 |
|
Even
low turnout may not carry SP
wrests two seats from BSP
Prasad is Ambassador
to UN Conference Parliament adjourned after tributes |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opposition to rake up Ayodhya issue Navy
awaits govt nod on Admiral Gorshkov Quila
Mubarak on endangered site list BJP
rules out early LS poll SC to hear Salman case on Dec 9 Implead
all affected states, says SC Jain
is Railway Board Member Cash-on-camera
scam: 1 quizzed Lakhubhai
case judgment on December 22
|
|
Even
low turnout may not carry Cong through Raipur, December 2 Estimates suggest that 54 per cent of the electorate in Chhattisgarh cast its vote in the elections. A higher turnout was expected in the state, which saw the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the first time. A higher voter turnout was being associated with anti-incumbency and the state BJP made special appeals to the voters on the
polling day to come out to vote in large numbers. The voter in Chhattisgarh has been quietly observing hectic but bitter electioneering. The quietness was being construed as signal of the voters having made up their minds. Some political observers, however, saw it as an indication of the voters being undecided and keeping their options open till the last day. The BJP, which made concerted efforts in the last days of campaigning to bridge its perceived gap with the Congress, has given the ruling party a tough fight. The presence of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has led to greater possibility of a hung Assembly. The Congress had won eight seats in the 1998 elections by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. It had lost another two by a margin of less than 200. The presence of the NCP could make all the difference between the ruling party’s victory and defeat. The Congress has few bastions left in Chhattisgarh, which was once its pocket borough. In the 1998 elections, the Congress had a mere 0.53 per cent lead over the BJP in the percentage of the votes polled. The Congress had won 48 seats after polling 40.65 per cent votes. The BJP had 36 MLAs but 12 of them later defected to the Congress. The BSP had polled 5.77 per cent votes in 1998 and won three seats. The Gondwana Gantantra Party had won one seat with 1.92 per cent votes and the Independents had emerged victorious in two seats by polling 7.48 per cent votes. The NCP is contesting all 90 seats but its presence is more marked in about 30 constituencies where its candidates are mostly damaging the prospects of Congress nominees. The NCP is expected to open its account in this poll. The BSP, which is contesting 54 seats, is not considered a problem for the Congress as Chief Minister Ajit Jogi has been able to build bridges with the Satnami community, which forms almost the entire Dalit population of the state. The animosity of BSP chief Mayawati with the BJP may have helped the Congress. However, Vijay Guru, a religious leader of the Satnami community, is in the fray as an NCP candidate from Dongargarh seat in Rajnandgaon district. Nearly 13 per cent of over two crore population of the state belongs to the Dalit community. Jogi has been assiduously cultivating the weaker sections. The Congress’ success in the poll largely depends on Jogi’s appeal among these sections. The urban electorate in the state has few words of praise for Jogi although the residents are not against the Congress. Jogi is seen to have antagonised some senior Congress leaders in the state with his style of functioning and a few of them are contesting the poll as NCP candidates. Confident of a good showing in the urban areas, the BJP has made efforts to increase its appeal among the weaker sections, especially tribesmen. Rallies of Prime Minister Vajpayee were held in both northern and southern tribal belts of the state to give a boost to the prospects of party candidates. In the 1998 poll, the BJP had done well in Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa and Jashpur districts, while the Congress had virtually swept 12 tribal seats of Bastar and 10 tribal seats in the Koria-Sarjuga belt in the north. The Congress had retained the tribal seats of Ambikapur, Lundra and Premnagar in the last three Assembly elections. Despite its good showing in the tribal seats of the north, the Congress could win only 14 of the 39 seats in 1998 in the Bilaspur region. Twenty-three of these seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The BJP had won 20 seats from the region in the last poll. Of the 39 seats in Raipur division, only nine are reserved. In the 1998 elections, the Congress had won 23 and the BJP 15. Other Backward sections form 61 per cent population of the Raipur division, while the “upper castes” form seven per cent. The absence of a strong state leader to challenge Jogi gave the Congress a stick to beat the BJP. Dilip Singh Judeo’s popularity may not have dipped as a result of the cash-on-tape episode but he is no more seen as a chief ministerial candidate. |
|
SP wrests two seats from
