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State of Parties:
Himachal Pradesh
ground reality:
Ambala |
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Congress struggles to live up to Modi challenge in Gujarat
I share Ramdev’s views on black money, graft: Modi
No ‘Har Har’ chants, Modi tells workers after Dwarka seer fumes
Kerala tour operators see big business as poll fever peaks
Mayawati asks tribals, Dalits to change govt, not religion
Vaiko meets Alagiri, seeks support
Amritsar to see close contest this time too
Sustainable peace is only issue for border residents
2009 Lok Sabha elections
BJP inducts pub attacker Muthalik, dumps him after Oppn backlash
Pawar asks people to ‘vote twice’; Opposition sees red
In poll season, babus turn netas in AP
Parties woo NRIs for fund, votes
Jaswant to file papers as Independent
BJP demands Assam leader’s house arrest
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State of Parties:
Himachal Pradesh HLP warms up to AAP; CPM may support fledging party’s candidates in Hamirpur and Kangra Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, March 23 Though the two parties used to battle it out amongst themselves, this time the fledgling AAP may make its presence felt as soldiers and ex-servicemen have their strong presence in Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una and some parts of Kangra districts in the Hamirpur Parliamentary constituency. The state is going to the polls on May 7. Apart from playing up the Shanta-Dhumal rivalry to the hilt, the AAP candidate from Kangra, Rajan Sushant, a maverick and former BJP MP from Kangra, has played a “trifurcation of Kangra” card, though Shanta Kumar has opposed it. Kangra AAP volunteers, who are unhappy with Sushant, say he is not taking them into confidence, but Sushant is bound to dent into the BJP vote bank and can upset the apple cart of BJP veteran Shanta Kumar. Shanta and Sushant belong to the same caste, which plays a vital role in Kangra region, an analyst said. All will depend on how the AAP, HLP, CPI and CPM utilise their pockets of influence in each of the four LS seats — Shimla, Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur — disallowing division of non-Congress and non-BJP votes in the state that has 47.4 lakh voters. The CPM has fielded two candidates — Jagat Ram from Shimla (reserved) and Kushal Bhardwaj from Mandi — in a bid to keep its vote bank intact. The HLP is willing to merge with the AAP, which is yet to take a final decision on the proposal. But, the HLP has already announced to support AAP candidates on all four seats. The CPM may support AAP candidates in Hamirpur and Kangra, where the Left has not fielded any candidate. “We will field candidates in all four seats of the state. The party has bright prospects in Hamirpur as we are pinning our hopes on a Kargil martyr’s mother,” said AAP’s observer for HP Sandeep Bisht. About merger with the HLP, he said: “We have put some conditions before the party and will announce our decision soon.” The CPM, CPI, HLP, BSP and TMC have no significant support base in the hill state. In 1977, the Janata Party’s anti-emergency wave had swept the Congress out of power, creating space for the non-Congress parties in the state. The political fortune of the Left parties did not improve much since 1980 LS polls. But, the rise of Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC), a breakaway Congress faction led by Sukh Ram that bagged 9.63 per cent votes in the 1998 state Assembly polls, proved that there was space for the non-BJP and non-Congress Third Front as well. “Though we could not win confidence of voters in the state, we strongly believe that the future of the Third Party in Himachal is bright. People will soon realise that the dynastic politics of the Congress and the BJP is unhealthy for democracy as it represents the same mindset throughout ages,” said CPM’s Rakesh Singha. “The HLP is gearing up for the 2017 elections and extending support to the AAP this time. The future of the non-BJP and non-Congress parties is bright as people are getting disillusioned with both the parties,” said HLP leader Maheshwar Singh. In the last elections, the Janata Party and the Congress were polled 57.19 and 38.38 per cent votes, respectively, while the CPM and CPI together secured only about two per cent votes. Rakesh Singha had contested from the Shimla Assembly seat in 1985, 1990 and won in 1993. He was placed third in Theog, while the party secured 1.06 per cent votes in the 17 Assembly seats the CPM had contested in the 2012 Assembly elections. The HLP contested 34 seats and won just one and secured 2.57 per cent votes. The BJP and HVC combine fielded Col Dhani Ram Shandil, now Social Welfare Minister in the Virbhadra Singh government, in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls and won the Shimla seat as an HVC candidate. The HVC merged with the Congress in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, but it seems to have been proved beyond doubt that the BJP and the Congress are not invincible in the state. The united Left was strong until 1964 when the peasant movement caught its fancy in Kangra and Mandi. Shanta Kumar formed Lagu Zamindar Sabha to halt the march of the Left. The Left lost ground “because of bickering among its top national leaders much before Himachal became a full-fledged state in 1971. CPM leader Tara Chand won from Jogindernagar in 1967, while Tulsi Ram won the Balh Assembly seat later in 1977. CPI leader KK Kushal won from Kot Kehloor in 1990. Ganga Singh of Janata Party defeated CPM’s Tara Chand in Mandi in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections. In 1989, CPM’s DN Kapur got nearly 10,000 votes, while Dr Naresh got 20,000 from Shimla, the two seats it contested. In 2009, CPM’s Dr Onkar Shad got 20,000 votes from Mandi, the only seat that the party contested and it was won by Congress candidate Virbhadra Singh, defeating BJP’s Maheshwar Singh.
