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Jindal camp ropes in Manmohan
Assembly Seat
— Naulatha
Perfect homemakers and campaigners
EC guideline benefits activists
Gehlot for conscience vote
Poll Second Round
— GURGAON
Assembly Constituency
— Bhiwani District
Bihar poll: musclemen in fray
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Jindal camp ropes in Manmohan
Hisar, January 29 So much so, apart from the usual poll campaign and public meetings, three Congress MPs have been canvassing for Mr Jindal. While the main responsibility is on Mr Jindal's son and Congress MP from Kurukshetra, Mr Naveen Jindal, the party MP from Hisar, Mr Jai Prakash, is also taking an active part in his canvassing. Now the Jindal camp has managed to get the Prime Minister's nod for a visit to the city. Dr Manmohan Singh is now scheduled to address a public meeting in the city on January 31. The Jindals are quite enthusiastic about his visit as they expect it to prove a shot in their arm. Moreover, to get the support of the youth and Gujjars, Mr Jindal also roped in the youngest Congress MP, Mr Sachin Pilot, who addressed a public meeting in the support of the Congress candidate here recently. Mr Ashok Tanwar, president of the All-India Youth Congress, also visited the city yesterday with a view to garnering the support of the youth. Many local leaders and organisations have also extended support to Mr Jindal. All this clearly indicates that the "Steel Man" has decided not to take any chances as far as his election to the state Assembly is concerned. He has been promising to make Hisar a dream city after being voted to power. On the other hand, Mr Hari Singh Saini, an Independent candidate, who is the main contender against the Congress candidate for the Hisar seat, has been attacking Mr Jindal for his alleged "unavailability and indifferent attitude" for the common people. Mr Saini has been stating at his poll meetings that while Mr Jindal was banking on his money power, he was relying on his mass support base. "Yeh dhanshakti aur janshakti ki ladai hai," he maintains. Meanwhile, at a news conference organised here today, Mr Gopal Krishan Sharma, state president of the Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray), maintained that the party had not extended support to Mr Jindal, as had been publicised. He said a former district chief had backed Mr Jindal, but it had nothing to do with the party. The Shiv Sena would support Mr Saini in the election, he added. However, Mr Jindal, who is chiefly targeting Mr Saini at his meetings, refutes these allegations. He urges people not to vote for the Independents as "they have neither any policy, nor any well-defined stance on the issues of mass importance." Another important aspect of the contest on this constituency is that the BJP, the INLD, the CPM or the other parties are nowhere in the fight. While the INLD candidate, Ms Sumitra Mahajan, is already a Rajya Sabha Member, the BJP nominee, Mr Rakesh Sethi, is facing problems even in ensuring the support of the party's loyal voters. In all, a keen one-to-one contest is on the cards for the prestigious Hisar Assembly seat. But the voters of the constituency have been discreet enough not to disclose their intention, keeping the wannabe MLAs on their toes all the time. |
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Star campaigner for Cong
Bhiwani, January 29 Mr Bishnoi has so far campaigned for Congress nominees in 24 Assembly segments spread all over the state. He has already been invited by 13 more Congress nominees to campaign in their segments and more invitations are pouring in. He began his campaign right from the day nominations began to be filed by the party nominees. In the earlier stages he toured various segments by road. But as the campaign gained momentum and more invitations poured in for him to visit different segments, touring by road was ruled out. He has now hired a chopper to ferry him. In an informal chat Mr Bishnoi told TNS that though the chopper meant more expense, there was no other way out as he could not have covered all constituencies he wanted to go to by road. Besides, he said the response he got from voters in different areas was so overwhelming that he could not refuse any of the candidates inviting him to campaign for them. One positive feature of his campaign has been that he has also been touring the constituencies from where the party nominees are identified with factions other than those of Mr Bhajan Lal. "There is no question of distinguishing between different candidates. They are all Congressmen and all those who win will help the party form a government and bring about a social change in Haryana which is what is required now", he said. Mr Bishnoi's vigorous campaign has helped his father Mr Bhajan Lal devote attention to other party