Paljor banks on NDA’s performance

BJP’s candidate Sonam Paljor is confident of victory, despite the party’s fledgling status in Ladakh. Better known in the local circles as the former ITBP commandant who scaled Mt Everest without oxygen and also won a Padma Shri for the feat, Paljor is hoping to fracture the traditional Buddhist vote bank of the Congress.

Although the Congress has not fielded any candidate for the Ladakh parliamentary seat this time, it is believed that the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF) is actually another form of the Congress. Its candidate – Independent Thupstan Chhewang — faces a tough time ahead on account of the potential challenge which Paljor is throwing at him.

Paljor was among the other political party leaders who had agreed to disband their units in Ladakh so that LUTF candidates could win the 2002 Assembly election unanimously. Later, however, the winning candidates breached the faith of others to join ranks in the PDP-Congress government. This, Paljor says, is the main reason behind the BJP’s revival in Ladakh.

Paljor does not support UT status for Ladakh as much as he supports autonomous regional councils for the three regions in Jammu and Kashmir. Practically, this is the first time Paljor has prepared an election manifesto which faults developments made in Ladakh during NDA’s rule at the centre.

Paljor reasons, “Ladakhis have traditionally supported the government at the Centre. This is because they have always been ignored by the state governments, whether formed by the NC or the PDP-Congress combine. The Congress had a support base in Ladakh as long as it ruled and delivered. But now it has no substance left. Ever since the NDA took charge, Rs 1800 crore has been spent on development projects in Ladakh. Every resident of this area knows that telephone lines were given by the present government, 45-MW hydel power project was sanctioned under the present government and even the LPG Bottling Plant was the initiative of the present government.” Even if Paljor does not emerge the winner, he will surely benefit sitting MP Ghulam Hassan Khan by eating into LUTF candidate Thupstan Chhhewang’s Buddhist vote bank. Chhewang had lost the 1999 elections to Hasssan Khan because Paljor had also contested on the BJP ticket.

Ladakh part of J&K, says Khan

Once a powerful politician in Ladakh, NC’s Ghulam Hassan Khan will have the anti-incumbency factor working against him this time. Charged with failure during his tenure as MP, Hassan Khan has been labouring hard to retain his hold on the traditional Muslim vote bank in Kargil. He, however, faces tough contest this time.

Where Independent Thupstan Chhewang enjoys a strong hold in Leh, another Independent candidate Wazir Ali challenges Hassan Khan in his traditional Muslim bastion of Kargil. A former NC man, Wazir Ali has snapped ties with Hassan Khan this time. During the last elections Wazir Ali was said to be Hassan Khan’s right hand man. Given the turn of events, the prospects for Hassan Khan appear to be dimming.

The sitting MP, however, brushes aside all fears, saying, “We have done a lot on the developmental side during the last five years. Also we are committed to the state of J&K, which will always remain a part of us. The LUTF may ask for votes in the name of UT status for Ladakh, but we stick by our stand of remaining an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir. There is no question of separation.”

Interesting to note is the division in the Muslim vote bank of Kargil this year. Out of the two main clerical schools in Cargill, Islamic School is supporting Hessian Khan, while the Imam Khomeini Trust is supporting independent Weir Ali from Kargil. Moreover, Hassan Khan faces the blame for not having been able to spend the entire MP’s Local Area Development fund in Ladakh. Even while most part of Ladakh remained underdeveloped, Hassan Khan chose to surrender Rs 8 crore of the Rs 14 crore available under the MPLAD scheme.

Chhewang favours UT status 

A high-profile Buddhist leader and long-time chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LADHC), Thupstan Chhewang is an old warhorse. Known for his diplomatic skills, he is clearly a strong candidate for the parliamentary seat in Ladakh. He was the one who convinced all political parties in Ladakh to disband their cadres in favour of LUTF candidates in 2002 elections.

Playing the card of communal harmony and UT status for Ladakh, Chhewang has managed to gather tremendous support at the local level. Another issue being raised by him concerns more parliamentary seats for Ladakh. Chhewang reasons that Ladakh must be treated as a special case on account of its inaccessibility and vastness.

He is unfazed by the entry of BJP’s Sonam Paljor in the electoral battle. “Paljor is all alone. A huge part of his so-called BJP team is supporting us in these elections. He has decided to go it alone this time and he will face defeat, without doubt. We are aware of the sensibilities of Ladakhis. Also, we want the unity of Leh and Kargil. There should be no Budddhist-Muslim divide,” says Chhewang.

