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Campaigning ends
today
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Where Hindutva
is not the main plank Parties harp on
graft, voters indifferent Independent
withdraws against Sheila Dikshit Millionaires vie
for poor man’s vote
Delhi offices
closed on December 1 BJP didn’t keep
poll promises: Sonia Close contest
between Cong, BJP at Pushkar Minority
community holds the trump card Mahajan rakes up
Sonia’s foreign origin Persons with
criminal records in fray Jaitley terms
Jogi’s rule undeclared emergency Digvijay Singh,
the lonely runner Congress
struggles in its bastion Electioneering in
top gear Rebels may queer
pitch in MP No counting of
Suangpuilawn votes: EC
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New Delhi, November 28 Congress, which is trying to retain power in all four election-bound states, has made corruption the main poll plank in the wake of cash-on-camera episode involving former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo, but a spirited BJP sought to blunt the Congress campaign harping on
“misgovernance.” While 2,171 candidates are trying their luck for a 230-member House in Madhya Pradesh, 1,541 are contesting in Rajasthan for a 200-member House. Chhattisgarh has 819 contestants for the 90-member Assembly and in Delhi 817 candidates are in the fray for the 70-member House. Under the watchful eyes of the Election Commission, elaborate arrangements have been made to conduct free and fair poll in the four states, the outcome of which may have a bearing on next year’s Lok Sabha elections. Nearly 19,500 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) will assist police in these states for the smooth conduct of poll. While 65 companies have been deployed in various districts of Chhattisgarh, 55 are on duty in Madhya Pradesh and 10 in Delhi. Besides, five companies each have been kept in the reserve for Chhattisgarh and Delhi, according to a CRPF release. While electioneering has been high-pitched in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, it has been a low-key affair in most parts of Delhi. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Deputy
L.K. Advani spearheaded the BJP campaign in four states, while Sonia Gandhi led the opposition blitzkrieg. In Madhya Pradesh, ruling Congress and its principal challenger BJP gunned for each other. The BJP accused the Congress of pushing the state to the brink of disaster, while the congress accused the Vajpayee government of failing on all fronts and encouraging
corruption. — PTI |
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Where Hindutva is not the main plank
New Delhi, November 28 Unlike in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where elections are also scheduled for December 1, the plank of Hindutva in Delhi has been substantially marginalised despite the presence of 26 candidates of the Shiv Sena, whose Delhi unit behaves almost like a sworn enemy of the BJP at the Centre. Instead corruption, development and quality of governance have emerged as the major issues which will determine the fate of the two major political formations at the
hustings. That development is a major issue in the Delhi poll was underscored by none other than Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself who slammed the Congress government in the city for depriving its people of fruit of development and lagging behind in infrastructure growth. “Roads in Delhi are so shabby that even trucks break down while these are absolutely top rate in neighbouring Chandigarh and Jaipur. There is also shortage of power and drinking water”, Mr Vajpayee told a BJP election rally, exhorting the electorate to vote for his party. Mr Khurana, a former Delhi Chief Minister credited with breathing life into the dormant Delhi BJP, also harps on corruption. The Congress should be dubbed as the Tandoor Party, says Mr Khurana, in an apparent reference to former Youth Congress President Sushil Sharma, who has been awarded capital punishment for killing Naina
Sahni. Mr Khurana, a sitting MP who never fails to address Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as his younger sister, however, emphatically says that corruption,
misgovernance, price rise, rising crime rate against women and erratic power and water supply are the issues for the BJP.