affairs. Besides, most other senior leaders have also been tied up in the areas which required their personal attention. He is accompanied on his tours by a hand-picked team of young Congress workers. He also makes it a point to enlist the help of young Congressmen of the constituencies he visits. This, he says, has helped him motivate about a dozen young partymen in every segment who will remain in touch with the voters after the elections too. "It is important for the party to ensure feedback from the voters after the elections. I plan to keep in touch with the workers in these areas after the poll so that they don't feel ditched. After all I have begged for their votes", he added. His day begins early and he is usually the first to get up and bring the rest of his entourage to its toes. He is also the last member of the team to go to bed. "I don't feel tired as long as I get good response from my audiences", he says. |
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Assembly Seat
— Naulatha
Panipat, January 29 There was a considerable crowd at her rally in the grain market yesterday but it is hard to tell whether it would translate into votes. Congress and INLD candidates are making opposite claims. While Congress candidate Parsanni Devi said the election was now mere a formality as the contest had become one-sided for her after Ms Sonia’s rally, INLD candidate Ramratti Jaglan said the rally would not have any impact on voters. It was in the 1982 Assembly elections, that the Congress managed to register its last victory in Naulatha but even then the margin was narrow. After 1982, the Congress kept struggling for victory in Naulatha in the 1987, 1991, 1996 and 2000 Assembly elections. So much so, it could get only 15.26 per cent and 14 per cent votes in the last elections held in 1996 and 2000, respectively, and got the third place. Jats play a vital role in deciding the fate of candidates in Naulatha. As many as 35,205 electors are Jats, out of a total 1,26,529 voters. Six candidates are trying their luck here. There is likely to be a direct contest between Ms Parsanni Devi and Ms Ramratti. Ms Parsanni is facing four corruption cases that were filed against her during the Bansi Lal regime. She was allocated ticket after its cancellation to former minister Bijander Singh Kadian. Ms Jaglan is contesting for the first time. She was given ticket due to her loyalty to the INLD. She is appealing the voters to support her on development works done by the INLD government and is promising to make Israna a sub-division. On the other hand, Ms Parsanni is promising to make Naulatha a subdivision, apart from overall development. |
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Perfect homemakers and campaigners
Vidya Devi Jasma Devi
Hisar/Narwana, January 29 Come elections they are transformed and are heard and seen, brimming with energy as they get active in campaigning. Ms Jasma Devi is the wife of HPCC chief and Congress candidate from Adampur, Mr Bhajan Lal. Her son Chander Mohan is also contesting Ms Vidya Devi is the mother of Randeep Singh Surjewala, working president of the HPCC who is taking on the Chief Minister from Narwana, and wife of Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala who is contesting from Kaithal on Congress ticket. Their schedules are similar as they hit the road every morning and return home by evening. However, while Ms Jasma Devi goes door to door and has tea with supporters in Adampur, a Congress stronghold, Ms Vidya Devi focuses on individual voters of Narwana. Unmindful of her aching knee, Ms Vidya Devi walks from one house to another and talks of the “misdeeds” of the INLD. “This being the Chief Minister’s constituency where every family has been obliged with a job, I have to go to each one personally and convince them to vote for Randeep for development,” she says. With an all-woman team of relatives, she raves about what makes Randeep a “politician with a difference” while asking for votes. “Has anybody from the Chautala family come to ask you for votes? We, his mother, sister, cousins, are all here to ask for your vote,” she appeals, adding that “I don’t even hesitate to go to families committed to Chautala. We ought to try and maybe they will see things in the right perspective.” Coming from a political family and then being married into one, she has no qualms about approaching anybody, be it a vegetable vendor or a big farmer. The idea is to reach out to people and she is doing that quite effectively. “This is the first time that both my son and husband are in the fray. It was hard to decide where I was needed more. My husband called to say that I should stay in Narwana and campaign for Randeep. So, here I am,” she says. In Hisar, Ms Jasma Devi is comfortably placed. There is no aggressive campaigning nor asking for votes. “Adampur is our