not welcome to Parliament.

— Chandrababu Naidu at an election meeting in Bellary

Pahle pani phir Advani (first solve our water shortage problem, then we will listen to Advani).

— the crowd at L.K. Advani's election meeting in Gandhinagar

I have not noticed even a ripple.

— CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan dismissing the BJP's claim of a "Vajpayee wave"

Her (Sonia Gandhi's) claim to fame is that she is the daughter-in-law of a famous leader. But does she know of our problems?

— a resident of Bellary on Sonia Gandhi, a "pardesi from Italy"

May be if Sonia wins, my getting a visa to Italy will be easier.

— an unemployed visa applicant at Adampur in Punjab

I had written two letters to Sonia Gandhi asking her to mend her ways in running the party. But she responded only to my third letter, which I had to write in Italian.

— S.S. Ahluwalia, who left the Congress to join the BJP

(Compiled by Mukul Bansal)

Nutshell

SP secy quits

ALLAHABAD (UNI): The Samajwadi Party received another setback when party’s National Secretary and sitting Lok Sabha member from Phulpur Jang Bahadur Singh Patel resigned from the primary membership of the party on Friday. Mr Patel said he took this action in protest against the “anti-people and pro-Bharatiya Janata Party” policies of party President Mulayam Singh Yadav.

BSP enthusiast

PHAGWARA (FOC): Harmesh Lal, a BSP enthusiast, on Friday campaigned for Mr Avinash Chander, third front candidate from the Phillaur (reserve) Lok Sabha constituency, in a blue (standing for the BSP) and kesari (for the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal) attire keeping aloft the BSP flag fixed atop a 12-ft-pole accompanied by four drummers.

Rajput Sabha

JALANDHAR FOC: The Rajput Sabha, Punjab, has decided to support SAD candidates in the state. A delegation of the sabha met Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, poll in charge of the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency, to convey the decision.

Withdraws

LUDHIANA (FOC): An Independent candidate for the Ludhiana North Assembly constituency, Mr Harinder Singh Narang, has withdrawn in favour of BJP candidate Rajinder Bhandari. In a statement issued to the press here, Mr Narang said he had pulled out from the election fray to strengthen the hands of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr Parkash Singh Badal.