— UNI |
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Parties harp on graft,
voters indifferent
New Delhi, November 28 “Corruption is all-pervasive in Indian life. Everyone has a price. All politicians exploit us to take money from us, we are used to it. We only want that they should consider our interest also and work,” opined Kailash Jain, a voter in the Ballimaran constituency of old Delhi. A UNI team found that the response of most voters’ on the corruption issue was one of indifference. “We all know that politicians make money. Even they admit it openly. After all, why does a person go into politics?’’ an 80-year old voter in Moti Nagar said. He cited the example of a councillor seeking re-election for the third time without doing any work for the constituency. When angry voters confronted the candidate asking why they should vote for him, he said: “At first I was hungry so I filled my own pocket. In the second term I made my workers happy and this is your turn.’’ Voters in most areas felt that corruption was a way of life. Their only concern was that it should not hamper the development work or affect their interest. “Scams have no longer remained news for us. Everyday we read about crores of rupees being swindled away by these politicians. Even a peon demands money,” a pan shopowner in Mandawali said. Instead of indulging in mudslinging publicly, politicians should concentrate on a fruitful debate and work for development and progress, Mr Sumer Jain of Chawri Bazar, felt. Both Congress and the BJP are focusing on corruption in public life with the former exploiting BJP leader Judeo being caught on camera accepting a bribe while the latter accusing Congress leader Ajit Jogi of indulging in unfair practices.
— UNI |
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Independent withdraws against Sheila Dikshit
New Delhi, November 28 Mr Sabharwal, who was contesting as an Independent, said he had withdrawn from the contest in favour of Ms Dikshit to strengthen the hands of Ms Sonia Gandhi and Ms Dikshit. “I have full faith in my Congress party and its policies,” he told reporters at Ms Dikshit’s residence. “I also appeal to all residents, followers and friends to work tirelessly” in favour of Ms Dikshit to ensure a “handsome victory” for her, Mr Sabharwal said. Mr Sabharwal’s withdrawal from the contest has come a day after NCP nominee Nand Kishore Bhatt retired from the electoral fight in Ms Dikshit’s favour in the prestigious constituency. The two withdrawals has turned the multi-cornered contest into a virtual one-to-one fight between Ms Dikshit and BJP’s Poonam Azad.
— PTI |
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Millionaires vie for poor man’s vote
New Delhi, November 28 The Election Commission’s decree that candidates must declare their assets and educational and criminal background while filing nominations has confirmed what was till now only rumour and speculation. Politics need not be a low-income career. And most politicians are wealthy — at least among those fighting the December 1 elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Digvijay Singh of the Congress, nicknamed “Diggy Raja”, lives up to his tag of royalty as he declares assets and property worth some Rs 5.2 crore. His riches with his wife’s include 5.8 kg of gold and about 18 kg of silver. His main rival, Uma Bharti of the BJP, however, belies her supposedly austere lifestyle as a “sanyasin”. A former Union Minister, Ms Bharti has declared material assets worth close to Rs 50 lakh. Ms Bharti has a house worth Rs 25 lakh, Rs 45,000 in cash, a residential plot worth Rs 5.61 lakh, jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh, a house in her village worth Rs 1 lakh and Rs 11.2 lakh in a bank. She also has household articles worth Rs 50,000— lakh mostly religious paraphernalia, explain her aides. Three acres of agricultural land is mentioned but without any price. Both main candidates in Rajasthan are wealthy. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot boasts of assets worth Rs 1.1 crore, million, including Rs 10 lakh in fixed deposits and jewellery. The BJP’s chief ministerial contender Ms Vasundhara Raje Scindia, has revealed assets worth Rs 2.93 crore which includes Rs 18,000 in cash, Rs 2.26 crore in shares, jewellery worth Rs 17 lakh and fixed assets worth Rs 45 lakh. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi has declared close to Rs 25 lakh, including Rs 19 lakh in a bank. These are just the main candidates. There are many other millionaires in the fray, and almost all claim their assets are either family property or completely above board.
— IANS |
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Amarinder campaigns in Delhi New Delhi, November 28 Addressing an election rally in Tri Nagar, the Punjab Chief Minister urged the electorate to vote for the Congress. He also addressed rallies in Karawal Nagar, Shalimar Bagh and
Kalkaji, which have a sizable section of punjabi population. Apart from the Chief Minister, a large number of Punjab ministers and MLAs are camping in the Capital to campaign for the party. |
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Delhi offices closed on December 1
New Delhi, November 28 Industrial establishments located in the capital will also remain closed on Monday, an official press note said today. The Delhi Government yesterday declared a public holiday in Delhi on December 4 on account of polling.
