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SIDELIGHTS ‘Desi Bahu’ Smriti Irani failed to gain the confidence of voters. Smriti ‘Tulsi’ Irani of popular serial Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame lost to her INC rival Kapil Sibal in Chandni Chowk. She tried to encash her image of the traditional Indian Bahu as projected in the TV serial but failed miserably in her attempt by securing only 47,978 votes against Mr Sibal’s 1,27,395. Though she charmed a sizeable section of voters, especially women and teenagers, yet those who preferred a seasoned politician in Mr Sibal outnumbered them. However, electoral defeat has not broken the resolve of Smriti Irani who said she has made a good beginning and would continue working for the BJP in future. “I had to make a point which I have done. It was a good performance for a 28-year-old beginner against a candidate of Mr Sibal’s stature,” a humbled ‘Tulsi’ said.
‘Videshi Bahu’ Sonia Gandhi has finally won the hearts of voters. Silencing her detractors who were sceptical about the acceptability of the Italian-born INC president, Ms Gandhi not only won her seat but also led her party to victory. The good showing of the INC is being ascribed to the relentless campaigning by Sonia Gandhi throughout the length and breadth of the country during which she appears to have struck a rapport with the people. She held road shows, public meetings and rallies to charm the people and motivate them to vote for her party. The BJP’s repeated attacks on the INC president on her foreign origin failed to cut any ice with the people who seemed to have no problem with her becoming prime minister of the country.
Of duplicates
and clones The namesake of Union Minister of State Vijay Goel of BJP won the approval of 385 voters in the Sadar constituency. Though he lost his deposit, the ‘duplicate’ Goel apparently managed to confuse a number of the ‘original’ Goel’s supporters. The Union Minister of State lost to Jagdish Tytler of INC by a margin of 15,976 votes. Sajjan Kumar of INC too faced a ‘clone’ in the Outer Delhi constituency, who didn’t make any difference in the country’s largest constituency of 31 lakh voters.
Son rises in
the East Sandeep Dikshit has finally avenged his mother and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s defeat at the hands of Lal Bihari Tiwari of BJP six years ago. Sandeep defeated the BJP MP by a huge margin of 2,29,788 votes in East Delhi. Tiwari, who made a hat-trick from the constituency, had defeated Sheila in the 1998 Lok Sabha election. The success for Sandeep is all the more sweet as his margin of victory is five times more than the margin of his mother’s defeat by Mr Tiwari.
False alarm Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had doubts about her party’s performance in the Sadar, Outer Delhi and New Delhi constituencies but these proved to be false. About the party’s performance in NCT of Delhi where the BJP had bagged all seven seats in the last election, she said the party had failed to wrest the South Delhi constituency because of “lack of coordination”.
Indira
loyalist Celebrating his win with a horde of slogan-shouting supporters, the Indira-loyalist Jagdish Tytler said: “First I am going to visit the Samadhi of Indira Gandhi.” Tytler said he would also visit the Samadhi of Rajiv Gandhi. “I dedicate my victory to Sonia Gandhi. My victory is due to her,” he said. Tytler went to the 10 Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi as well. |
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Rao Inderjit Singh wins from Mahendragarh Rewari: The Congress candidate, Rao Inderjit Singh, has wrested the Mahendragarh parliamentary seat from the BJP. He has trounced his nearest rival, Dr Sudha Yadav, of the BJP by a huge margin of 2,10,341 votes . Rao Inderjit Singh polled 3,58,714 votes while Dr Sudha Yadav could muster only 1,48,373 votes. With 1,21,062 votes Mr Raghu Yadav of the Samajwadi Party has gone to the third position in the contest. Twelve out of a total of 14 candidates who were in the poll fray in Mahendragarh have forfeited their deposits. They include Mr Raghu Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Swami Dharam Dev of the INLD, Mr Rohtash Khatana of the BSP , Mr Anil Rao of the HVP and eight others. The winner, Rao Inderjit Singh, is the eldest son of the former Union Minister, Rao Birender Singh.