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In Selja’s absence, BJP, INLD hold high hopes
Cong rivals to cash in on lack of development, poor condition of roads, incomplete projects Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service
Ambala, March 23
The party finally settled on Raj Kumar Balmiki, who had earlier unsuccessfully contested from here. The Congress prospects are also hit by the verbal slugfests between Kumari Selja and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda due to which development in eight out of nine Assembly constituencies (barring Ambala City) took a backseat. The recent exit of Ambala City MLA Venod Sharma from the Congress has also sent wrong signals to the voters. Bharatiya Janata Party's Rattan Lal Katraia is riding high on the perceived 'Modi wave' and is expected to do well in the urban areas, where the anti-incumbency factor has amplified due to inflation during the Congress rule. Hoping that these factors would work in his favour, Kataria has launched aggressive poll campaign in the constituency. However, the BJP lacks political grounds in the rural areas, where the INLD has a strong foothold and its candidate Kusum Sherwal is expected to do well. The Aam Aadmi Party (APP), which fielded Panchkula-based SP Singh, is unlikely to crave out a niche for itself in its maiden elections in Ambala due to internal strife as a section is against the candidature of an outsider from here. Also, the party has not been able to create a strong base in seven Assembly segments (except Kalka and Panchkula). According to political observers, any political party needs a team of 2,000 to 3,000 dedicated workers to reach out to the voters, but as far as AAP is concerned, the party does not have such a network in Ambala. While a team is in place in Ambala Cantonment, there are no such groups in other segments accept in Kalka and Panchkula, where the party candidate is expected to do well. While the Congress is a divided house, the BJP would also be lacking a team to work in the rural areas, where the INLD continues to dominate. The INLD, however, would not be able to achieve much in the urban areas. The AAP's only trump card would be the goodwill of Arvind Kejriwal, while the BSP would be banking upon the caste factor to secure victory. Major issues
Lack of development is likely to cast a negative spell on the chances of the Congress. The development projects, including the new Yamunanagar-Chandigarh rail link via Naraingarh, solid waste treatment plant at Patvi and Rs 93 crore sewage treatment plant, industrial tool room project and Saha Growth Centre, national martyr memorial and a project to set up Industrial Model Township failed to take off and these are the major issues. The poor condition of roads and lack of basic amenities in most of the Assembly segments, especially in Mullana, Naraingarh, Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, are going to play a decisive role. The issue of toll plaza on the Saha-Shahabad road, against which local residents had protested, would also be under active consideration of the voters. Unemployment and failure of the government to set up any big industry is a point of discussion for the voters in Naraingarh and Mullana segments, while in Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, which are clusters of plywood and steel utensil industries, the denial of tax relief would be the main issue. Another important issue would be the imposition of property tax in the urban areas. In Ambala Cantonment, the issue of conversion of leased land into freehold and a bar on registration of property deeds in the Sadar area are also among the major issues concerning the voters. Assembly segments
There are nine Assembly segments — Kalka, Panchkula, Naraingarh, Ambala Cantonment, Ambala City, Mullana, Sadhoura, Jagadhri and Yamunanagar — which are known for siding with different candidates rather than following a particular political trend. In the Mullana segment, which is represented by the INLD, both the Congress and the BJP have always found it hard to dent INLD's standing, while the BSP has always been on a strong ground here. During the last Parliamentary polls, BSP's Chander Pal had bagged 38,071 votes and finished second, while Rattan Lal Kataria, a joint candidate of the BJP-INLD, had bagged 38,154 votes and Selja had finished third with 33,783. Kalka had voted in favour of Kataria, who had bagged 33,361 