— PTI |
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BJP didn’t keep poll promises: Sonia
Sikar, November 28 Hitting the campaign trail in Rajasthan on the penultimate day of electioneering, she projected the Congress as progressive and development-oriented while painting the BJP-led NDA Government as corrupt, inept, anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-minorities. There is need to support the Congress so that the development works of the past five years are carried forward in the states, she said. “Hope you would lend your support to development and social harmony”. Mrs Gandhi said the voters should compare the achievements of the Congress Government with those of the previous BJP regime which they had thrown out of power for incompetence. She called upon them to reject parties that seek votes by dividing people through sectarian and emotive issues. “What is the real issue in this election?” she asked. “If our government has fulfilled its poll promises, if it has taken the state forward, then the Congress should get your support once again,” she said. According the BJP of “breaking all records of corruption” she said it had no right to seek votes from the people after “betraying them”. “It seems that BJP leaders are vying with one another to find a place in a book of records for indulging in bribery and corruption,” she told an election rally at Ajmer. Without naming anyone, Mrs Gandhi asked “what kind of justice is this where people are not arrested even after being cought on video accepting bribe?” Charging the BJP with “eroding diversity, the unique feature and the real beauty of Indian culture, by its divisive agenda,” she said the Congress would never tolerate communal forces. Indirectly referring to the arrest of VHP leader Praveen Togadia here a few months ago, Mrs Gandhi said communal forces were kept in control during the five-year rule of the Congress in Rajasthan. Mrs Gandhi also addressed election meetings in Bundi and Sikar during her day-long tour. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accompanied her.
— PTI |
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Close contest between Cong, BJP at Pushkar
Pushkar, November 28 The BJP has fielded its veteran warhorse Ramzan Khan, the Congress has nominated Gopal
Baheti, while BJP rebel Bhawarsingh Palara is contesting as a nominee of the Nationalist Congress Party in the Assembly constituency. The fate of the contestants will be decided by 1.72 lakh electorate, of which 84,106 are
women. Pushkar is the only seat in Rajasthan from where a eunuch has filed nomination. The eunuch,
Shushila, says, “You need brain to run the country, which I certainly have, while others don’t. I promising Rs 20 lakh for the development of each ward.” The constituency, dominated by Muslims, has been represented thrice by BJP’s Ramzan Khan in 1985, 1990 and in
1998. Pushkar is one of the two seats in Rajasthan from where the BJP has fielded Muslim candidates. The constituency was a Congress bastion till 1985. The party has represented the constituency five times in the state Assembly since 1957 with a break only in 1977, when it lost to the Janata Party. The seat was represented by Congress nominee Prabha Mishra till 1977 for four times in a row since 1957. The Congress wrested it again in 1980 and in 1993. The BJP, which is elsewhere considered untouchable by the Muslims has been enjoying their support here for the past 15 year. Realising this, the party has once again banked on Mr Khan. However, three other Independent Muslim candidates are also in the race. The Muslims constitute nearly 18 per cent of the total electoral strength, followed by the
Rawats, Gujjars, Jats, Rajputs and Brahmins. There are 30,000 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes voters here. The Congress, which banks on the minority community’s vote elsewhere, is finding it hard to woo them here following the support extended by the community to Mr Khan. However, the Congress has been assured of support from its other traditional voters, particularly the Scheduled Castes and other backward classes. Besides its traditional voters, the party is likely to get the support of Brahmins and some Hindu upper castes, who are apprehensive that Pushkar may unofficially be declared a minority seat if Mr Ramzan Khan won it again.