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Hooda wrests Rohtak seat Jhajjar, May 13 The party workers took out a procession in the town and expressed their joyous feelings by distributing sweets. Mr Hooda has taken a lead of about 58,000 votes from four assembly segments of the district. Local leaders of the party, including PCC member Mange Ram, DCC spokesman Udhaybhan Punia, District Bar Association president Naseeb Singh Kadian, DCC vice-president Rishi Prakash, state youth Congress vice-president Anand Sagar, district Youth Congress president Naresh Hasanpur congratulated their party nominee and celebrated the win. Mr Hooda won the seat by a margin of 1.58 lakh votes, defeating Capt Abhimanyu, BJP candidate. |
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Deputy Speaker embroiled in poll violence Gurgaon, May 13 A panchayat was convened in Jharsa by the head of Jharsa-360, Mr Deva Singh, in village
Jharsa, in connection with the violence outside a polling booth. Mr Deva Singh said that Mr Gehlot was asked to attend the meeting but he did not turn up. Mr Deva Singh demanded Mr Gehlot’s resignation blaming him and his relatives for the incident in the village. The police have registered a criminal case against a Congress leader, Mr Khazan Singh and his five brothers on a complaint of Mr Rajinder Sigh, brother of Mr Gehlot, in connection with the violent incident. Mr Khazan Singh, however, complained to various authorities, and also submitted before the panchayat that the relatives of Mr Gehlot, including Mr Rajinder Singh, a Delhi Police personnel, came to the polling station in
Jharsa, where he was the agent of the Congress. They tried to intimidate women voters of the village and indulged in verbal abuse for casting their votes in favour of the Congress. When they resented they were also manhandled outside the polling booth. At one point of time, Mr Gehlot also turned up at the scene with his supporters, he added. However, observers say that there was a clash between relatives of Mr Gehlot and Mr Khazan Singh outside the polling station. Mr Khazan Singh further said the panchayat, instead of taking action against Mr Gehlot and his relatives, the police implicated him and his relatives in criminal case. He said that the DSP on duty misled the district police chief and the Deputy Commissioner/District Electoral Officer (Gurgaon) and got a false case registered at the behest of Mr Gehlot. Mr Khazan Singh and Mr Gehlot are natives of Jharsa and are bitter political foes in local politics. |
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Here’s mud in
your eye! Noida, May 13 A large number of buses were parked in Sector-12 Noida after the voting. Dharamveer also parked his bus along the road. He bought liquor from a liquor shop and helped himself to a peg one too many. After having his fill, the driver’s eyes fail to locate his own
bus. He climbed onto another bus parked nearby. Somehow he was able to even start it by joining the wires. Seeing him sozzled and then driving, other drivers became panicky. The bus owner and the police were informed. As the cops were chasing him, he pressed the accelerator with the result the bus hit the road divider after Hindon Bridge. It came to a stop. When the police reached there, they found Dharamveer humming some romantic verses. One will drink to that! |
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Three robbers held after encounter in Pitampura New Delhi, May 13 The accused were identified as Diwan Chand alias Lala, Ajay Kumar alias Vicky Chaptu and Rajesh Kumar alias Khachad Vijay, all residents of Raghubir Nagar. The sleuths said that the accused Diwan Chand has been involved in as many as 150 cases of snatching and robbery in the West and South-West districts. The sleuths received a secret information that the accused who had been active in West and South-West districts were planning to commit robbery near North-Ex Complex in Pitampura and accordingly laid a trap near the Rukmani Devi Public School last evening. At around 6 pm, the sleuths spotted three persons on a motorcycle No DL-4S-AH-7091 and when asked to stop, they started speeding up the bike. In a bid to escape, one of the accused Diwan also fired
at the police personnel but the three were soon overpowered. During interrogation, the accused confessed to have committed crimes in the West and South-West districts. The police said that Diwan is also an active associate of notorious Sunil Sansi, Anoop and Raju Hakla and was wanted by the Delhi Police in several cases. The accused always targeted the victims near temples and other places of worship in the early mornings and also late in the evenings. |
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Married woman raped Faridabad, May 13 The woman has alleged that the accused identified as Sanjay entered her house when she was alone. He first beat her up and then raped her a couple of days ago. In another incident, body of a tanker driver, identified as Arun Kumar, was found in his own vehicle. The tanker was parked near Karman border in the Hodal subdivision. The tanker was on its way from Lakhimpur in Uttar Pradesh to Rewari in Haryana. It is suspected that the victim had been killed by someone and the body was dumped inside the tanker. This is the second such incident in the area in the past two months. |