votes, Kumari Selja (26,057) and Chander Pal (7,625). In Panchkula, Selja bagged 33,688 votes, Kataria 29,789 and Chander Pal 7,240 votes. In Naraingarh, Kataria secured 37,993 votes, Selja 33,891 and Chander Pal 22,569 votes. Ambala Cantonment had also voted for the Congress and Selja got 41,730 votes, Kataria 28,161 and Chander Pal 8,150 votes. The Ambala City had also voted for the Congress. Selja got 50,943 votes, Kataria 41,465 and Chander Pal 15,905. Sadhaora, which is represented by Selja loyalist Rajpal Bhukri in the Assembly, had picked up Chander Pal (40,425) over Katraia (36,215) and Selja (33,140). In Jagadhri, Selja polled 36,878 votes, Kataria 30,092 and Chander Pal 32,630 votes. In Yamunanagar, which is dominated by the Brahmin voters, Kataria secured 32,383 votes, Selja 32,067 and Chander Pal got 15,981 votes. Delay in finalising candidates
Senior leaders said being a reserved seat, the choice of candidates was limited for all parties. While the Congress named Raj Kumar Balmiki, the BJP fielded Rattan Lal Kataria. The INLD has zeroed in on Kusum Sherwal, while AAP has given the ticket to SP Singh and the BSP has fielded Dr Kapoor Singh. Sources said some parties were considering not nominating candidates who had lost two elections and age factor was also in consideration as a large number of voters this time would be young. Workers of the Congress and the BJP said canvassing had been affected due to late announcement of the candidates as they had not been able to put up posters and circulate other publicity material in the constituency. While the INLD has come up with posters of Chautalas behind bars to create a sympathy wave, party candidate Kusum Sherwal is yet to reach out to the voters.
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Congress struggles to live up to Modi challenge in Gujarat
Ahmedabad, March 23 When Kejriwal levelled the accusations against the media for not “exposing” Modi enough, he apparently was not aware that at least the media in Gujarat, and particularly some major vernacular dailies, had been regularly publishing reports exposing Modi’s tall claims of development. Newspapers often contradict Modi’s clamour of “all-round development” whenever the Chief Minister has been found making exaggerated claims of success during the last 12 years of his rule in the state. Media criticised for anti-Modi stories
The job of the media was only to “expose” wherever needed and not to run a campaign against Modi. The campaign part should have been taken over by the political forces opposed to Modi to “adequately educate” people about the “true” situation by latching on to the exposures in the newspapers. But in the last 12 years, the Congress in the state was found badly wanting in this regards, its job over with the “paper tigers” issuing press statements lambasting Modi, which failed to impress the public as these were nothing beyond the customary opposition criticism of the ruling party and the government. Over the years, the Congress not only kept steadily losing the political ground in the state, it also lost credibility with the people leaving an open ground for Modi and the BJP. Cong failed to capitalise
Even after realising that the urban Gujarat was enamoured by Modi’s claims of development ignoring what existed before 2001when he took over, the Congress never made any attempt to build up a cadre to go among the rural masses, which was its strong base, to keep them informed about the pro-poor programmes of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and maintain a close watch to deter the Chief Minister from trying to usurp the central schemes to claim credit as his own. Not only in the past, the Congress failed to measure up to Modi’s challenges even after he was named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Far from taking it up on a massive scale in the rural areas, not even a murmur of protest was heard in the Congress circles after a report was published in a section of the local media how Modi was trying to virtually sabotage the implementation of the UPA government’s most prestigious and vote catching device, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, in Gujarat. The state government through an innocuous-looking circular in December last year suddenly decided to change the criteria for the appointment of “gram sevaks” under the MNREGA scheme enhancing the minimum educational qualification from higher secondary