Congress complains to EC
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 10 — The Congress chief Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will address a rally in the Capital on November 15, nearly three weeks after the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, kicked off the BJP election campaign in Delhi.

Ms Sonia Gandhi will address an election meeting and another rally in the Sultanpur Majra constituency, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief Sheila Dikshit told reporters here today.

The DPCC chief said the party’s election manifesto would be released tomorrow.

Introducing the party nominees for elections to the 70-member assembly, she said the Congress would go to the electorate with the slogan "good governance and better living."

The presence of rebel candidates would not affect the party’s poll prospects. "A few rebels in the fray are not going to affect the party’s chances," a confident Ms Dikshit said.

Though some of the Congress rebels withdrew their nominations on the last day of withdrawal yesterday, others including Mr Romesh Sabharwal, Mr Ramesh Dutta and Mr Matin Ahmed decided to remain in the fray.

Describing as ‘unfortunate’ the rejection of nomination of Mr Vir Singh, Congress nominee for Seemapuri, Ms Dikshit said the party would decide on adopting another candidate in the constituency within two or three days besides challenging the rejection of Mr Singh’s papers in the court.

The chairman of the BJP’s Delhi unit election committee, Mr V.K. Malhotra, today said that most of the party’s rebels had opted out of the race following persuasion and warning of stern action.

Although 10 rebels acceded to the party’s directive, two sitting MLA of the party, Mr Jagdish Lal Batra from Kasturba Nagar and Mr Inder Raj Singh from Narela, would be contesting as rebel candidates.

(The BJP and the Congress on Tuesday initiated action against party rebels by expelling two leaders each in Rajasthan, according to PTI.)

The Lt Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijay Kapoor, today reviewed the arrangements being made for the smooth and peaceful conduct of election in the Capital.

In the 70 assembly segments, 818 candidates are now left in the fray. While the Nasirpur Assembly segment will have the highest number of candidates from a constituency — 46, there are five candidates in the party in Shakurbasti, lowest in any assembly segment.

Meanwhile, the Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission alleging the violation of the code of conduct by the Centre and Doordarshan for the live telecast from Gaya of the Prime Minister’s speech which it claimed was "designed to influence the voters".

In a letter to the Election Commissioner, Mr G.V.G. Krishnamurty, the AICC General Secretary, Mr Oscar Fernandes sought to draw the EC’s attention to the 30 minute telecast of the Prime Minister’s speech on November 8 from Gaya in Bihar on the occasion of Buddh Mahotsava.

"The text of the speech indicate that it is designed to influence the voters. In this manner, Doordarshan and the Prime Minister, have violated the code of conduct announced by you," said the letter, whose copy was released to the press today.

Mr Fernandes also drew the EC’s attention to the announcement that the government had decided to appoint Mr Dilip Singh Bhuria, a Tribal leader from Madhya Pradesh, as Chairman of the National Commission of SC and ST.

Apart from the BJP and the Congress, other political parties in the fray have taken the initiative in the fortnight-long campaigning seriously. The last two days have witnessed inauguration of election offices in various assembly constituencies.

Mr Prithvi Raj Yadav, General Secretary, Delhi Pradesh Janata Dal, said the party had set up its main election office in Putkala village in the Shahbad Daultapur Assembly segment. He said that the party was optimistic about the prospects of the candidates.

The Janata Dal has fielded candidates for 52 Assembly segments and left the Vishnu Garden and the Gole Market seats for the SAD (Amristar) and the CPM.

Mr Ram Gopal Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi party in the Rajya Sabha said the party was contesting from the 36 assembly seats.

He said the party had left four seats for the CPM and one for the CPI.

Mr Jaswinder Singh Virk, president of the Delhi state Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) said the JD-SAD (Amritsar) combine had started campaigning in full swing in the Vishnu Garden Assembly segment.

Miffed stalwarts stay away from campaign
From Shubhabrata Bhattacharya
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 10 — Congress workers of the R.K. Puram constituency in South Delhi began their campaign on a novel note. "Hamein chahiye aloo pyaaj, nahin chahiye Sushma Swaraj (we need onions and potatoes and we don't need Sushma Swaraj)", they chanted as the election office of their candidate, Mr Ashok Singh, was inaugurated by former Indira Gandhi aide Makhan Lal Fotedar near the Sangam cinema this evening.

R.K. Puram could very well have been the constituency of the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj. At the last moment, she chose to shift to neighbouring Hauz Khas. The contest in R.K. Puram is between sitting BJP MLA, Bodh Raj, and Mr Ashok Singh who is contesting from Delhi for the first time.

The absence of traditional stalwarts in the Congress and BJP camps, Mr H.K.L. Bhagat and Mr Madan Lal Khurana, respectively, was discernible as the fortnight-long campaigning got underway today.

Mr Bhagat, who could not even secure a ticket for his son, Mr Deepak Bhagat, is said to be upset with his party. Mr Khurana, though a Union Minister, could not pull his weight within the BJP.

Political observers are keenly watching the moves of Mr Khurana, who is also upset at the inability of the BJP to enter into a tie-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Mr Khurana has a substantial following among the Sikh voters of Delhi. He had promised prominent Sikh leaders he would try to forge an alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP for the Delhi assembly elections.

Mr Khurana was away from Delhi in connection with the Gautam Buddha mahotsav when the decision regarding not letting the Shiromani Akali Dal contest the Delhi elections on its own symbol was made. The offer obviously was not acceptable to the Shiromani Akali Dal, a party which has its moorings in the pre-Independence days’ freedom struggle. Thus the effort of Mr Khurana came to a nought. If Mr Khurana chooses to stay away from the campaigning, it will certainly have an adverse impact on the chances of the ruling BJP.

Apart from the Sikh voters’ factor, Mr Khurana is also peeved with the move to induct his bete noire in Delhi politics, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, into the Union Cabinet. When Mr Verma was replaced as Chief Minister by Mrs Swaraj then too the wishes of Mr Khurana, who had relinquished his position as Chief Minister of Delhi in the wake of the hawala case, in which later he was exonerated by the courts, were overlooked. The last state Assembly elections were won by the BJP under Mr Khurana’s leadership. Therefore, observers are now keenly watching his next move.

Being in the Opposition, Congress workers are spinning slogans with ease. Apart from the "aloo-pyaaj" jibe, another salvo, focusing on the infighting in the ruling BJP which was heard during today’s campaign, was, "Inhone hataya Verma ko, hum harayenge Sushma ko (they replaced Verma with Sushma and we will now ensure her defeat)".

From dropsy deaths to the price rise imbroglio the past six months have been bad for the ruling BJP and this is discernible in the initial phase of the campaign itself.

However, both the Congress and the BJP high commands have respectively annoyed their workers while distributing tickets and the number of rebels of both parties in the fray may queer the pitch.

No party is willing to act really tough with the rebels because if some of them win they could be useful in the post-election scenario.