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Cong, INLD battle it out in Fatehabad
‘It’s BJP vs Cong in Haryana’
Dist BJP chief quits, backs Ind
Liquor seized from MLA’s mill
Pappu Yadav quits RJD Parliamentary Board
24 Jharkhand seats go to polls today
JHARKHAND
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First-phase poll in Bihar, Jharkhand today
New Delhi, February 2 Nearly 1.27 crore voters, including 58.31 lakh women, will seal the fate of 983 candidates for the 90-seat Assembly in Haryana, where single- phase polling is being held . The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements and deployed a sizeable number of central poll observers to ensure free and fair polling in the state, which witnessed intensive campaigning by top leaders of the main opposition Congress, the ruling INLD and the BJP. While Mr Chautala’s INLD is contesting 89 of the 90
seats, the Congress and the BJP are contesting all 90 seats. While Congress leaders are confident of attaining a two-thirds
majority, those of the BJP feel that their party will make inroads into the Jat land. Balloting will be held for 64 assembly constituencies spread over 12 Naxal-hit districts in the first phase in Bihar. Over 1.42 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 826 candidates. Mr Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), a
constituent of the UPA at the Centre and the BJP-JD(U) combine are locking horns with the RJD in the state. Twenty-four constituencies in extremist-infested Garwah, Palamu, Chatra, Giridih, Hazaribagh and Koderma will go to hustings in Jharkhand to decide the electoral fortunes of 402 candidates. The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements in these constituencies and directed the District Collectors to ensure proper and adequate deployment of central para-military forces. In the first phase, 15 BJP and nine JD(U) candidates are in the fray while the Congress and JMM, which had sewed up a seat-sharing pact, and the RJD have put up 11, 18 and 21 candidates respectively. |
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Cong, INLD battle it out in Fatehabad
Fatehabad, February 2 The Fatehabad Assembly seat will witness a direct contest between MLA, Swatantar Bala Chaudhary of the INLD and Mr Dura Ram of the Congress. Although Mr Krishan Swaroop of the CPM and Ms Durgesh Arora of the BJP are also in the fray, they have not been able to make much impact. The seat is prestigious for the HPCC president, Mr Bhajan Lal as his nephew Dura Ram is contesting on the Congress ticket. Urban voters hold the key to this seat where Dura Ram is counting heavily on Bishnois community Ms Chaudhary is banking on the traditional Sikh and Jat vote bank of the INLD in the rural areas. The Haryana Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, is locked in a tough contest with Mr Kulbir Beniwal of the Congress in the Bhattu Kalan Assembly constituency. Mr Beniwal, a close associate of Congress MP, Kuldip Bishnoi is hoping to benefit from a Congress wave and votes of Bishnois. Mr Mangat Ram Lalwas, an Independent, has made the contest triangular in the Rattia Assembly segment of this district where Mr Gian Chand Odh of the INLD and Mr Gurdip Singh Gill of the Congress are also in the fray. Interestingly, all three were in Congress prior to the announcement of ticket, which went to Mr Gill, son of Sirsa MP Atma Singh Gill. While Mr Gill is pinning his hopes on the Congress wave and a large numbers of Sikh voters in the constituency, Mr Lalwas is determined to topple his applecart. Mr Odh is enjoying the situation emerging out of fighting between official and rebel Congress candidates. Mr Ladoo Bajigar of the BJP is also in the fray, but he may not affect the outcome of the elections. The Tohana Assembly seat will witness a triangular contest among Mr Nishan Singh of the INLD, Mr Paramveer of the Congress and Mr Subhash Barala of the BJP. Mr Nishan Singh is the MLA but this time he is locked in a tough triangular battle. Though the INLD won all four seats in the district in the 2000 general election and also won the May 2003 by-election held for the Fatehabad Assembly seat, the going will be tough this time for it. |
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Kuldip Bishnoi sees Cong wave
Fatehabad, February 2 Mr Bishnoi said during his campaigning throughout the state, he had noticed a strong wave in favour of the Congress. He added that people had made up their mind to dislodge the INLD Government and Congress was the only alternative before them. The BJP had failed to make its presence felt during the present elections. He said the Congress rebel contesting against the official nominees of the party might get some votes, but they would not be able to do much harm to the Congress. He claimed that his father, the HPCC president, Mr Bhajan Lal, would win by a record margin from Mandi Adampur. The Congress MP expressed the apprehension that the ruling INLD might try to rig the polls at some places in desperation. He said that the INLD leadership had read the writing on the wall and was desperate to minimise the loss. He said Congress workers were vigilant and would not allow anyone to interfere in the poll process. |
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‘It’s BJP vs Cong in Haryana’
Rewari, February 2 Addressing a press conference here today , he said the people’s disenchantment with the INLD on the one hand and the BJP’s forceful entry into the fray on the other hand had led to this electoral situation in which the Congress was now directly facing the BJP in most of the constituencies. |