Small wonder then that Chhewang spent over half of his campaigning period reaching out to voters in remote corners of Kargil segment like Zanskar and Dras. In fact, he is the only candidate who is stressing the need for Buddhist-Muslim unity to achieve an overall development of Ladakh.

Experienced in handling the affairs of the LADHC for over seven years now, he also feels responsible for the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council created last year.

Chhewang has a massive Muslim support in Leh. Recently, the president of the most prestigious Muslim organisation in Leh resigned so that he could campaign for Chhewang. Moreover, Chhewang enjoys the patronage of PDP-Congress combine.

Rubbishing those who call the LUTF another form of the Congress, Chhewang stresses that the LUTF is an independent entity which will change the face of Ladakh. It is another matter that the office of LUTF in Leh is full of portraits of Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Overview
Stiff triangular contests in all 10 Haryana seats
Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 8
The ruling Indian National Lok Dal of Mr Om Prakash Chautala is encountering a strong anti-incumbency wave in Haryana as the electioneering ended this evening. It is locked in stiff triangular contests in almost all 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state. All its hopes rest on the split of votes among the Congress, the BJP and the Haryana Vikas Party(HVP).

INLD poll managers feel that since the opposition unity index (OUI) is virtually nill, their party would pick up a respectable number of seats like the proverbial monkey took the bread away from the two cats who were fighting with each other.

The anti-incumbency factor is particularly strong in the urban areas. The INLD has to blame itself for the hostility of the urban people. An impression has gone around that the Chautala government caters to its rural constituency alone, while putting an additional burden on the urban people. Residents of the urban areas feel that the measures like house tax, value-added tax, local area development tax, increase in water charges and the recently abolished professional tax only hit them.

Surprisingly, the BJP, which never fared better when it contested the elections alone in the past, has come out strongly in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Its candidates are in contest in all constituencies, barring Bhiwani, Hisar and Sirsa. This threatens to split the anti-INLD vote at many places.

The most keenly watched contest will be in Bhiwani, where Mr Ajay Singh Chautala, elder son of the Chief Minister, is facing a stiff opposition from Mr Surender Singh of the HVP, who is a son of the former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, and Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi (Congress), who is a son of another former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal. Mr Chautala is fighting with his back to the wall.

The Chief Minister’s younger son Abhay Singh is also locked in a grim battle with Mr Naveen Jindal of the Congress and Mr Gurdial Saini of the BJP at Kurukshetra. Mr Jatinder Singh Khurdban of the HVP is also making Abhay Singh’s task difficult.

This must be a record of sorts when a Chief Minister has fielded both his sons simultaneously in an election. This has raised the stakes for the ruling party very high in these two constituencies. Naturally, the attention and resources of the INLD have been concentrated at these two places. As a result, its candidates in the other constituencies have to more or less fend for themselves.

Another contest which has evoked interest even outside the state is in Sonepat. Mrs Krishna Malik, wife of the DGP(on leave), Mr M.S. Malik, is trying to snatch the seat from the BJP nominee, Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan, for the INLD. Mr Dharam Pal Malik is trying to keep the Congress flag up.

The Congress candidate, Mr Atma Singh Gill, is giving a tough fight to the INLD candidate in Sirsa, Dr Sushil Kumar Indora. The BJP candidate, Mr Mahavir Prasad, who has got support of the estranged brother of the Chief Minister, Mr Ranjit Singh, is trying to make the contest triangular.

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami, is facing challenge from Dr Arvind Sharma of the Congress and the Haryana Transport Minister, Mr Ashok Arora(INLD), in Karnal. Interestingly, Dr Sharma contested the three previous Lok Sabha elections against the Congress. This time he got Congress ticket from here because the Haryana Congress president, Mr Bhajan Lal, was against Mr Kuldeep Sharma, younger son of the four-time MP, Mr Chiranji Lal Sharma. Kuldeep is now in the fray as an Independent.

Mr Jai Prakash Barwala, former Union Minister, seems comfortable on Congress ticket in Hisar against Mr Surinder Barwala of the INLD. Mr Kanwal Singh of the HVP wants to make the contest triangular.

Another former Union Minister, Ms Selja, has come from behind to take on a former Haryana BJP president, Mr Rattan Lal Kataria, and Mr Balwant Singh Kotkachhua of the INLD in Ambala.