to graduation. It also decided to reduce the number of gram sevaks from one in each village covered under the scheme to one in a cluster of five villages. Under the MNREGA, the gram sevaks are responsible for identifying projects in their respective villages to guarantee minimum 100 days of employment to the needy and also ensure that the benefits of the Indira Awas and Ambedkar Awas Schemes reached the actual beneficiaries. When the rural employment guarantee scheme was introduced in 2009, the state government had appointed over 13,000 gram sevaks as per the laid down rules. But due to the sudden change of criteria, only about 2,700 odd gram sevaks who had completed graduation at the time of appointment, remained. The Modi government also deliberately kept February 28 as the cut off date for the implementation of the new criteria apparently to ensure that a large number of rural masses were hit by the tardy implementation of the rural guarantee scheme when they go to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections and the Congress naturally was at the receiving end of their ire. Failure to tap rural masses
Instead of launching a massive campaign among the rural masses against the Modi government’s attempts to sabotage the MNREGA to counter the move, the Congress chose to ignore the entire issue, leaving it to the 10,000 odd youths threatened with job security to fight out a losing battle. The party’s so-called “vikas khoj yatras” to “unearth before the people the true story of Modi model of development” failed to create any ripple in the state. The state party leadership also failed to notice that the public response to its rallies and meetings was progressively becoming thinner and devoid of any enthusiasm with its own cadre often ducking from attending its public meets, except when held in the cosy comforts of the air-conditioned party offices. With the large majority of the urban voters as good as in his pocket, Modi used the Central Government’s various beneficiary schemes to build up his own base among the rural masses. The well-planned series of “Garib Kalyan Melas” held in several rounds bringing beneficiaries of various central and state government pro-people schemes under one roof helped to create Modi’s image as the “messiah of the poor” and increased his stock among people. Finding no answer to Modi’s smart moves, the Congress leaders at the local levels often fought with the government officials for a place on the dais to share a part of the political benefits accruing from the “Melas.” The blame for the gradual disintegration of the Congress in Gujarat also partly lies at the doorstep of the party’s central leadership. It kept taking short-term measures changing state presidents every time the party lost an election, the state Assembly or Parliamentary, but could not find one who could measure up to Modi’s calculated political moves or his media blitzkriegs to hoist himself as the “most popular leader of the masses.” Shankarsinh Vaghela, brought up in the BJP and RSS culture before he crossed over to the Congress holding Modi as his biggest political foe, was never trusted by his party colleagues in the state or in Delhi and except for a brief period once, was not given the charge of the party and a free hand to pose a credible challenge to Modi. Instead, even in the last week a section of the party publicly accused him of “sabotaging” the Congress from inside for the benefit of Modi. In a state where two-party system has taken deep roots, the total dominance of the BJP for the last 19 years has not only demoralised the Congress cadres in Gujarat, it has also shaken the very foundation of the party in the state, incapacitating it from making a single serious attempt to challenge Modi at any level ever since he took over charge. Apparently, the Congress leadership both in the state and the centre was interested in keeping Modi within the confines of Gujarat when the party made hay in Delhi. It failed to size up his national political ambitions behind his series of “Sadbhavana Mission” rallies and kept calculating the money he was supposed to be “misappropriating” from the state exchequer in organising the shows instead of a counter move believing that his “acceptability” outside the state was negligible. The party has been caught off guard now that Modi has stepped out of Gujarat and his shadow looming large over the power corridors in the national capital.
