 |
|
|
75 per cent turnout
in Mizoram
|
|
|
Development tops poll agenda in Delhi CM nominees in Delhi face freshers Sonia Gandhi targets ‘poet’ Vajpayee Litmus test for Vajpayee, Sonia BJP banking on woman power IN GRAPHIC: Assembly Poll: Top Two in Previous Elections in Rajasthan 114 women in fray
Cong
workers exploiting Judeo’s footage Punjab CM accused of violating code Modi hits out at Sonia Atal star campaigner
1,770 candidates lost
deposit in 1998 poll
|
|
75 per cent turnout
in Mizoram New Delhi, November 20 The commission said it may order repolling in five stations in Suangpuilawn Assembly segment following reports of electoral malpractice. The polling percentage for the 40-member Assembly indicated a marginal dip from the last election when it witnessed 76.32 per cent. In the 1993 poll, 80.75 per cent electorate exercised franchise. Briefing mediapersons, commission spokesperson
A.N. Jha said in the Suangpuilawn Reserved constituency there were 12 polling stations. In five of the polling stations, there were reports of electoral malpractices and in some no ballot were cast. For the Mizos living in Tripura camps, the commission had polling stations on the border of
Mizoram, where 40 per cent of the electorate exercised franchise. Some of the polling stations were located 5 km to 150 km from the camps. The polling stations were set up at Kanhun for 361 electorate and Tuipuibari for 3905 electorate. “Keeping the distance in mind the commission extended the polling time by an hour. Considering the distance, the polling percentage appears to be impressive,” he said. There were 192 candidates in the fray and the commission had set up 798 polling stations in the state. The minimum number of candidates for one seat was three and the maximum seven. There are 532468 electorate in the state with 267736 women voters. |
|
Candidates freed, seek repoll Aizawl November 20 Information from the CEO’s office said the demands by these candidates had been faxed to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. A reply was awaited. When news of the kidnapping of these three candidates reached here last afternoon, the incident was reported to the EC immediately. However, owing to lack of authenticity of the kidnap incident, it was reported that the EC would not countermand polling in this constituency and the poll was carried out on schedule. However, of the 12 polling stations in the constituency, Phullen and Phullen South,
Suangpuilawn, Zawngin and Luangpawn reported nil voting. |
|
Development tops poll agenda in Delhi With incumbency factor not seemed to be working against the Congress and the BJP not been able to rake it up to sway the electorate, the candidates of the rival parties are focussing on the local problems of the constituencies. “The work of the sitting MLA in the constituency and the caste equation in the area would play a significant role this time,” said a Congress worker. Agreeing with this point of view, a BJP worker said: “Our effort would be to highlight the lack of development in the area as the electorate would be casting their vote for better civic amenities.” Even though civic
amenities come under the domain of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the electorate in the Capital are less concerned with the claims and counter-claims of the political parties that they could not achieve the desired result due to the multiplicity of authority. Rajbir Singh, an East Delhi resident, said: “The Capital needs better civic amenities. We do not care what the politicians do or why they failed to do.” And, to catch the attention of the voters, the parties are not lagging behind in using the latest technology — whether it is SMS or email, they are all being put to use. Although posters, banners and party flags do continue to be used, these have lost their shine this time around. The BJP in its attempt to highlight the failures of the state government, has launched “rath yatra” in all 70 constituencies to explain to the people how the Sheila Dikshit Ministry has failed to deliver the goods. Some of the issues being highlighted by the party include the Congress government’s failure to tackle dengue, water woes, power problems and poor sanitation. On the other hand, the Congress has created a replica of Delhi Metro to project it as party’s achievement and as its vision for the future though BJP chief ministerial candidate Madal Lal Khurana is at pains to explain to the people that the project was conceived by him during his previous tenure as chief minister. Apart from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Congress President Sonia Gandhi is expected to campaign for their parties in the Capital. Bollywood and TV stars have also started featuring in the campaigning on behalf of either parties. Going by the political history of Delhi Assembly, the Congress cannot presume that the 2003 poll would be a cakewalk for it. The Congress rode to power on onion price wave in 1998. The party won 52 seats and the BJP could bag only 15 seats. The BJP’s rout was despite the fact that the party had leads over the Congress in as many as 52 Assembly segments in the 1998 Lok Sabha poll. The Congress looked confident this time because it had a landside victory in March, 2002 civic polls, which the party projected as a barometer of its continued popularity amongst the electorate. However, the strong cadre base of the BJP and the RSS, which was virtually demoralised due to sharp rise in onion price in 1998, is working overtime this time to formulate a strategy for better electoral management. |
|
CM nominees in Delhi face freshers