The Leader of Opposition, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is trying to win the Rohtak seat for the fourth time in the wake of stiff competition from Capt Abhimanyu of the BJP. The INLD challenge seems to have been petered out. Among others, who are opposing Mr Hooda, is his estranged daughter-in-law Geeta Grewal, who is contesting on BSP ticket.

A battle royale is on in Mahendragarh for representing Ahirwal in the Lok Sabha between Rao Inderjit Singh of the Congress and Dr Sudha Yadav of the BJP.

Mr Ram Chand Bainda of the BJP is trying hard to win the Faridabad seat for the fourth time in a row. His efforts are being thwarted by Mr Avtar singh Bhadana of the Congress and Mr Mohd Ilyas of the INLD. If Mr Bhadana has got the support of Mr Karan Singh Dalal, MLA, who recently joined the Congress, Mr Bainda is getting unexpected support of two Meo stalwarts, Mr Tayyab Hussein and Mr Khursheed Ahmed.

The Congress seems poised to take maximum advantage of the anti-incumbency sentiment prevailing the state against the ruling party. 

Close finish likely in Ferozepore
Jupinderjit Singh and Anirudh Gupta
Tribune News Service

Ferozepore, May 8
This parliamentary constituency is headed for a close finish between Congress candidate Jagmeet Singh Brar and SAD-BJP contestant Zora Singh Mann. What began as a multi-cornered contest in this border district has narrowed down to a straight contest between the two. The other key players — Mohan Singh Phallianwala, Dhyan Singh Mand and Inderjit Singh Zira — have been reduced to the status of prospective spoilsports for the main candidates, as they have the potential of upsetting anyone’s apple cart. Votes polled in favour of Phallianwala would directly eat into the account of the Congress while those in favour of Mr Zira and Mr Mand would upset the political fortunes of Mr Mann.

Zora Singh Mann had begun the campaigning long before the Congress fielded Jagmeet Brar. The battle was initially tilted in favour of the Akali candidate owing to infighting in the congress, the change of constituency by Mr Brar, his struggle to fight the outsider tag and little use of the MP fund in Faridkot were queering the pitch for the congress.

However, Mr Brar put his oratorical skills and campaign management to optimum use and soon rallied round majority of local leaders and workers in his favour, who actively participated in his rallies. Opinion polls and reports have been giving the edge to Mr Brar but the aggressive campaigning done by the BJP in the last few days might prove them wrong.

The announcement of the opening of the Hussainiwala border by January 1, 2006, the main demand of the constituency, by Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley, in a rally here has surged the BJP ahead of other parties in fulfilling the promise of reopening Ferozepore-Kasuri trade route with Pakistan. However, Mr Mann is struggling to shrug off the anti-incumbency factor. He has been the MP of the area for the past two Lok Sabha elections and no one has won the seat thrice while there were a couple who won it twice.

The Rai Sikh community, comprising 3.5 lakh-odd voters, is a major factor. It has shown some leaning towards the Congress but nothing decisive can be said as the voter was keeping his cards close to the chest. The farmers have been criticising the Congress rule because of the power and water supply bills.

Estimates based on the basis of the past performance of the Congress and Akalis in the Assembly segments reveal that the ‘hand’ symbol has got more acceptance in the Abohar, Fazilka, Guruharsahai, Baluana and Jalalabad constituencies whereas the ‘scales’ have been preferred in Zira, Dharmkot, Faridkot city and Cantonment seat.

The Akalis have in the past two elections trailed in the traditional Congress belts but have covered up the deficit quite well in the other seats. The BJP leaders and supporters are leaving no stone unturned to repeat the performance of the SAD-BJP combine in the urban areas.

But at the same time the rebel Akali leader, Mr Inderjit Singh Zira, whose one-point programme is to defeat, rather cause the defeat of Mr Mann, is likely to upset the past trends.

The votes of Rai Sikh community are being viewed as holding the decisive edge in the electoral battle. 

Dullo, Libra equally poised
Chitleen K Sethi
Tribune News Service

Ropar, May 8
The nine assembly segments that form a part of this constituency have nothing in common except the MP and differ in their demographic make-up. Hence, wide differences in voting patterns are expected on May 10. Despite the fact that only Chamkaur Sahib and Dhuri are held by the SAD and the other seven constituencies are with Congress MLAs, Congress candidate Shamsher Singh Dullo is going to find it tough to retain his seat against former Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Libra. (SAD).