— UNI |
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Minority community holds the trump card Ajmer, November 28 For years the minority community in this holy city, which attracts people from all castes and religion from all over the world to seek the blessings of the sufi saint, better known as Garib Nawaz, has been supporting the Congress. But this time they feel that the Congress would have to do better than it has done in the past to seek their support. Whether it is Pushkar, Nasirabad, Beawar, Masuda, Bhinai or Ajmer West, the minority community holds the trump card and their support is vital for the candidates to emerge victorious. However, the minority community here has a lot of complaints against the Congress and feels that the party has been taking them for granted. Members from the minority community allege that not even one of the promises made during the last elections by the Congress have been fulfilled. Neither has any programme been implemented to improve the status of the minority community nor any scheme has been implemented to provide their youth with any kind employment. All over the district, the minority community is involved in various kinds of work encompassing the leather business and marble factories. They complain that their region has lacked development. There are no proper roads or adequate electricity or even schools. The minority community openly says that they have never thought of any other party other than the Congress which has overlooked their interest. Consequently, third front parties — the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party — are now making an effort to woo the minority community handing out various promises to them. However, one constituency in Ajmer district has always been different from the others and that is Ajmer (West). Despite the dominance of the minority community this is the only constituency which since 1957 has always elected a candidate of the Sindhi community. There are more over 27,000 Sindhis in the just about 1.10 lakh voters in this constituency. This time again the main fight is among Sindhis. One from the Congress, the other from the BJP and one who could hold the key is an Independent. While the Congress has given the ticket to industrialist Naren Shah, alias Bhagat, who had recently joined the party, the BJP has brought in Mr Vasudev Devnani, an RSS worker and former president of the state unit from Udaipur. But there is a third candidate, the sitting MLA, Mr Nanakram Jagatrai, who has been forced to rebel and stand as an Independent after being denied a ticket by the Congress. The entire Sindhi community up in arms and are actually seeing an effort by both the Congress and the BJP to foist an outsider Sindhi on them. However, a lot would depend on the ability of Mr Devnani and the RSS cadre, which has a strong presence in the Sindhi community here, to convince their people. The one thing against Mr Devnani is that he left Ajmer in 1973 and went to Udaipur. Therefore, he has very little influence among the voters of the other communities. The Samajwadi Party is also making a bold attempt by nominating a non-Sindhi Satish Bansal, who has only been wooing the voters from the other communities. In the last elections he had secured over 6,000 votes as an Independent and had surprised both the Congress and the BJP. |
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Mahajan rakes up Sonia’s foreign origin
Bhilwara, November 28 Ridiculing Mrs Gandhi for her remarks against the Prime Minister, he said there could not be any comparison between her and Mr Vajpayee. “Vajpayeeji has spent more time in Parliament than Gandhi’s age”, he said. Accusing the Congress government in the desert state of failing on all fronts Mr Mahajan said it not only failed to honour its poll promise of providing adequate electricity to the farm sector but also burdened the desert state with a Rs 65,000 crore debt. Brushing aside Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s charge that the Centre had discriminated against the state in extending assistance for drought and famine relief, Mr Mahajan said the Vajpayee Government gave maximum assistance to Rajasthan but corruption here floundered everything.
— PTI |
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Persons with criminal records in fray
New Delhi, November 28 An assessment of affidavits filed for the first time by candidates in the four states by Delhi Election Watch, an umbrella body of NGOs, shows voters are to pick from among people with criminal charges of murder, attempted murder, rioting, assault, cheating, robbery, theft and singing obscene songs. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, more such charges are against BJP candidates than those of the Congress. In Rajasthan, 101 of the 713 candidates have criminal cases against them. Eleven candidates, including six of the BJP and one Congress, face charges of murder, attempted murder and culpable homicide. As many as 29 BJP candidates have been accused of rioting with deadly weapons, while three such candidates belong to the Congress. In Madhya Pradesh, 153 of the 753 candidates for whom affidavits have been gathered face criminal cases. Four candidates — one of the BJP and three of the Congress — have cases of murder, attempt to murder and culpable homicide against them. Fourteen BJP and nine Congress nominees have been charged with rioting with deadly weapons. About 20 per cent of the candidates in Delhi have criminal records. They include at least 18 BJP candidates and 13 of the Congress. Five belong to the Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) and four candidates with criminal records belong to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). A member said the panel was yet to complete its assessment of Chhattisgarh.
