Monday, December 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

GUJARAT ELECTIONS
BJP ropes in Mayawati
Intelligence agencies warn of ‘photo finish’
New Delhi, December 8
Alarm bells have started ringing in the BJP camp at the reports of All-Gujarat Muslim Front’s decision to vote en block for the Congress and intelligence agencies’ warning of a photo finish in the December 12 Assembly elections in Gujarat.

Nation page: Maya to back BJP in Gujarat
Edit page: Poll implications beyond Gujarat

Sonia fails to hold crowd
Mehsana, December 8
They came in hordes. They saw. And they went. As has been in the past the ‘exhibition’ value of the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, was visible here also as she addressed her second rally of the day as part of electioneering in Gujarat.
In video: (28k, 56k)

Congress President Sonia Gandhi waves to the crowds at an election rally at Mehsana in Gujarat on Sunday. — Reuters photo
 
GUJARAT DIARY: No name on chair for Sonia
Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani blames the Congress for creating an atmosphere of uncertainty in Gujarat. (28k, 56k)

Political warriors swarm Gujarat
Ahmedabad, December 8
As the clock is ticking fast and the polling day is nearing, political warriors of all hues have landed here from all over the country. 

 
Nagappa’s body found in forest
Bangalore, December 8
In a gory end to the 106-day-old hostage crisis, the body of abducted JD (U) leader H Nagappa was today found in the Chengadi forests near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border after forest brigand Veerappan sent an audio cassette tape washing his hands off his captive claiming he was injured in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu police.

Low-level radars for Air Force
New Delhi, December 8
Concerned over numerous undetected air intrusions of the country’s air space, especially by Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicles, the government has given urgent clearance for the induction of low-level transportable radars which will give the Indian Air Force as well as the Army the capability to effectively screen snap air intrusions in the mountainous and desert terrain.

CJI gets report on charges against Judges
New Delhi, December 8
The three-judge committee probing into the alleged corruption charges against three Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today submitted its inquiry report to Chief Justice G.B. Patnaik for further action.