Since both candidates belong to Khanna, the sharpest divide among voters is visible here. Mr Dullo’s wife, Mrs Harbans Kaur, is an MLA but people are unhappy with her a factor that will help the soft-spoken Libra. “Mr Libra’s work for his village and Khanna is for all to see. Over the years, both Mr Dullo and his wife have made themselves inaccessible,” said Mr Satpal Singh, a taxi driver in Khanna.

The Kharar segment may be Mr Dullo’s best bet. Kharar is known for Congress infighting and there has been open bickering among Congress leaders Balbir Sidhu, Lakhvinder Kaur Garcha and Bir Devinder Singh. However, this time all three have come out openly in Mr Dullo’s support and are canvassing with him.

Traditionally, the Akali hold in Morinda has been strong but SAD infighting has helped Congress candidates. Both Mr Dullo and Mr Libra are on a sticky wicket here. While Congress MLA Jagmohan Singh Kang, has not given any clear sign of supporting Mr Dullo, Akali Dal president Ravi Inder Singh would draw votes for his candidate Surjan Singh Rahi against Mr Libra.

In Sirhind, SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann will play the same role with his candidate Bhag Singh Surtapur. In Samrala, Congress MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon is supporting Mr Dullo but two years of Congress reign does not seem to have impressed residents. While those living in the urban areas give a mixed response, villagers are clear in their choice of Mr Libra.

In Amloh, former Congress leader Makhan Lal Lalka, has joined the SAD and may upset the balance for Mr Dullo. Mr Sadhu Singh, Congress MLA who enjoys good reputation here, is campaigning with Mr Dullo. The BSP’s vote bank, will be vital since Mr Dullo and Mr Libra seem to be equally poised.

The SAD is on a stronger wicket at Nabha with former Youth Congress president and former Congress MLA Ramesh Singla having joined the SAD. Tohra supporters who had allegedly voted against SAD candidate Narinder Singh in 2002, are expected to vote in favour of Mr Libra.

The Chamkaur Sahib assembly constituency, held by SAD leader Satwant Kaur Sandhu and Dhuri, represented by Mr Surjit Singh Barnala’s son Gaggandeep Singh, are traditionally Akali strongholds and the Congress’s presence is expected to be nominal here.

No star campaigner
Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 8
Despite being one of most important constituencies and witnessing a fierce battle between Congress candidate Rana Gurjit Singh and SAD-BJP candidate Naresh Gujral, Jalandhar has failed to attract any star campaigner. Impressive roadshows by the District Congress Committee and the district units of the SAD-BJP during the past two days notwithstanding, the campaign has largely been a lacklustre affair here.

Except for former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, Capt Amarinder Singh, Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr Parkash Singh Badal, no one has descended here to woo voters.

There were a large number of star campaigners in Ludhiana, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, Dharmendra, Poonam Dhillon and Hema Malini. It was Ms Sonia Gandhi in Phagwara, and Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna at Amrtisar and Gurdaspur, respectively. Mr Tejinder Bittu, DCC chief, said, “We don’t need any film star. Capt Amarinder Singh is our star campaigner. Is he less than Dharmendra or Sunny Deol?”

SAD-BJP leaders said the biggest crowd-puller for them was none but Mr Gujral himself.

Confident Cong takes it easy
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 8
While the Congress is confident of winning the Shimla (reserved) seat and taking it easy, the BJP has pressed into service a battery of star campaigners to boost its prospects in the final phase of electioneering. Mr L.K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minister, was the first to address an election meeting at Nahan in support of party candidate H.N. Kashyap early this week. Mr Arun Jaitley, followed it up with a meeting at Shimla.

Bollywood star Satrughan Sinha addressed an election meeting at Paonta Sahib on May 5. He was scheduled to address another meeting at Rohru but could not make it to the place due to shortage of time. A large crowd waited in vain for the actor politician. Finally it was the firebrand but controversial leader Narinder Modi who addressed two meetings in the constituency at Theog and Dharampur.

The hectic campaigning has enlivened the electoral scene and made the contest interesting. However, the Congress seems unrattled and its strategists did not feel any need to induct national leaders or cine personalities into the campaign.

The Congress campaign has been handled by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, Mrs Vidya Stokes, PCC chief, and party candidate, Dr D.R. Shandil. The constituency has been an impregnable bastion of the Congress and its leaders believe that its roots are strong enough to withstand the BJP blitzkrieg.

Besides, it is also banking on the personal rapport that Dr Shandil had been able to establish with the electorate during his five-year term as a Member of Parliament. He visited almost 90 per cent of the 700-odd panchayats of the constituency and the villagers acknowledge this.