— IANS |
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Jaitley terms Jogi’s rule undeclared emergency Raipur, November 28 Union Minister Arun Jaitley said here that the Chief Minister had been forced to go to Marwahi, although he had declared that he would not visit his constituency during the period of campaigning. The BJP is sensing a favourable verdict in the state and is packing its campaigning punch with more force. Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Ministers Tapan Sikdar, U.V. Krishnam Raju and Ramesh Bias and former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo will be campaigning in various parts of the state tomorrow. Union Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed six election meetings in the state during the day. The party has also decided to depute its leaders and Union Ministers in the district headquarters till the day of polling to keep an eye on misuse of official machinery in the elections. Mr Yashwant Sinha will be stationed at Raipur, Swami Chinmayanad at Marwahi, Mr Bangaru Dattatreya at Durg, Mr Karia Munda at Jagdalpur, Mr Vidya Sagar at Dantewara and Mr Tapan Sikdar at Kanker. Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Jaitley said the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister wanted to win the Assembly poll by creating a fear psychosis. Pointing to the alleged involvement of Mr Jogi’s son in running the affairs of the state, Mr Jaitley said the situation was like Emergency when people talked of the government being run by “one-and-a-half members of a family”. He accused the Chief Minister of subverting every institution of the state and even making efforts to gain control over the media. He said every action of Mr Jogi was looked upon with suspicion and he faced a crisis of confidence. “There is doubt over his tribal status, affidavit of income given earlier and nationality of his son,” he added. Referring to the sting operation involving Mr Judeo, Mr Jaitley wondered why the man who allegedly paid bribe was not coming forward. He said recent reports in the media had raised the questions about the “involvement of those ruling the state” in the operation. Giving the numbers of the rooms booked in two five-star hotels of Delhi, he said in one of the bookings the given address was fake, while no address was mentioned in the second case. “If there was indeed an Australian company that offered bribe, there was no need of fake addresses,” he observed. Naming Mr Rajat Prasad, a financier, as the person who made the bookings, Mr Jaitely wondered why he had to book a room for an Australian company. He said Mr Prasad was the CEO of Akash, a regional channel in Chhattisgarh. Raising questions over the control of the channel, Mr Jaitley said he had seen newspaper reports about e-mails of the Chief Minister’s son. “If the control of the channel is with the Chief Minister and his son, then it is a violation of the country’s law as a foreign national cannot own a channel,” he said. He demanded an inquiry into who controlled the channel. He said certain other names had surfaced to whom dozens of calls were made by the Chief Minister’s son and the CBI should go into all details of the case. He said the party was taking steps to make election-funding more transparent. He denied that government had acted vindictively towards the Tehelka staff. |
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Digvijay Singh, the lonely runner Bhopal, November 28 He was referring to Mr Suresh Pachauri's observation, flashed in the local media today, that the Congress was prepared to form an alliance with the like-minded parties in order to keep the BJP out after the elections. Mr Pachauri, a Congress member of the Rajya Sabha, is the party's chief spokesman in Bhopal at present. Mr Pachauri's observation has, therefore, caused a lot of embarrassment to Mr Digvijay Singh who has all along been swanking confidence, at least in the public, that the Congress will once again return to power with a comfortable majority. He has even been predicting the number of seats the Congress will get: around 135 in a House of 230. Mr Pachauri, considered close to Mr Kamal Nath, is the second senior leader of the party to run down Mr Digvijay Singh. Earlier, Mr Arjun Singh had apologised at public meetings for the failure of the Digvijay Singh government to ensure supply of electricity which the BJP has made into the most important issue against Mr Digvijay Singh's government in this election, and for which Mr Digvijay Singh has been blaming the Centre. After making his "apology" speeches at a few meetings in and around Bhopal, Mr Arjun Singh has pushed off to campaign for his son, Mr Ajay Singh, in Churhat and is keeping himself confined there. Mr Kamal Nath has been campaigning for his own candidates in the Mahakoshal area. Similarly, Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia has not moved out of his Gwalior-Chambal region. No one here is clear what appeal the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, could