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TUs demand CBI probe into wheat scandal Sonepat, May 13 In a joint press release, they alleged that the officials of the department had allocated damaged and rotten wheat to the owners of fair price shops only on paper but the supply was withheld, as it was unfit for human consumption. The owners of the fair price shops, they also alleged, were directed orally to prepare the registers and get signatures from the ration cardholders or others on them so that it should be shown that wheat had been distributed properly. It was also alleged that these register were taken from the owners of fair price shops by certain officials of the department to cover up the lapses on their part in not lifting from the open and foodgrains markets in the district, which were the main cause for the damage to wheat stock procured by the official agencies. The depot holders, on the other hand, were promised to get the amount of profit after the sale of this wheat in the market by the officials. But none of the depot-holders received the amount of the profit. According to the representatives of these organisations, a CBI inquiry is likely to expose the misdeeds of the officials in the scandalous disposal of wheat stock, which had remained in the open and damaged in rain and other weather vagaries during the past few years on account of non-lifting to covered godowns. They also point out that all the officials of the concerned department should be transferred to ensure an independent and impartial probe. |
Navy attempts to scale Mt Everest via North Face this summer New Delhi, May 13 The expedition route from the north face via Tibet has never been attempted before by teams of the Indian Armed Forces. This route is by far considered the more difficult and technically challenging route. If successful, the Indian Navy would be the first Navy of the world to scale what is sometimes also referred to as the ‘Third Pole’. Commander Dam, the team leader, is a submariner and if he summits the Everest, he would be the first submariner, mountaineer to achieve this feat. The climbing team along with Cdr Dam include: Lt Cdr. A Kankan, Lt. Amit Pande (Deputy Leader),, Lt K S Balaji, Surg. Lt V Bhanoo, Raj Kumar- Master Chief Engine Room Artificer (MCERA I), Rakesh Kumar - Leading Medical Assistant, Vikas Kumar-Leading Medical Assistant and Nitin Singh - Seaman 1st class. The team, which is a mix of officers and sailors, has been selected after many rigorous and intensive rounds of physical and mental capability tests. Wishing the team success, Admiral Madhvendra Singh said, “The team has its task cut out for it. I am certain that they shall do the nation proud. We wish the team all the luck in their endeavour”. For the duration of the expedition, the Navy has set up an Everest Expedition Control Cell, New Delhi. In an update on the team’s progress, the officer in charge of the cell, Lt Commander Sameer Chopra said, “The team arrived at the base camp, located at a height of 5200 meters, on April 6, 2004. Thereafter, on April 15, they reached the advanced base camp at a height of 6400 meters. Thanks to good weather, the team achieved its first breakthrough on April 22 the route to North Col was opened by the team of sherpas and climbers. The team faced a rough time climbing higher with winds as strong as 110-150 kms/hr making it nearly impossible to go on further. Only sheer determination and grit has kept them going. After having reached a height of 7800 meters, the team is now back to the advanced base camp and will resume their final steps soon. The team’s progress to the summit is as per the plan and we hope to summit by the end of May 2004”. |
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Water supply goes for a toss after power breakdown Sonepat, May 13 According to a report, thousands of residents were the worst hit as they got the supply around 12.30 pm instead of 6 am Carrying pitchers on their heads, the women were seen fetching the water from distant places to meet their requirements. Many residents alleged that the water supply has become erratic and the pressure was always low since the onset of the summer season and all their complaints made to the authorities of the Public Health Department in this regard have fallen on deaf ears. They also alleged that the officials of the PHD, from junior engineers to the Superintending Engineer, had adopted anti-people and rigid attitude and they never bothered about the public complaints. The district authorities too had remained the silent spectators and failed to take any action against the erring officials in spite of hue and cry made by the residents on the issue. The Federation of All Residents Welfare Association, the Sonepat Citizens Forum and the Residents Welfare Association today sent a joint memorandum to the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala demanding immediate suspension of the officials found responsible for the water crisis in the city and order a high-level probe into the public complaints in this regard. They also demanded immediate transfers of all the officials to ensure an independent and impartial inquiry. They also threatened to launch direct action and gherao the officials if the demand was not accepted by the government. Meanwhile, leakage of the sluice valves is seen everywhere in the city and this has led to contaminated supply to the residents. Many of them were suffering from waterborne diseases. |
