|
|
|
|
|
Vote swing, factionalism prove costly for
BJP
Students seek death for Delhi rape accused
Students of schools and colleges demand justice for rape victims in Palampur on Saturday. Photo: Kamaljeet
BJP to introspect defeat tomorrow
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Doon MLA, accomplices remain elusive
Independent MLA backs Virbhadra
House dissolved
|
|
Vote swing, factionalism prove costly for
BJP
Mandi/Kullu, December 22 More importantly, this election will also be remembered as a “contest not only among rival party candidates”, but also as a contest “among rival factions of the Congress and the BJP, in which tall leaders tried their best to annihilate each other”, said party workers. Though the Congress got 1.16 per cent swing in its favour in Mandi district, it could wrest only two seats from the BJP that had bagged six seats in 2007 elections and an Independent, Hira Lal (Karsog) had also joined the BJP later. BJP’s fortunes sank in Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts where the party suffered 6 per cent swing against it and lost four seats - three to the Congress and the Kullu seat to the HLP, won by its founder-president Maheshwar Singh. The real worry for the Congress was it could not increase its tally because of infighting among its three factions that work at cross purposes in the Mandi region. These factions fight a protracted war and like the previous two elections it would cut the party’s vote share, said analysts here. These factions are led by Virbhadra Singh, Kaul Singh Thakur, Vidya Stokes and Sukh Ram, the former Telecom Minister. The Congress could have managed Dharampur, Sarkaghat, Seraj and Nachan had the party been united. But then the BJP also faced the same issue in Sundernagar, Karsog, Balh and Darang, where the party could have won more seats, had the factions under Dhumal and Shanta Kumar acted as a team, party insiders said. In Mandi district, the Congress and the BJP won five seats each. But the Congress secured 43.27 per cent of the polled votes, while the BJP was polled 42 per cent votes, with PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur securing 53.99 per cent of polled votes, the highest in the district. Dharampur witnessed the keenest contest in the Central region. Congress’ Chander Shekhar increased his vote share to 47.49 per cent from 29 per cent in 2007 against BJP heavy weight Transport Minister Mahender Thakur. It was this magical swing of 1.8 per cent in favour of the BJP that had voted out the Congress in 2007 Assembly poll. The BJP had secured 44.97 per cent votes winning six seats. On the other hand, the Congress that won in all 23 seats in the 2007 poll, including three in Mandi, had secured 43.17 per cent of the polled votes in the district. In Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti, the Congress secured 42 per cent of the polled votes, while the BJP share was cut down to 36 per cent, indicating that the “Maheshwar factor” took its toll on the BJP. A close contest
|
|
Students seek death for Delhi rape accused
Kangra, December 22 The protesters raised slogans demanding protection for women in general. They also sought capital punishment for the six accused involved in the rape. They also took out a candlelight march and asked the government to take effective steps to amend the law so that justice was given to every rape victim. Later, senior citizens also joined the protest. Candlelight march held
Palampur: Hundreds of students, women and senior citizens, along with members of the Palampur Press Club, took out a candlelight procession in the town last night in protest against the Delhi gang rape case. The protesters marched through the main streets of the town in biting cold and demanded stringent laws like death sentence in rape cases. They said despite massive protests throughout the nation, no leader, either from the BJP or the Congress, had come forward demanding amendments in the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Home Minister and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi had only given assurances, but no effective measures had been adopted so far. They said a special session of Parliament should be summoned to make amendments in the IPC for making provision of death penalty in rape-like offences. Later addressing the gathering, Sanjiv Bagla, president of the club, said protests in the town would continue till the government came out with amendments in the IPC. Anguish expressed
Chamba: Hundreds of students from local colleges and schools today carried placards and banners against the brutal rape of a girl in a moving bus in Delhi. The protesters marched through various markets of Chamba town here. Expressing anger and anguish over the incident, the students sought capital punishment to the rapists. The protesters asked the Central Government to issue directives to all the states to dispose of all the pending cases of rape and review those cases which had been dismissed on different grounds. Rallies held