have had in the dacoit-infested Bhind-Morena region. Mr Pranab Mukherjee addressed almost a hush-hush meeting of Bengalis living in Bhopal and only a few local newspapers were aware of it. Lack of coordination in organising programmes of visiting Congress leaders is palpable. Only Ms Sonia Gandhi's programmes are well publicised. It has thus become a lonely fight for Mr Digvijay Singh. He is working like a possessed person - crisscrossing the state, trying to remind the people about what he calls his achievements in the past 10 years, and replying, at the same time, to the barrage of allegations and charges levelled by the BJP against him. The BJP, on the other hand, has thrust all its top leaders, not only from the Centre but from other States also, on Madhya Pradesh with only one chant: Mr Digvijay Singh is corrupt, his performance is miserable and he should, therefore, be thrown out. |
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Congress struggles in its bastion Jabalpur, November 28 This doesn’t mean that the Congress organisation here has broken down or it does not have the wherewithal in terms of workers and resources. In fact, top leaders of the party have taken it as a challenge. They have been focussing hard in the region from day one of the campaign. The Congress leadership no doubt is wary of the undercurrent against it and the anti-incumbency factor, which is slowly but steady building against it. The Digvijay Singh government’s failure to maintain roads can be seen all over the Maha Kaushal region and the voices against the power crisis are getting louder day by day in cities, towns and villages alike. Even Kamal Nath, who is
criss-crossing the region in his chopper covering various constituencies, seems to be wary. If the Congress loses here, the biggest loser will be Kamal Nath. In some constituencies, he has managed to get the ticket for his close confidants despite severe resentment. Even in his home constituency,
Chhindwara, the Congress seems to be on a sticky wicket as in five out of the eight segments there appears to be sharp differences. Dissenting voices have risen in
Sausar, Chaurai, Parasia, Damua and Jamai much to his embarrassment. On the other hand, the BJP seems confident and its leaders are predicting a good performance in the region. In the last elections, the BJP could only win 11 of the 45 seats. The people had voted against the BJP holding the Centre responsible for hefty increase in onion prices. But, the entry of the Gondwana Ganatantric Party
(GGP) has added a new dimension to the battle of ballot in the region. The GGP has become a force to reckon with in Mandla and Seoni districts, comprising eight seats. It is expected to win at least a couple seats affecting the prospects of the Congress at several other seats. |
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Electioneering
in top gear Jagdalpur, November 28 The headgears of tribal people are the new spots for the political parties to place their flags on. In Bahugaon village of Keskal segment in Bastar region, where all 12 seats are reserved for tribesmen, people wait for a signal from the local BJP leader to burst into Mandaraba dance. Drums beat, cymbals clash and the rhythmic swirl of the colourfully attired tribesmen charge up the atmosphere. Women in the nearby ‘haat’ (weekly bazaars), who have come from distant villages to sell wares, get hooked to the propaganda. A little faraway at the main crossing of Bastar village, Jeeps hired by the Congress and the BJP are blaring recorded messages at a few meters from each other. Young activists of the Congress, high on a dose of mohua (a local brew), are tiptoeing together to attract passers-by to their message. A lonely bunting of Nationalist Congress Party leader Vidya Charan Shukla vies for attention. Bullock carts have been fitted with loudspeakers by candidates to convey their messages. Most shopkeepers are displaying their party loyalties, but
panwallas, barbers and dhabawallas are showing more neutrality. Their premises are open to flags and banners of the Congress, the BJP, the NCP, the BSP as also Independents. Urban areas are a riot of colour. There is not a wall or building in Raipur untouched by the colour of politics. Towns of Bilaspur,
Ambikapur, Jagdalpur, Durg, Bhilai and Raigarh are not far behind. If Chief Minister Ajit Jogi is the most-seen face of the Congress, it is Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the BJP. The campaign is not all neat debate. Posters appeared in Raipur recently in which Ajit Jogi’s picture bears imprint of the danger signal normally seen on high-voltage electricity poles. “No Jogi, Go Jogi” says a poster which does not carry details of its creator. Newspaper advertisements are no less bitter with cartoon strips doing the talking about who is the villain. Mr Jogi seems to have given up on the urban electorate and his appeal is mainly directed at the votes of tribal people, Dalits, backward sections, farmers and daily wagers, who constitute 80 per cent of the state’s population. |