BSP Lucknow, December 2 Harora, a Scheduled Castes-dominated constituency in Saharanpur district, was a prize catch for the Samajwadi Party as former Chief Minister Mayawati had successfully
contested from this seat twice. The byelection was necessitated following her resignation from the state assembly after she resigned from the chief-ministership. Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Sharma said Mr Vimal Rakesh of the Samajwadi Party had defeated BSP candidate Jagpal by a margin of 3,500 votes. The BJP came a poor third there. In the Mahasi constituency in Bahraich district, Mr Dilip Kumar Verma of the Samajwadi Party polled 66,875 votes followed by Jamila Khatoon of the BSP, who got 45,534 votes. The BJP got 42,483 votes. With these two seats, the Samajwadi Party's strength in the state assembly has gone up to 112. |
|
Repoll at 175 booths today New Delhi, December 2 The commission said repoll would be conducted at 68 polling stations in Chhattisgarh, 66 in Madhya Pradesh and 41 in Rajasthan. There was no repoll in Delhi, it added. The counting of votes for the four states would take place on December 4. |
|
Ambedkar, Gandhi equal in stature: PM New Delhi, December 2 To say that Dr Ambedkar’s contribution to the Freedom Struggle was in any way less than Mahatma Gandhi’s was not true, the Prime Minister said after dedicating to the nation the Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar Parinirvan Sthal here. The sthal will comprise a memorial and a museum. It would be built at 26 Alipur Road, which was the official residence of Dr Ambedkar between 1951 and 1956. It was here that Dr Ambedkar breathed his last. The Prime Minister said Dr Ambedkar was a messiah of the downtrodden and a great legal luminary who was known for his relentless struggle for liberation of the motherland. “Any debate on drawing a parallel between the two must end,” he said. The Constitution scripted by Dr Ambedkar, the Prime Minister said, became a guide not only to India but also to countries that attained freedom later. “Dr Ambedkar’s speech delivered after its formation was seen as a manifesto of India’s freedom”, he said. Vajpayee said the museum and the memorial would be constructed and developed as a “pilgrimage” where people from home and abroad would come to seek inspiration and learn how to eradicate social injustice. Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya; Union Ministers of State Vijay Goel, Bangaru Dattatreya and Nagmani; Lieut-Governor Vijay Kapur and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were present on the occasion. |
|
Prasad is Ambassador
to UN Conference New Delhi, December 2 Mr Alok Prasad, presently Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy, has been appointed India’s new High Commissioner to Singapore. He succeeds Mr P.P.
Shukla. Both are expected to take up their new assignments shortly, the foreign office said
today. |
|
Parliament adjourned after tributes to
Maran
New Delhi, December 2 Both the Houses will resume business tomorrow. The Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Manohar Joshi, paid rich tributes to Murasoli Maran, who passed away in Chennai recently after a prolonged illness. Mr Joshi said Maran, who represented Madras Central, was a multi-faceted personality and had made notable contribution in several fields. “His innate administrative skills came to fore while serving in the Union Council of Ministers”, Mr Joshi said and added that he had contributed to Tamil film industry as a director, producer, author and screen-play writer. Maran, who died on November 23 at the age of 69, had remained a member of the NDA government since 1999 and was earlier the Minister for Commerce and Industry. The Lok Sabha also paid tributes to G. Mallikarjunappa, another sitting member, and seven other former members. Soon after the Lok Sabha assembled today, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee introduced Ms Mamata Banerjee and Mr Gingee Ramchandran, who were inducted into the Council of Ministers in the last reshuffle. While Ms Banerjee is a Cabinet Minister without portfolio, Mr Ramchandran is the Minister of State for Textiles. Mr Sebastian Paul, newly elected member from Ernakulam Parliamentary constituency, took oath as a member of the Lok Sabha. Members of the House also greeted Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi on his 64th birthday. The Lok Sabha also paid tributes to former member and Governor of Rajasthan Nirmal Chandra Jain and other members B.K Nair, S Ramasamy, Kalicharan Sakargayam, Subdhra Joshi, Kushak Bakula and M.L Sondhi, who had passed away during the interregnum. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day after members paid tributes to Murasoli Maran and sitting member K.M Khan, Pondicherry Lieut Governor K.R Malkani, Lalbuaia and A.Subba Rao, all of whom had passed away during the interregnum. Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat also administered the oath of secrecy to two nominated members, Dr Narayana Singh Manaklao and Dr Chandan Mitra. Mr Shekhawat welcomed former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan, eminent scientist Kasturi Rangan, film star Dara Singh, educationist Vidya Niwas Mishra, all nominated members. All of them had taken the oath during the inter-session period. Mr Shekhawat also welcomed Ms Kamala Manhar, wife of former Rajya Sabha member Bhagat Manhar, and V. Narayanaswamy, who had taken the oath earlier.  |