New Delhi, November 20 “By merely being a youth cannot make you a winner. You need to have done some political work,” Mr Khurana told PTI about his “daughter” challenger Alka, a former Delhi University student leader. Describing her as an outsider, Mr Khurana said “let her roam about in the constituency till December 1, then we will see her off.” But Alka, campaigning for a change, feels the older generation should make way for youngsters in the political arena. Similarly, Poonam, wife of cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, also aims at defeating Ms Dikshit in her Gole Market constituency. Ms Dikshit has “been inaccessible and has not cared about her constituency,” says Poonam, who aspires to avenge the defeat of her husband in the 1998 poll. Countering the charges of the “fresher”, the Chief Minister says the people of my constituency realise the real work I have done. Ms Dikshit is banking on her “clean image and good governance”. —
PTI |
|
Sonia Gandhi targets ‘poet’ Vajpayee Dholpur (Rajasthan), November 20 “Keval kavita se raaj dharm nahi chalata” (responsibility of providing good governance cannot be fulfilled by mere poetry), Sonia said taking a dig at Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at an election rally here. She also charged BJP leaders and its allies with competing with each other while indulging in corruption and scams. Without naming former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo, Sonia said the BJP had been projecting a person involved in financial corruption as its chief ministerial candidate in Chhattisgarh. Accusing the BJP of creating social tension by dividing people on religious lines, she claimed that only Congress could bring social harmony and unity in the country. Attacking NDA government’s policies, she alleged that the economy was in trouble, country was undergoing industrial recession and the government was on a selling spree of profit-making public sector undertakings. Lives of farmers, labourers and women had become miserable under the NDA rule and there was no effort for employment generation, she added. Rejecting BJP’s claim of cultural nationalism, Sonia said “Sanskriti ke thekedaar hi use doobo rahe hain” (those who claim to be flag bearers of culture are tarnishing it). The Congress President praised the Rajasthan Government for its performance in the last five years and said the party was “proud” of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Indirectly referring to the arrest of VHP leader Praveen Togadai early this year in Ajmer, she praised Gehlot for keeping communal forces in control. Accusing the Centre of discriminating against the Rajasthan government in extending drought relief, she said despite that famine relief was managed by Congress government “efficiently” in the state. Speaking on the occasion, Gehlot demanded that an employment guarantee scheme on the pattern of Maharashtra should be implemented at the national level. Pradesh Congress Chief Girija Vyas said the Congress was facing no “serious threat” from rebels in the poll. “Only about a dozen rebels were in the fray who had already been issued notices for disciplinary actions”, she said. Sonia Gandhi, who arrived from Delhi via Agra, will address election meetings in Karoli and Bikaner before returning to Delhi in the evening. —
PTI |
|
Litmus test for Vajpayee, Sonia Jaipur, November 20 The success or failure of the BJP and the Congress in this round may decide whether or not the two will remain at the helm of the affairs in their parties by the time the final round, the general election, comes next year. After the unprecedented success in the Gujarat elections, Mr Vajpayee was under pressure to go in for an early round of general election. But he successfully staved off the challenge from within to ensure that his government runs its full term of five years. However, if the BJP tastes success in what is being described as the semi-final, Mr Vajpayee will again be under pressure to advance the general election. BJP workers here agree that this round of elections would be extremely crucial for Mr Vajpayee to maintain his control over the party. There have already been instances where party workers have demanded the influx of fresh blood in the BJP leadership. During the Gujarat elections, BJP workers had openly said it was time for the old leaders to step down. In an apparent reference to Mr Narendra Modi, workers had pointed that in the absence of fresh blood in the Central party it would be difficult for the BJP to sustain itself. This round could well turn out to be the deciding factor. A failure might be looked upon as a reflection of policies and strategies of the Central leadership. Similarly, Congress workers here also feel that Ms Gandhi is also under the scrutiny of hawks within the party and those who have left the party in the past protesting against her being made the leader. Success or failure of the Congress will be seen as the personal success or failure of the Congress President. Doubts have always been raised about Ms Gandhi’s ability to attract votes in
comparison to Mr Vajpayee. The Congress already knows that despite her handicap on the language front, she does have the capacity to draw crowds at rallies. Despite her charisma, if she is not able to attract votes, dissidence within the party is bound to emerge with the demand for a change in the leadership. The Congress, with its tail up in most of the other states, is looking at this as the only opportunity to regain power at the Centre with the help of some regional parties. |
|