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Bhopal, November 28 Though some rebels pulled out of the race after cutthroat fight during the ticket distribution following stern warnings by party bosses, many are still in the race either as Independents or nominees of smaller parties. After withdrawal of nomination papers, both the Congress and the BJP would have to face the presence of more than 150 rebel candidates who are expected to eat into a sizeable chunk of their respective vote-banks, damaging the prospects of their nominees. While the revolt phenomenon is widespread, It is more visible in areas like Vindhya Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Chambal, perhaps due to considerable influence of parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which have fielded Congress and BJP rebels. For the Congress, the rebel menace is more pronounced in seats, including Churahat where party veteran Arjun Singh’s son and Rural Development Minister Ajay Singh is in the fray. Congress rebel and former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Budhsen Patel is trying his luck against Mr Ajay Singh this time. Similarly, Cooperative Minister Govind Singh is facing rebel Congress aspirant Rama Shankar Singh, who has been nominated by the BSP, in the Lahar constituency, while former minister Yadvendra Singh is in the fray as a Samajwadi Party nominee to make the going tough for the Congress candidate in the Tikamgarh constituency. Angry over denial of the Congress ticket, former state minister and Dindori District Congress president Basauri Singh Masram is contesting from the Bajag reserved constituency as an Independent against party nominee Nandini Maravi. In Rajgarh district, Congress leader Rajvardhan Singh quit the party following denial of the ticket and is now contesting as an Independent candidate from the Narsingarh seat, while another Congress rebel Arjun Paliya is in the race from the Pipariya constituency in Hoshangabad district as a Samajwadi Party nominee. Sitting Congress MLA from Bhopal (South) P.C. Sharma may face a tough time due to the presence of former party leader Rajesh Vyas, who is contesting as a Samajwadi Party candidate against him. In Bhopal (North), Minority Welfare Minister Arif Aqueel may face stiff fight from Arif Masood, who is contesting from the seat as a Samajwadi Party nominee.
— PTI
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No counting of Suangpuilawn votes: EC
Aizawl, November 28 CEO Lalmalsawma told mediapersons here today that the commission did not convey any decision regarding the date of counting for Suangpuilawn constituency. “We do not know if the commission would set another date for counting or order repoll in the constituency,” Mr Lalmalsawma said. All major political parties in the state have demanded a repoll in the constituency where intimidation of voters, abduction of three candidates and destruction of poll materials were reported on the eve of the polling day. The CEO said the poll turnout in the state was 78.58 per cent which excluded votes of defence services and those polled in the Suangpuilawn constituency. He said that the counting of votes would be taken up on December 2 in all headquarters of the eight districts and results were expected by early afternoon.
— PTI |
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New Delhi, November 28
Sikar, November 28
With the battle cry of Hindutva reduced to a faint murmur in the Capital, the ruling Congress and the main opposition BJP are vigorously drumming up the twin issues of quality of governance and overall development or the lack of it to woo the electorate for the December 1 elections to the Delhi Assembly.
An aide of the Chief Minister, Mr Digvijay Singh, remarked today that the Congress in Madhya Pradesh (read Mr Digvijay Singh) was fighting the electoral battle on two fronts: the Congress and the BJP.
The Congress seems to be struggling in its own bastion. Top leaders of the party, especially AICC general secretary Kamal Nath, are working hard to retain the supremacy of the party in the region. The party had won 31 of the 45 prominent constituencies in 1998. Like other regions of Madhya Pradesh, power crisis, poor roads and lack of development have become major issues here giving sleepless nights to Congress leaders. After the Malwa region, Maha Kaushal is the biggest constituency and will decide which party will form the government.
Maria, Muria and Gond tribes of Bastar are singing and dancing these days. The paddy harvest this year has coincided with the elections and tribal people are not the ones to lose out on fun. People all over the new state are enthusiastic about the first Assembly poll which will see the use of new technology. If it is a bitter competition of hoardings, buntings, flags, posters, leaflets and sloganeering in urban areas, there is dance, movies and music in rural areas. Poll managers of the BJP and the Congress are taking their message to tribal areas through traditional dances and songs.