extended family and we know everyone. When we are a family, I hardly need to go around asking for votes. They know we have to vote for Sahibji. Whenever they call me over for tea, I just drop in. If they have any problems, they let me know,” she says. Baiji, as she is fondly called, has come a long way since 1968 when Mr Bhajan Lal contested for the first time. “My elder son Chander Mohan has contested simultaneously with Sahibji on a number of occasions. I have always campaigned in Adampur because my husband has to do a lot of touring. I stand in for him. I am confident of Chander Mohan’s grip on Kalka and I know he will manage on his own,” she remarks. Asked if all the credit for Mr Bhajan Lal’s successive wins from Adampur go to her, she laughs and adds “does it really matter when both of us are one?” |
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EC guideline benefits activists
Palwal, February 29 Interestingly, a particular EC stricture of not allowing party stickers on vehicles is working in favour of men in the rural areas who otherwise would have been counted as part of the convoy of a party which cannot exceed over three. Village “prachar” parties are taking money from more than one political party. The menfolk are busy with election-related activities while women manage everything from cooking to looking after the fields and cattle. The men go to a party’s election office, collect coupons for fuel and the daily “kharcha” for “prachar.” They return with positive inputs in the evenings and the “prachar” committees succeed in extracting cases of liquor for distribution among supporters. In times when the best policy is to keep everyone happy, no party or its leader questions them on their whereabouts or track them to see what they have been doing the whole day. The candidates are wary of spending funds openly and the money is now exchanging hands in a more discreet manner. Congress candidates are being liberally “weighed” in both rural and urban areas. In the urban areas, their weight is pegged at Rs 100 per kg. |
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Gehlot for conscience vote
Rewari, January 29 Without naming Rao Ajit Singh (younger brother of the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Rao Inderjit Singh), who was openly supporting the BJP candidate, Mr Randhir Singh Kapri, Captain Yadav cautioned people against such persons. He urged the people to exercise their franchise according to their inner conscience. |
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Poll Second Round
— GURGAON
Gurgaon,
January 29 While the factional groups in Gurgaon have closed ranks, making things easy for the party nominee, the anti-incumbency factor against the INLD government appears to be weighing heavily against Mr Gehlot. The BJP nominee’s
electioneering appears to have been affected with the approach of a section of the party cadre. Deteriorating law and order and lopsided development of Gurgaon city, besides poor compensation to farmers whose land had been acquired by the government, are some of the key issues in this segment. SOHNA: This constituency is witnessing a three-cornered contest among Congress nominee Rao Dharam Pal, BJP nominee Kartar Bhadana and Independent Suhkvir Jaunapuria. With Mr Bhadana and Mr Jaunapuria dividing the Gujjar votes, the Congress nominee is angling for the votes of the dominant Yadav community. However, another Independent, Rao Karamveer Singh, is also a Yadav and poses a threat to the Congress nominee. Like Gurgaon, compensation to farmers whose land had been acquired is a major issue. Also, law and order and erratic supply of water and power are the other issues. Taoru: There is a direct
contest between Congress nominee Zakir Hussain and BJP’s young face, Sanjay Singh. Taoru has an equal number of Muslim and Hindu votes. Both nominees have a political background with their fathers being high-profile figures. While the BJP is harping on the rise of prices, the Congress nominee is promising all kinds of amenities to the public. Rewari: There is a contest among Congress nominee and MLA Ajay Singh, BJP nominee Randhir Singh Kapdiwas, Independent Vijay Somani and INLD nominee Rajender Singh. The SYL issue, equal distribution of water in the state, lack of good academic institutes and erratic supply of power are the dominant issues here. Bawal:
Although there is a four-cornered contest among INLD nominee and minister