BJP banking on woman power Jaipur, November 20 Other parties like the Indian National Lok Dal, the Bahujan Samaj Party and even the Samajwadi Party are hoping to make some spoils as well against the two main contenders — the Congress and the BJP. Having ruled the state for eight years from 1990, the BJP has found it necessary to change its commander in Rajasthan. It hopes to cash in on the woman power by bringing forth former Union Minister Vasundhara Raje to challenge Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who continues to be the main face of the Congress along with RPCC chief Girija Vyas. While the Congress is trying hard to hold on to its turf, the BJP which was in a state of coma till last year, has started to breathe under Ms Vasundhara Raje. At the same time it will be an uphill task for the BJP due to its performance at the Centre, besides scams and controversies that has constantly have tarnished its image. The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, Ms Vasundhara Raje, has worked very hard to improve the standing of the party in the state. Through her “Parivartan Yatra” she has definitely made an attempt to reach out to the people in the state. She has addressed more than 830 rallies impressing upon the people that a change in the state would help bring about progress. She has tried to project that Rajasthan will progress only when the BJP, which is pro-reforms, comes to power in the state However, in the game of “give me vote, I will give you reservation”, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot seems to have taken the lead. He has given the “checkmate” warning to Ms Vasundhara Raje in this game of “reservation chess.” But the BJP is depending hard on the caste factor. It is hoping that by providing the ticket to candidates from various castes the party would be able to counter the reservation card played by the Chief Minister. As far as the Third Front is concerned things are anything but organised. Although Om Prakash Chautala’s INLD is hoping to make some headway in the Jat belt, it faces an uphill task. The BSP can play a role in consolidating the Third Front votes even though Mayawati and company have been badly hit by the events in UP. |
|
114 women in fray
Jaipur, November 20 They are among 1,541 candidates from different political parties, including Independents, according to the information available from the State Election Department here today. Also, of the total contestants, 556 are Independents. In the last Assembly poll held in 1998, there were 69 women candidates. Most important “battle of ballots of women” will be witnessed in Jhalarapatan in Jhalawad district where BJP’s state chief and party’s chief ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje and Congress’s official nominee Rama Pilot are locked in a “straight contest”. Apart from them, there are only two other aspirants — both Independents, Jakir Hussein and Mohammad Rafiq — in
Jhalarapatan. Vasimdjara and Rama both were sitting MPs from Jhalawad and Dausa Lok Sabha seats from their respective parties in Rajasthan. —
UNI |
|
Cong campaign against Judeo has failed: Advani Bhopal, November 20 “Realising that development has become a major issue in the coming Assembly poll, there was an attempt from the Congress to make one particular incident (the alleged Judeo bribery scandal) a major political issue. But in less than two days, they have realised that it could prove to be counter-productive”, Advani told a press conference here before embarking on a election tour in Madhya Pradesh. Asserting that it was wrong to arrive at a conclusion on the Judeo issue, Advani said he would prefer to wait for the CBI probe before fixing responsibility. Advani made a conscious attempt to Divert the attention of the people towards the multicrore Telgi stamp paper scam accusing the Congress of running away from a CBI probe. He suggested amending the Constitution to enable the Centre take cognizance of certain crimes like the Telgi scam which are of a different nature and can be termed as “federal crime”. “Under the existing constitutional provisions, law and order comes under the purview of the state government. However, the Telgi stamp paper scam is a serious issue having grave implications, as grave as fake currency. The Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat Governments have asked for a CBI probe. But two Congress ruled states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, where perhaps this case originated or at least came to light in a big way, have not made any request for CBI probe. I do not know for what reasons,” Advani said. “In the last two days the Maharashtra Chief Minister has met me and has indicated something. I am looking forward for it,” he said, adding “I wish there is an amendment to the Constitution to enable the Centre take congnisance of certain crimes that are of a different nature and can be termed as federal crime.” He recalled that at the chief ministers’ conference this was not accepted despite repeated demands at the DGPs’ conference. Advani asserted that in this set of Assembly poll in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi lack of development, poor law and order situation, atrocities on Dalits and women and unemployment have become the core issue. “The issue of development and good governance has virtually overshadowed any attempt to raise political issues, especially in Madhya Pradesh.” Asked to comment on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that the conspiracy of Godhra carnage was hatched in Madhya Pradesh, Advani said: “As far as the conspiracy angle is concerned a probe is on and the facts will be established. I am well aware that when the Godhra massacre took place, the Centre had, apart from sending Central forces to Gujarat, asked the Gujarat Government to requisition the police force from neighbouring states and a request was made to Madhya Pradesh Government too.” |
|