|
Opposition to rake up Ayodhya issue New Delhi, December 2 A decision to table such a motion was taken at a meeting of Opposition parties convened today by CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee to chalk out a coordinated approach for the winter session of Parliament. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) formally joined the Opposition ranks when it also attended this meeting. The tone and tenor of the debate could have a serious fall-out on the already strained relations between the various Opposition parties as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav could well come under attack from them for his handling of the ongoing Ayodhya case. However, Samajwadi Party leader Ramjilal Suman, who attended the meeting called by the CPM leader, raised no objections to the decision to table an adjournment motion on Ayodhya. While all Opposition parties are tabling an adjournment motion on corruption on Wednesday, the Congress has left it to the CPM to take the initiative on the Ayodhya issue. Mr Yadav had angered his friends in the opposition when the UP government first filed an affidavit dropping the criminal conspiracy charge against senior BJP leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. The fresh affidavit also came in for strong criticism by the CPM on the ground that it had failed to name Mr Advani or the BJP and had left it to the court to take a final view on the inclusion of criminal conspiracy charges. Congress leaders maintained they had deliberately chosen not to move a similar motion as it would appear that they are in a rush to sever links with the Samajwadi Party. However, this will not restrain the party from participating in the debate, which could further strain relations between the two parties. “Mulayam Singh Yadav cannot keep quiet any longer... the day of the debate promises to be a day of reckoning,” commented a senior Congress leader. “We will be discussing the Ayodhya issue although the modalities have yet to be finalised,” Congress spokesperson
S. Jaipal Reddy told reporters, adding that his party attaches high priority to this matter. |
|
Navy awaits govt nod on Admiral Gorshkov New Delhi, December 2 India has reached an agreement with Russia over the refitment price of Admiral Gorshkov.
India and Russia have also reached agreement on the price for MiG-29K aircraft,
which would be stationed on board the aircraft carrier. MiG-29K aircraft would also be stationed on the Air Defence Ships (ADS), which are being built indigenously. Some aircraft would also be acquired for training and
to be kept as reserve. The price of the aircraft would remain constant till the time Indian acquisition is completed. Addressing the customary annual press conference before the Navy Day on December 4, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Madhvendra Singh said here today that the deal for the acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov was expected to be signed after the formal clearance from the government. The deal was expected to be signed within this financial year. Pointing out that Admiral Gorshkov may be available for induction into the Navy within the next four and a half years from the signing of the deal, Admiral Madhvendra Singh attempted to dispel any misunderstanding that the shelf life of the aircraft carrier was over. He said although the aircraft carrier was about 15 years old, the shelf life of an aircraft carrier was about 40 years. He added that the carrier would be re-fitted to the extent of almost 70 per cent, which would cost less than Rs 3,000 crore. The agreement for the price has come after years of protracted negotiations where the Russians had even clubbed the sale of other arms and strategic equipment only after an agreement on Admiral Gorshkov “We have successfully concluded the price negotiations and the deal has been put forward to the government for decision,” he said. The Admiral said with the Defence Acquisition Council having cleared Navy’s 10-year replacement plan, it would wait for a final approval of the government before steps are taken to bring in new ships. The Navy is looking to replace almost 80 of its 140-ship fleet over the 10 years. Besides, it is also looking to
add another 50 ships. The Navy has already placed orders for 23 ships with the three ship yards of the country. He admitted that there was a shortage of long-range maritime aircraft with the Navy but said