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Six students hurt in group clash Sonepat, May 13 According to a report, a strong contingent of the railway police, on receipt of information, arrived on the scene and dispersed the students involved, by cane charging and using force on them. However, no case has been registered in this connection. It is stated that students of both the groups had boarded a Haryana Roadways bus at the bus stand of the railway flyover when they started fighting. The driver of the bus stopped the bus at Subhash Chowk and asked the students to get down. The students of both the groups got down and started using hockeys and belts etc against each other. The Civil Lines police did not take any action against them and the students reached the railway station, via railway road, where they got clashed with each other. Some students were beaten up mercilessly and they sustained serious injuries. According to another report, a youth, Sonu, was seriously injured when he was attacked by a group of youths at Kurar village, about 10 km from here, last evening. The injured youth was immediately hospitalised. He is stated to be out of danger. The police are still investigating into the matter.
Girl missing A girl, Versha (17), a student of Class XXI was reported to be missing from her house since yesterday and her father has lodged a complaint with the Civil Lines police station in this regard. She, along with her younger brother, left the house for going to the school situated near Gita Bhawan Chowk. However, on the way, she was separated with her younger brother by asking him that she is going for a work. However, she did not reach the school and return to her house till noon. On the return of her younger brother, the father of the girl started a search for her, but failed to trace her. Thereupon, he lodged an FIR with the police in this regard after suspecting that she had been kidnapped by some one. The girl is reported to be living in the residential quarters of the ESI hospital in this city.
Free legal aid The Haryana State Legal Service Authority has invited applications from the non-government social
organisations for providing free legal aid to the poor and deserving persons in the state. According to a report, the state government has issued instructions to all the district and sessions judges who are working as the presidents of the district level legal service authority to receive such applications from the quarters concerned. Such organisations will have to work under the Legal Service Authority so that the people could instil confidence in the justice. |
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NCR briefs Noida, May 13 The Congress candidate, Surinder Goel, a sitting MLA and an ex- councilor and ex-Chairman of the Ghaziabad Nagar Palika, polled 2,35,114 votes against Tomar’s 1,92,751 votes. Tomar was defending his Ghaziabad- Hapur Lok Sabha seat for the fourth consecutive term for the BJP. Samajwadi Party’s Kanwar Ayub Ali was third with 1,80,068 votes while Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Trilok Tyagi got 1,70,170 votes. In Noida, sitting MP and union minister of Telecom, Ashok Pradhan, was able to retain his Khurja reserved Lok Sabha seat for the fourth time. Pradhan polled 2,14,688 votes in the quadrangular contest. Pradhan was followed by BSP’s Ravi Gautam, who had switched sides from BJP in
February this year during agitation for Gautam Budh Nagar. Ravi Gautam got 173,551 votes whereas Congress’s Devi Dayal, a retired IAS officer, polled 1,09,122 votes.
Lok Nayak Bridge to remain closed New Delhi: The traffic movement on the Lok Nayak Bridge will remain closed for general public due to technical reasons from 1 pm on May 15 to 8 am on May 17. Motorists, desiring to cross the Yamuna river from the eastern side, would be allowed to use one carriageway of the old ITO bridge. Those coming from the ITO-side towards Laxmi Nagar will not be allowed to use half of the old ITO bridge. Motorists are advised to avoid this route as far as possible. Road users using the bridge are also advised to familiarise themselves with this temporary traffic diversion for two days, the traffic police advised.
TNS
Banks closed Sonepat: Almost all the nationalised and other banks remained closed for the day today as the employees were put on duty by the Returning Officer for counting of votes in the Sonepat parliamentary constituency. This caused inconvenience to the people on account of non-functioning of the banks. The members of the District Bar Association also abstained from work on account of the counting of votes. The working of judicial courts was disrupted for the day.