Cong workers exploiting Judeo’s footage Jashpur (Chhattisgarh), November 20 Congress leaders of Jashpur can be found carrying footage of the controversy in compact discs. The CD is available in Raipur for Rs 100 and many party office-bearers have sourced it from the Capital Congressmen are not finding it easy to convince the people about the contents of the video footage in this BJP stronghold where Judeo commands loyalty. “Anything is possible on computers these days. How can a ‘raja’ accept money,” wondered Rajesh Aggarwal, a resident of Bagicha seat in Jashpur district. Apart from raising questions over quality of footage, some of them even said Judeo could not have uttered “Khuda” in his conversation. The BJP here has launched a strong counter campaign to gain sympathy of people . The party’s strategy is to portray Judeo as a “victim of machinations of a clever Ajit Jogi.” The Sangh outfits, who have a grassroots network in this district of Judeo’s reconversion agenda, are going about telling people that the former Central Minister has been “framed” by Jogi. Local residents said Judeo had not returned to the district since the controversy surfaced. He is likely to campaign here in the closing days. The Congress is pulling no punches to gain foothold in this district which has returned BJP candidates in three of its four seats in the past three elections. Jogi had earlier brought into the Congress a BJP MLA from the district and made him minister. He also succeeded in winning over Priyamam Pekra, daughter of BJP strongman Nand Kumar Sai. Sai, an MLA from Tapkara seat in Jashpur district, is now the BJP candidate against Mr Jogi in Marwahi. Judeo’s nephew Vikrmaditya is also with the Congress now and has been actively involved in campaigning by the party. IYC chief Randeep Singh Surjewala, who today addressed three rallies in Jashpur district, primarily focused his attack on Judeo. “The entire country has seen him taking money. How can you trust such leaders?” he said. He dwelt on the development in Chhattisgarh in three years of Congress rule and Jogi’s humble origins. Surjewala has mobilised youth in the district who now form the core of the party’s support base. Party candidate from Bagicha Anand Lal Kuzur is from the Youth Congress. |
|
Punjab CM accused of violating code Bhopal, November 20 The Captain is accused of using the Punjab Government aircraft for his election tour of Madhya Pradesh from November 15 to 17 and canvassing support for the Congress from gurdwaras. The complaint has been filed before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Mr D.S. Mathur, by the president of the state unit of BJP’s Legal Cell, Mr S.H.Lodha, who has demanded that the Election Commission cancel the recognition of the Congress. According to the complaint, the Punjab Chief Minister reached Indore in the state government plane on November 15 and attended a religious programme in a gurdwara. The next day he came to Bhopal and again attended a programme in a gurdwara before leaving for Jabalpur in the state plane. There, too, he addressed a gathering in a gurdwara, canvassing support for the Congress. The Punjab Chief Minister was said to have addressed a meeting in a gurdwara in Shivpuri also where he asked for support for the Congress candidate and defeating the BJP. |
|
Modi hits out at Sonia Raipur, November 20 Modi today asked Sonia Gandhi to give details about her reported meeting in October with “missionaries” regarding Assembly poll in Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. Talking to mediapersons here, he said Sonia had not condemned the killing of “Hindi-speaking” people in Assam, which has a Congress government. To rub in his point further, Modi said people killed were from states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Referring to the Election Commission notice to Sonia about violation of model code of conduct, Modi said the Leader of Opposition was repeating the mistakes made by her mother-in-law who had faced an adverse court verdict concerning her election. On the controversy involving former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo, Modi put the blame on Jogi. He said the Congress state governments had done nothing for people of the state in the past 10 years. |
|
Atal star campaigner
Bhopal, November 20 |
1,770 candidates lost deposit in 1998 poll
A whopping 135 Janata Dal candidates had to forfeit their deposit. While the CPI, which contested 33 seats, lost the deposit in 28 constituencies. The CPM, which contested 12 seats, had to lose deposit in eight constituencies. The figures available with the State Election Commission shows that out of the 14 Janata Party candidates in the fray, 12 performed dismally and lost their deposits. The casualty rate in the Samajwadi Party was greater. Out of 94 candidates, 84 lost their deposit. Non-serious candidates out In the wake of several stringent measures implemented by the Election Commission, a number of non-serious aspirants have bowed out of the poll arena. Statistics of the past four Assembly elections in the state reveals that the number of aspirants were 4216 in 1990, 2729 in 1993, 2510 in 1998 while only 2171 are contesting the elections scheduled for December 1.
SMS and ‘padyatra’ With barely 10 days left for the poll, political parties in Bhopal have entered the intensive campaigning phase. The most popular strategy adopted by all political parties is using the SMS route and undertaking “padyatras”. Locals say this time door-to-door campaigning started quite early as normally this is done during the last 24 hours when a ban is imposed on the use of loud speakers. Due to paucity of time, several candidates have chosen to campaign door to door while asking their followers to continue meeting people in other parts of their respective constituency. |
CONG EXPELS 69 REBELS NCP
LEADER JOINS CONG ULTIMATUM TO BJP REBELS BJP LEADER JOINS CONG |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
New Delhi, November 20
AS many as 1,775 candidates forfeited security deposit in the 1998 Assembly poll in Madhya Pradesh. Although 172 Congress candidates triumphed in undivided Madhya Pradesh five years back, 12 of its nominees also lost their deposit. The biggest losers were those from the Janata
Dal.