they were looking to purchase the American P-3 Orion aircraft. Admiral Madhvendra called for a maritime regulatory mechanism to coordinate seafaring activities in the waters surrounding India. He said such a body had become necessary in view of the expected increase in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone limit from the present 200 mile to 350 mile. A group of ministers too had recommended creation of a Maritime Commission and the suggestion awaited government approval. |
|
Quila Mubarak on endangered site list New Delhi, December 2 The listing of 300-year-old Quila Mubarak and the quake-devastated Bhuj Museum, was done on the basis of a proposal sent to the WMF by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). INTACH Vice-Chairman S.K. Misra told reporters here today that it had already drawn up a restoration plan for Quila Mubarak, along with the 150-year-old Kapurthala Palace in Punjab. He said UNESCO had started processing the INTACH’s proposal for including the Golden Temple at Amritsar in its “List of World Heritage sites”. He expressed the hope that UNESCO would take a positive decision in the case of the Golden Temple, especially in the context of the fact that it had already declared several Buddhist sites heritage monuments. |
|
BJP rules out early LS poll New Delhi, December 2 "There is no question of holding early elections to the Lok Sabha, it would be held as scheduled, although the outcome in the assembly elections is likely to be encouraging," BJP spokesperson M. A. Naqvi told newspersons. Describing the polling in the states as "very encouraging", Mr Naqvi said the BJP's poll plank of "development" and "good governance" in the assembly elections had also become the agenda for future elections. "The assembly elections have convinced us that matters like development and good governance should be the main issues. These would be focused upon in future elections, be it Assembly or Lok Sabha," Mr Naqvi said. On the Telgi stamp-paper scam, Mr Naqvi said after the sensational revelation yesterday about the stockpile of Indian and foreign currency notes in Nashik, the Maharashtra Government should refer the case to the Centre. |
|
|
SC to hear Salman case on Dec 9 New Delhi, December 2 A Bench comprising Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice B. P. Singh adjourned the hearing till December 9 after Salman’s lawyer Dipesh Mehta and Maharasthra Government counsel made a joint request in this regard. The Bombay High Court had quashed the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC against Salman, who allegedly had crushed to death one person and injured four others while they were sleeping on a footpath in Mumbai in September last year. Maharashtra has challenged the high court order in the apex court, contending that the actor was aware that his act of negligent driving could result in a fatal incident; therefore, the provisions of Section 304 would apply in the case. Initially, Salman had been charged by the Mumbai Police with negligent driving; Section 304 was included later. The high court had also directed Salman to pay Rs 19 lakh as compensation to the
victims. |
|
Implead all affected states, says SC New Delhi, December 2 A three-judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice V.N. Khare, asked advocate Ajay Agrawal, who has filed PIL, to move an application for impleading the affected states as respondents and adjourned the hearing on the matter for two weeks. The Bench, having Mr Justice Ashok Bhan and Mr Justice S.B. Sinha as the other two judges, also said another PIL, filed by a Maharashtra lawyer Mukesh Manubhai Vashi for transfer of all fake stamp paper related cases to the Supreme Court, would also be heard along with Agrawal’s petition. |
|
Jain is Railway Board Member New Delhi, December 2 Earlier, Jain, officer of the Indian Railway Service Engineers (IRSE), was General Manager, Central Railway, Mumbai, holding the concurrent charge of Western Railway, Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Indian Railway has renewed 2,043 km of tracks during the first half of the current financial year. The target for the 2003-04 fiscal is 3,850 km. |
|
Cash-on-camera
scam: 1 quizzed
New Delhi, December 2 According to CBI sources, he was questioned at length to ascertain the reasons for making calls to the hotel room and also about his possible involvement in the sting operation. Judeo’s personal secretary Natwar Rateria is likely to be the second person to be questioned in the case. |
|
Lakhubhai case
judgment on December 22 New Delhi, December 2 Former Prime Minister P.V Narsimha Rao, controversial ‘tantrik’ Chandraswami and his aide K.N Agrawal are the three accused, charged by the CBI of cheating late NRI ‘pickle king’ Lakhubhai Pathak of $ 100,000 in 1983-84 on the alleged promise of providing him newsprint and paper pulp supply contract in India. |
|
|
Cong, Trinamool leaders stage walkout Kolkata, December 2 The MLAs of Subhas Ghising’s Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council also joined them against the Speaker’s
decision. |
|
|
Chennai, December 2 |
| 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 | |
In video (
New Delhi, December 2