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I share Ramdev’s views on black money, graft: Modi
New Delhi, March 23 His remarks came close on the heels of Ramdev being upset with the BJP leadership for denial of tickets to some of his associates. Siding with the issues raised by Ramdev, Modi said he also felt the same about black money, corruption and mis-governance in the country. The BJP's prime ministerial candidate said if there was no “fire of truth” within Ramdev, then he would have run away long back. "He has a fire within himself as to why bad things are happening in the country, why there is black money, why this corruption, why this bad governance?" Modi said during a Yoga Mahotsav organised at the Ram Leela grounds here. "There is a pain behind all this as well. His issues are such which are liked by people like me. But there are many people whose sleep vanishes when he rakes up certain issues. So they get behind him," he remarked. He complimented Ramdev for organising the event in which technology was utilised in a big way. The programme was transmitted to 600 districts simultaneously. Modi said that in the coming times, India will benefit from the attraction Yoga has created to serve humanity at large. Taking a jibe at the lack of farsightedness of governments to promote yoga, Modi maintained that Ramdev has revolutionised yoga and made it a people's movement. "If the Indian government had farsightedness...its policies were such...then through yoga we could have won the world over. Yoga is such a subject which can attract anyone. It could have been a great medium to reach out to the world," Modi said, adding in the coming times he would promote yoga. He also asked countrymen to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence and urged them to take a pledge to take the nation to greater heights. After the conclusion of Modi's address, Ramdev without mentioning his name asked his supporters to help bring a "good leader" with "good intentions" to power. "Does the country require a good leader? Hope you understand (what I mean). People with good intentions should be given the reins of the country. Do you agree with me? We have to get rid of the corrupt," Ramdev said. — PTI
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No ‘Har Har’ chants, Modi tells workers after Dwarka seer fumes
Ahmedabad, March 23 Following serious objections to the "Har Har Modi" slogan raised by Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Dwarkapeeth (Gujarat), Modi promptly asked his supporters not to use the slogan. "I highly appreciate your enthusiasm in coining the slogan, but it is my humble request to you, please do not use the slogan any further," Modi tweeted today. Taking objections to the slogan, the Shankaracharya had said that the slogan in the line of "Har Har Mahadev" was an insult to Lord Shiva and had hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus. He also said that it smacked of "Vyakti Puja" (worshipping an individual), not acceptable in Hinduism. "Are we going to replace Lord Shiva with Modi?" he had asked. He said he had also raised the issue with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and was told that the RSS did not support such kind of individual worshipping. The issue had also created division within the religious leaders with the Shankaracharya of Sumerupeeth Narendranad Saraswati seeing nothing wrong in the "Har Har Modi" slogan. He termed Swaroopanand Saraswati's objections as "Congress-sponsored" and said Hinduism believed every human being as an incarnation of God, but use of any slogan did not amount to comparing any individual with God. Modi, however, asked his supporters to refrain from using the slogan. "Har Har Modi - Ghar Ghar Modi" slogan was coined after he was named the BJP candidate for the Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, one of the important seats of Lord Shiva. It was now been freely used almost all over the country by his supporters. Meanwhile, the seven-time MP and former Union Minister of State for Home and Defence, Harin Pathak, who was denied the BJP ticket to re-contest from the Ahmedabad (East) Lok Sabha seat and was replaced by the popular Hindi film artist Paresh Raval, was blowing hot and cold during the day after hinting that he might rebel against the party on the lines of Jaswant Singh. Denied ticket, Advani aide may rebel
The seven-time Member of Parliament and former Union Minister of State for Home and Defence, Harin Pathak, who was denied the BJP ticket to re-contest from the Ahmedabad (East) Lok Sabha seat and was replaced by the popular Hindi film artist Paresh Raval, hinted that he might rebel against the party on the lines of Jaswant Singh in Barmer constituency in Rajasthan.
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Kerala tour operators see big business as poll fever peaks
Thiruvananthapuram, March 23 Some have launched special packages for foreign tourists to enable them get a closer view of the vibrant election scene, along with its panoramic locations already reputed for their charm the world over. They believe that the total ambience of the election season with villages and towns afloat with colourful posters and banners, squads of grass root workers moving in door-to-door canvassing, marches and street corner meetings, will certainly be a novel experience for foreign visitors. Mass participation in elections, approachability of candidates and political sensitivity of commoners could be of interest to foreign holidayers, tour operators said. Tomi Pulikkattil, an Alappuzha-based tour operator, said, "Foreigners are keen to know about the election procedure in India and like to watch live campaigns and rallies." "The concept of poll tourism is actually our brainchild. The curiosity shown by tourists in our elections has actually made us think about working out an innovative package," he said. He has listed "poll tourism" in the website of his firm along with other services like 'monsoon mantra', 'vanitha house boat' and 'ayurvedic house boat'. "Our customers will get a chance to have a close look at electioneering in Alappuzha, the hub of Kerala's water tourism, through houseboat cruise," he said. Nearly 65 tourists from various countries such as the US, France, Germany and England had availed of the package when it was first introduced in 2004 General Elections. — PTI