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Dist BJP chief quits, backs Ind
Hisar, February 2 Mr Rewri said here today that the way BJP nominee Rakesh Sethi was canvassing, their stance that the party had deliberately fielded a “dummy” candidate had been vindicated. Mr Rewri and some other office-bearers of the local unit of the BJP had opposed the candidature of Mr Sethi from the Hisar constituency. They had met the central leaders of the party to convey their resentment. Mr Rewri maintained that owing to a “wrong” decision of the BJP leadership the party’s mass base in the city had been eroded. He, however, stated that he was not joining any other party. He alleged that the state BJP leadership had “sold” the party ticket under some external pressure. “They deliberately wanted to field a weak candidate from Hisar to benefit of a rival candidate,” he added. Mr Saini, who was accompanying Mr Rewri, expressed gratitude towards him for his “timely help and support.” When contacted, Mr Sethi asserted that Mr Rewri had actually been expelled from the party. BJP spokesperson Yogesh Bidani also maintained that Mr Rewri had been expelled. However, when this correspondent rang up the Haryana BJP President, Prof Ganeshi Lal, he expressed his ignorance over the matter. Similarly, BJP state spokesperson Sarvadanand Arya also said the issue was not in his knowledge. Meanwhile, Mr Rewri reiterated that he had resigned and not been expelled. He categorically denied having received any communication regarding his expulsion. |
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‘Manmohan is only PM, not a leader’
Mr Hari Singh Saini, Independent contestant for the Hisar Assembly seat, said Dr Manmohan Singh was “the Prime Minister, but not a leader.” He stated this on being questioned about the impact of the Prime Minister’s visit to
the city on his poll prospects.
On being cautioned that he might join the Congress if he won the poll, Mr Saini said: “In that case, I would accept him as my leader. After all, this is the benefit of being an Independent.” |
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Liquor seized from MLA’s mill
Karnal, February 2 The MLA told The Tribune that the District Magistrate was biased against him because he had complained against him to the Election Commission. The Magistrate was trying to malign his image, he alleged. He said he had given the rice mill on lease for quite some time. On Tuesday, the last day of poll campaigning, the police resorted to lathi charge on the supporters of Mr Gupta in whose absence they had held a road show. Six vehicles were allegedly seized and a notice was served on the MLA for violation of the poll code of conduct. In a letter faxed to the EC, the MLA had alleged that the local District Magistrate-cum-District Electoral Officer, Mr R.S. Doon was using his official influence to support Congress nominee Sumita Singh and had demanded his immediate transfer. He also told The Tribune that even Mr Negi was pro-Congress,
he alleged. |
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Laloo ropes in Muslim
clerics
Patna, February 2 Clerics from Uttar Pradesh were roped in yesterday for issuing an appeal to the Bihar electorate to vote for the RJD. Mr Yadav has directed his confidants like his brother-in-law Sadhu Yadav to meet local clerics with a promise to address their problems after the elections. Sources said some clerics had submitted a list of demands and a set of complaints that needed to be addressed. As part of the management strategy, Sayyed Muhammed Naseer Kavri of Allahabad, Maulana Syed Shah Asraf Asrafi Jilani of Faizabad and Peer Mahmud Ahmed of Muzaffarpur addressed a press conference here and said Muslims should vote for the ruling party as they were safe under the RJD rule. The clerics statement lauding Mr Yadav as the defender of secularism has been covered by the local Urdu Press. The RJD managers had also approached the Hyderabad-based Majlis-e-Ittahade Muslemin to issue an appeal in this regard. Earlier, clerics from Delhi had undertaken a similar exercise. However, there are sharp differences within the community. A nine-point chargesheet by the United Muslim Morcha which espouses the cause of Dalit Muslims has led to debates within the community. The chargesheet says that 252 Muslims have been victims of 130 incidents of communal violence during the RJD regime and of the total 82,031 killings in the state during the past 15 years, 26,000 victims have been Muslims. It also talks of incidents of grabbing of about 400 Muslim graveyards by RJD supporters. “Is it a mere coincidence that the release (of the abducted schoolchildren) comes today?” Lok Janshakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan asked in response to a question. He dared Mr Yadav to produce evidence that his party supporter or an LJP member was involved in the kidnappings. Mr Yadav had lauded the police and told reporters that gangster Chunnu Thakur was behind the kidnapping. At the same time, RJD supporters alleged that Chunnu Thakur was the supporter of the LJP and had sought ticket for his wife. Other parties are also trying to ensure that Muslim votes don’t go to the RJD and their local leaders are in touch with clerics and maulanas. The state administration is making efforts to ensure violence-free polling tomorrow as helicopters are being pressed into service to keep vigil. Central paramilitary forces, along with state Home Guards, have been deputed in sensitive areas, state police chief A. Mishra told the media today. |