Mandi: Activists of the India Against Corruption (IAC), Aam Aadmi Party and with students of DAV Centenary School, Mandi, today held rallies against the shocking rape incident in Delhi. The students took a candlelight march in the evening and urged the government to take stern action against the criminals at the earliest so that nobody dared to indulge in crimes against women. They also prayed for a speedy recovery of the victim. The activists submitted a memorandum to the President through local authorities demanding capital punishment for the accused. Memorandum submitted
Nurpur: Members of the ABVP today submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh through the local tehsildar demanding capital punishment to the six culprits who had gang-raped a 23-year-old paramedical student in Delhi in a moving bus on Sunday. The ABVP activists were led by state joint secretary Rahul Prasher. |
|
BJP to introspect defeat tomorrow
Shimla, December 22 The meeting of the state BJP has been convened here on December 24 in the presence of party national vice-president Theval Singh Gehlot to look into reasons for defeat. All candidates, party office-bearers and senior leaders have been asked to attend the meeting. National general secretary of the party Jagat Prakash Nadda and Secretary Shyam Jaju are also expected to attend the meeting. Chief Minister PK Dhumal, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti along with all 68 candidates will be present at the meeting. However, national vice-president and Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar is unlikely to be present at the meeting, which could see major fireworks with the Dhumal camp gunning for the former Chief Minister. Senior BJP leaders, including the Chief Minister, have been candid enough to admit that had the party done even slightly better in Kangra, the BJP could have formed the government. Though nobody has put the blame on Shanta Kumar directly, they have indirectly hinted that it was Kangra that dealt the real blow. The BJP was able to win merely three out of a total of 15 seats in Kangra. Much worse is the fact that in Palampur sub-division from where Shanta hails, the BJP has virtually been wiped off. Not only did the BJP lose the Palampur seat, but it also lost other three seats of Baijnath, Sulah and Jaisinghpur. The fact that Shanta had a complete say in the distribution of ticket in Kangra also makes him accountable for the party’s dismal performance in his home district. Majority of his loyalists, including Ministers Kishan Kapoor and Ramesh Dhawala, lost and his two loyalists, Pawan Kajal from Kangra and Manohar Dhiman from Indora, won.
|
|
|
Doon MLA, accomplices remain elusive
Solan, December 22 Chaudhary remained elusive and could not be arrested by the Haryana police along with his three accomplices. Earlier, the Haryana police had sought assistance of the Baddi police and had cordoned off the Sandholi residence of Chaudhary. Director General of Police (DGP) ID Bhandari said they were extending all possible help to the Haryana police to arrest Chaudhary and his accomplices. Baddi SP S Arul said plain-clothed policemen were keeping vigil on the entire Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt and efforts were afoot to nab the MLA and his three accomplices. He said a special investigating team had been constituted to assist the investigations. |
|
Independent MLA backs Virbhadra
Shimla, December 22 “I have taken the decision solely with the objective of ensuring development of the Chopal constituency where the pace of development has been rather slow during the past two years,” he remarked. Verma, when asked that the Congress did not require his help as it was in majority, said he had taken the decision as per the wishes of his supporters and residents of Chopal. |
|
House dissolved
Shimla, December 22 It is on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers that the Governor dissolved the Assembly under Article 174 (2) (b) of the Constitution. The Governor, has, however asked Chief Minister PK Dhumal to continue in office. |
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
A magical swing of 1.16 per cent votes in favour of the Congress in Mandi district and a 6 per cent swing against the BJP in Kullu district doomed the political fortunes of the ruling BJP in 15 Assembly seats of the
Mandi-Kullu- Lahaul-Spiti region in the Vidhan Sabha poll.
Girl students of the Dronacharya College of Education today carried placards and banners at Rait, near here, demanding justice for the Delhi bus rape victim who was struggling for life in a hospital.