M.L. Ranga, Congress nominee Bharat Singh, BJP nominee Jaswant Bawal and Independent and former minister Shakuntala Bhagwaria, Ms Bhagwaria appears to be ahead in the race in this reserved constituency. She is a senior Congress leader and was denied ticket. There appears to be a sympathy wave in her favour. Shortage of water and power supply is the primary issue here. Jatusana: There is a multi-cornered contest in this constituency among INLD nominee Jagdish Yadav, BJP nominee Rao Narbir Singh, Congress nominee Rao Baljeet Singh and Samajwadi Party nominee Raghu Yadav. This seat is considered to be the stronghold of the family of former Chief Minister Rao Birender Singh. The polity is divided here between Rao Birender Singh and the others. Voters are dismayed that the candidates are not raising issues that concern them directly. These issues are lack of potable and irrigation water. Mahendergarh:
There is a two-cornered contest between BJP nominee Ram Bilas Sharma and Congress nominee and MLA Rao Daan Singh. Like other parts of the Ahirwal belt, shortage of water and power and poor development are the major issues. Narnaul: The two Independents, Mr Radhey Shyam Sharma and the sitting MLA, Mr Pusa Ram, seem ahead of the others. Mr Pusa Ram had recently joined the Congress but was denied ticket. Ateli: There is a direct contest between Congress nominee and MLA Rao Narender Singh and Independent Naresh Yadav. The BJP nominee, Mr Kailash Sharma , and the INLD nominee, Mr Tej Prakash, are making efforts to catch up. Water scarcity and poor development are the issues here. |
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Assembly Constituency
— Bhiwani District
Bhiwani, January 29 Massive amounts of unpaid electricity bills are pending against villagers of six of the seven constituencies in the district. The maximum amount is pending in the Badhra segment from where Congress candidate Dharam Bir, INLD nominee Ranbir Singh and Independent Narpender Singh are the chief contenders. More than Rs 86 crore is pending against 30,235 defaulters in Badhra . The then Congress government’s attempt to make them pay the dues had resulted in violence and police firing on farmers in Kadma village under this segment. “Neither Dharam Bir nor Ranbir Singh talk about this issue,” said a resident of Jhoju Kalan. Similarly, in neighbouring Loharu, which too had witnessed police firing, the candidates are silent on this crucial issue. More than Rs 50 crore is pending against 28,000 consumers in Loharu. “How can we pay the amount? The bills have been accumulating for over a decade now and against each one of us Rs 3 to Rs 4 lakh are pending,” a resident of Mandiwali village under the Loharu segment said. “Mr Om Prakash Chautala, while campaigning during the 2002 Assembly elections, had promised us that power and water would be supplied free of cost but he has not kept his promise,” anguished villagers of Kadma complained. After taking over as the Chief Minister, Mr Chautala first tried to cajole the defaulters by waiving 75 per cent of the pending amount but it didn’t help. The government then resorted to arm-twisting by making the production of no-dues certificate mandatory even for school admission and land registration. Recently the Chief Minister had announced that agricultural tariff would be 25 paise per unit for all kinds of consumers. Earlier the minimum rate of 35 paise was for tubewells having a depth of 200ft or more. The maximum rate of 66 paise used to be for tubewells with a depth of 100ft or less. There was drastic reduction in the tariff of unmetered tubewells also. The villagers, however, are not happy. They want the tariff to be further reduced and want that penalty on the pending bills should be waived. Irregular power supply and the no-dues certificate policy are two issues which are going against the INLD in the villages. Except for the Bhiwani constituency which has a large urban population, defaulters are present in various degrees in all constituencies of the district. Officials of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran
Nigam (DHBVN) say that “agriculture is totally dependent on power but still the villagers do not want to pay the bills,” adding that the government must show political will to deal with the issue. |
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Bihar poll: musclemen in fray
Patna, January 29 The
musclemen as well as their better halves have entered the electoral fray to try their luck in the coming state Assembly polls. Nine of them are flexing their muscles in the first phase of polling for 64 seats. They are in the fray either as party candidates or as independents and some women have been propped up by their “influential and errant” husbands, records show. Bihar Samajwadi
Party (SP) chief Dadan Singh, alias Dadan Pehalwan, is contesting election from Dumrao while SP candidate Ranvir Yadav from Banka is also known for his “capability” to force support if not coming forth willingly. Similarly, RJD candidates Bhim Kumar Yadav and former minister and party candidate Surendra Yadav, with similar reputations, are trying their luck from Navinagar and Belaganj constituencies, respectively.
— UNI |
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