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Mayawati asks tribals, Dalits to change govt, not religion
Bhubaneswar, March 23 "I understand that people from the BJP and the RSS visit remote areas of Odisha and persuade adivasis and Dalits to go for re-conversion in order to change their living standards. I am telling you not to change religion, but governments both in the state and the Centre," she said while addressing a public meeting here. Stating that about 50 per cent of Odisha's population comprised tribals and Dalits, Mayawati said there had been no development of poor people even 65 years after Independence. She also highlighted the plights of poor people among the upper caste communities. Blaming the economic policies of both the Congress-led UPA government and previous BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre, she said: "While a huge amount of black money is stashed in foreign banks, neither the Congress nor the BJP had made any effort to bring it back." "If the black money is brought back, most of the problems faced by the poor, Dalits and tribals would be over in time to come. But, those in power don't take such step," she said. Holding poverty and unemployment responsible for the growth of Left wing extremism, Mayawati said the Maoist menace would certainly come down if the government took steps to uplift the poor members of society. She said Odisha remained poor and backward for ages due to faulty policies of successive governments in the state and the Centre. "We will fulfil Odisha's demand of a special category state status if voted to power in the Centre," Mayawati said. "We have reduced poverty in Uttar Pradesh and distributed unutilised government land among landless people. Same can be done in Odisha and elsewhere," she said. — PTI
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Vaiko meets Alagiri, seeks support
Madurai, March 23 The meeting between the leaders holds significance as DMK leaders were worried about the poll strategy to be taken by Alagiri after his suspension from the party. Both were closeted for more than 40 minutes at Alagiri's house at Alagappan Nagar here. Later, Vaiko and Alagiri alleged that the DMK high command had made malicious charges against them. Vaiko told reporters that he had met Alagiri at the airport here recently. "Alagiri is a good friend and long associate of mine and had invited me to his house. I met him at his house today and requested him to support the MDMK candidates in the Lok Sabha elections." Alagiri, the disgruntled son of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, also said Vaiko had sought his support, adding, he would consult with his supporters about it and take a decision. As per the seat-sharing agreement between the BJP and its partners in Tamil Nadu, the MDMK was allotted seven seats. Vaiko is contesting from Virudhunagar constituency, considered an Alagiri stronghold. Alagiri had on March 14 met BJP president Rajnath Singh in New Delhi and offered his support for the BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu which includes DMDK, PMK, MDMK, IJK and KMDK. It also has the support of 39 small outfits. Later, supporters of Alagiri said "no assurance was given to Vaiko", though there was a "possibility" of the Karunanidhi's son backing the NDA. "However, much depends on the consultations with Alagiri's supporters and approach of the DMK top leadership to break the ice", they said. The DMK suspended Alagiri and his supporters in January for his alleged "anti-party activities." — PTI
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Amritsar to see close contest this time too
New Delhi, March 23 The Election Commission data shows that in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, it was evenly fought contest in Amritsar. The victory margin was just 0.84 per cent when cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu of the BJP defeated OP Soni of the Congress. Sidhu had polled 3,92,046 votes, while Soni got 3,85,188, a margin of 6,858 votes. Sidhu and Soni have given way to Jaitley and Capt Amarinder, respectively. Across the country, there were 114 constituencies having victory margin less than 3 per cent. In Gurdaspur, Congress candidate Partap Singh Bajwa had defeated actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna by 0.89 per cent votes. Bajwa is contesting again, while the BJP is yet to announce its candidate. In another closely contested Hoshiarpur seat, Santosh Chowdhary of the Congress polled 366 votes more than her rival Som Prakash of the BJP. The Congress is yet to announce its candidate, while the BJP has fielded Vijay Sampla. In Haryana's Hisar, Bhajan Lal defeated Sampat Singh of the INLD by a narrow margin of 0.84 per cent votes. Bhajan Lal died and his son Kuldeep Bishnoi won the bypoll in 2011 after parting ways with the Congress and forming the Haryana Janhit Congress. He had defeated Ajay Chautala. In 2014, Sampat Singh is the Congress candidate, while Bishnoi is seeking re-election and Dushyant Chautala, Ajay Chautala's son, is the INLD candidate. In Ambala, Kumari Selja of the Congress defeated Rattan Lal Kataria of the BJP by 1.68 per cent votes. Selja is not contesting and has been elected to the Rajya Sabha, while Kataria is in the fray. Mandi in Himachal Pradesh was among the closely fought seats. Virbhadra Singh had won with a margin of 1.96 per cent against Maheshwar Singh of the BJP. Virbhadra went on to become Chief Minister, while his wife Pratibha Singh retained the seat and is the Congress nominee this time. The BJP is yet to announce its candidate. Anantnag and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir and Ferozepur in Punjab were the other seats with victory margin less than 3 per cent.