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Pappu Yadav quits RJD Parliamentary Board
Patna, February 2 Enraged at the treatment meted out to him by the RJD chief, Mr Yadav had dared Mr Prasad to expel him from the party. In his resignation letter, Mr Yadav accused Mr Prasad of giving party ticket to some persons, who had allegedly helped ‘’communal forces’’ in the past. The RJD chief also tried to ‘’demoralise’’ him by sending him to jail, Mr Yadav maintained and added that Mr Prasad even did not hesitate to
‘’mislead’’ the Supreme Court through an ‘’incorrect’’ report of the Inspector- General of Prisons. Mr Yadav’s representative , Surendra Yadav , claimed that ‘’money changed hands’’ while deciding names of RJD candidates in
Bihar. — UNI |
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24 Jharkhand seats go to polls today
Ranchi, February 2 As candidates spent their time today working out booth management strategies, the polling staff moved through Naxalite-affected areas in seven districts to reach polling stations ahead of tomorrow’s polling. Helicopters were used to take the polling staff to far-off areas. Every individual associated with the poll process, including drivers of private vehicles requisitioned for the elections, has been insured for Rs 10 lakh. The insurance cover, which also covers security personnel deployed on poll duty, will continue till the end of counting on February 27, state Chief Electoral Officer A.K. Pandey said. A premium of nearly Rs 1.11 crore has been paid to an insurance company to provide the cover. Over 50,000 security personnel have been deployed to provide security and guard the 5,353 booths spread over a wide expanse in the seven districts. Nearly 80 per cent of the booths have been declared sensitive. The state Election Commission has given permission for deployment of a security person at the gate of each polling station to keep an eye on internal happenings and report any infirmity to the seniors. There have been reports earlier of vested interests intimidating voters in remote areas and casting votes en block. The EC observer in each constituency has been asked to video-record polling, wherever necessary. With the Naxalites having given a call for poll boycott, nearly 200 companies of the central forces, besides the state police and Home Gaurds, have been deployed. Helicopters are being used for aerial, surveillance. Posters warning voters against polling have also been found. Of the 24 constituencies, Badkagaon in Hazaribagh district is the biggest with 2,75,221 voters while Manika in Latehar
district is the smallest with 1,63,871 voters. |
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RJD chances bright
Prashant Sood Tribune News Service
Hazaribagh, February 2 Caste factors are set to play a decisive role in the multi-cornered contests and the equations may work in favour of the RJD, much to the discomfort of the BJP-JD(U) combine and the Congress-JMM alliance. The CPI and the CPI(M-L) are set to retain their areas of influence even as the LJP, All-Jharkhand Students Union and the Samajwadi Party are pitching hard to create their presence in the region. The Independents are also making their presence felt on some seats. The RJD, which had nine MLAs in the outgoing Assembly, had won six of these seats from the region comprising the Hazaribagh and Palamu divisions where the polling will be held on February 3. The party is likely to improve its performance. The BJP is fighting to retain its seven seats in the region while the JD(U), which had two seats, may improve its position marginally. The Congress and the JMM, who had won two seats each in the region in the 2000 poll, are unlikely to see any significant change in their fortunes. In the six seats of Hazaribagh district, the BJP seems to be a frontrunner in Barkatha, Barkagaon and Hazaribagh. Buildings Division Minister Devdayal Kushwaha is the party candidate in Hazaribagh. The Congress is holding sway in Barhi, the JMM in Mandu and the CPI in Ramgarh. Samajwadi Party candidate Umashankar Akela is giving a tough fight to Congress MLA Manoj Yadav in Barhi. Mr Akela, who was with the RJD, decided to contest as an SP candidate after Mr Laloo Yadav left the seat for the Congress. The RJD has an edge in Kodarma district, besides Chattarpur, Hussainabad, Gadwa in Palamu division. Mr Girinath Singh, Leader of the RJD legislature party in the outgoing Assembly, is the party candidate in Gadwa. JD(U) state chief Inder Singh Namdhari is locked in a close fight with the RJD and the Congress in Daltenganj. In Manika, it is a fight between the BJP and the RJD while the Congress is giving a tough fight to its rivals in Bishrampur and Bhawnathpur. In Bishrampur, the Congress has fielded Mr Ajay Dubey, son of Dhanbad MP Chandershekhar Dubey. Bagodar in Giridih district, where local MLA Mahendra Prasad Singh of the CPM was killed, is likely to see a sympathy wave in favour of his son Vinod Singh. Industry Minister Ravinder Kumar Rai is the BJP candidate in the adjoining Dhanwar seat. Rural Development Minister Chandermohan Prasad is the BJP candidate from Giridih while another minister Satyanand Bhokta is in the fray from Chhatra. In Simiria, RJD state chief Yogendra Nath Batha is taking on BJP’s Upendra Nath Das and CPI’s Ramchandra Ram. Independents are making their presence felt in Hazaribagh, Panki and Ramgarh. |
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