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Delhi digest New Delhi, May 13 The vehicle drivers have to return the token to the police before they drive away their vehicles. However, this system appears to have started creating problems for the vehicle owners as well as for the local people. To get the token, people sometimes are seen standing in queues resulting in traffic jams in the area. In the evening it becomes difficult even for the pedestrians to move on the footpath. Some times it takes hours to cross the Darya Gunj market. Traffic jam can be seen from the Bahadurshah Marg to the outer Ring Road. According to the local police, no case of vehicle theft has been reported since the token system has been started. This system has created problems for the vehicular but it is done for benefit of the people.
Seminar by Oriflame Cosmetics major Oriflame is organising a motivational seminar for its consultants and the general public on May 15 here. The “mega motivational seminar” is being conducted by motivational guru Kir Krector. Being organised on May 15, the seminar will be held between 11 am and 2 pm, at the Sirifort Auditorium. A lawyer by profession, Kir is a consultant to many International Corporations and has been a part of network marketing for many years.
Power shutdown The BSES, Yamuna, has announced load shedding in Mata Kedra Tanki, Geli Bhaujee, Azad Market, Jhandewalan C-block and Kiosk, Sarai Kale Khan, Motia Khan, Sadar Cloth Market, Bagichi Allauddin, Aram Bagh, PG Dispensary, Ram Nagar and its adjoining areas, on May 14, due to maintenance work from 10 am to 6 pm. |
Rs 6.50 lakh looted in Noida Noida, May 13 The employees were going on a cycle rickshaw to deposit the amount in a bank after withdrawing it from another bank. Though the police have started the investigation, they question the authenticity of the incident. Bluemoon Exports India Ltd in D-40 Sector-6 manufactures material used for shipping exports. The company has five branches around its main office in Noida alone. Prem Pal, an accounts department employee along with a colleague Manish Misra had gone to withdraw Rs 6.50 lakh from HDFC bank in Sector-18. They reached Sector 19 near DTC Depot after encashing the cheque for Rs 6.50 lakh. When their rickshaw reached T-Series office in Sector 19, three criminals in a white Maruti car stopped them. One of the bandits came out of the car and hit hard Prem Pal’s hand in which he was holding the bag. The criminals quickly picked up the bag and sped away before anybody could even note down the car number. Prem Pal dialled No 100 on his cell phone, the number of Delhi Police who in turn informed the Noida police. The police did not believe their version, and therefore, detained Prem Pal Munish and the rickshaw puller. |
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Satta on candidates busted, two held New Delhi, May 13 They were allegedly running satta on the counting day of the Lok Sabha elections. The anti-homicide section of the Crime Branch received an information that the suspects were running a satta from their house in Paschim Vihar. The premise was raided and the suspects were arrested. During interrogation, the suspects accepted their crime. The total amount estimated to be involved (during apprehension of the suspects) is over Rs 25 lakh. Mobile phones and book of entries were recovered and seized from the premise. Suresh Kumar worked as auto sale-purchase commission agent whereas Dinesh Kumar worked as his assistant. They had started satta booking since the last six or seven days and have booked satta on Delhi’s candidates, the police said.
Man dies in hospital The police found an unconscious man yesterday, near the newly constructed Jail Boundary in Nand Nagri, and admitted him to the GTB Hospital. Later, he died in the hospital and his body has been kept for the post mortem. He is still unidentified, the police said.
Scooterists killed Sunil Pal, (30), and Ajeet Singh, (20), residents of Masoodpur dairy farm, who were going on their scooter last evening, were hit by an unknown vehicle near the Katrwari Sarai bus stand. The PCR van admitted them to AIIMS where Sunil pal was declared brought dead, the police said. |
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Sonepat, May 13 The victim,
Vinod, was a drunker and this was the main cause of the quarrel with his wife, Shanti Devi, who had remained upset after the marriage. It is stated that Vinod quarrelled with his wife yesterday and took sulphas tablets along with his son in his house in a bid to end his life and son. When their condition worsened they were rushed to a private hospital at Narela (Delhi) where they died. The police sent the bodies for the post-mortem examination.
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