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Sustainable peace is only issue for border residents
Millan-De-Khoe (Indo-Pak Border), March 23 Millian-De-Khoe is the place near the border where guns are always ready to face any misadventure from the Pakistan side. Several villagers had abandoned the place during Operation Parakram and never returned due to fragile peace on the border. By and large the border is peaceful after ceasefire was announced in 2003, but inhabitants say it would not long last. "Violation of ceasefire by Pakistan last year has once again shattered our dreams to live peacefully here," said local resident Rattan Chand, adding: "Political parties are canvassing here, but we have clarified to all candidates that peace is our only demand." The state government has provided alternative land to residents of this belt at "safer places", but majority of the people depend on farming to earn a living, so they have no other option but to stay at their native place. "We could not cultivate our land properly under constant terror threats. Our fields are located beyond the border fencing so it is difficult for us to take care of our crops," said Dewan Chand, a resident of Pallanwala. At night farmers are not allowed to stay at their fields that are situated beyond the fencing due to security reasons. Local residents have decided to vote in the upcoming elections with a hope to live in peace. "Voting is our democratic right and we will exercise it for our secure future," said Raghuvir, an ex-serviceman.
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114 candidates lost by margin less than 3%
New Delhi, March 23 As many as 19 such candidates were from Uttar Pradesh which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha. While Andhra Pradesh saw 11 such contests, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka witnessed nine such electoral battles each. According to data available with the Election Commission, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) witnessed Congress' Namo Narain Meena winning by a margin of 0.04 per cent. He defeated Kirori Singh Bainsla of the BJP. While Meena bagged 46.82 per cent of the votes polled, Bainsla got 46.78 per cent. The Congress this time has fielded former cricketer Md Azharuddin from Tonk, who is the sitting MP from Moradabad. Varanasi (UP), from where BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is contesting, saw a similar victory for Murli Manohar Joshi. He defeated don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari (BSP) by a margin of 2.59 per cent. While Joshi got 30.52 per cent votes, Ansari got 27.94 per cent. Joshi has now been fielded from Kanpur. Takam Sanjoy (Congress) defeated BJP's Kiren Rijiju by a slender margin of 0.46 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh (West) constituency. While Sanjoy got 49.16 per cent votes, Rijiju got 48.70 per cent. In Gujarat's Kheda parliamentary constituency, a similar contest took place in 2009 where Dinsha Patel of the Congress bagged 47.12 per cent votes, while rival Jesingbhai of the BJP got 46.98 per cent. The margin was just 0.14 per cent. In Andaman and Nicobar, Bishnupada Ray (BJP) won by a margin of 1.76 per cent votes. While he bagged 44.21 per cent votes, his rival Kuldeep Rai Sharma of the Congress got 42.46 per cent. — PTI
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BJP inducts pub attacker Muthalik, dumps him after Oppn backlash
New Delhi, March 23
The center leadership not just put Muthalik’s membership on hold but spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also sought to put the entire blame on the BJP’s state unit. Though it does seem unbelievable considering the way every new merger and entry is scrutinised and politically analysed by party president Rajnath Singh, PM candidate Narendra Modi and the RSS. Sources say Modi, who was in the Capital to attend a "Yoga Mahotsav" hosted by Baba Ramdev, and Rajnath Singh decided to stem the situation and avoid further damage to the party. Backlash on social media and Opposition parties’ criticism apart, senior BJP members like senior leader Sushma Swaraj were believed to be opposed to the entry of Muthalik. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar went on the record to state that he was against the Sri Ram Sene chief as his government was committed toward keeping “communalism” at bay to preserve religious harmony. In 2012, Parrikar had banned the entry of Muthalik in his state. Sources say BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders felt that Muthalik had the potential to tilt the scales by bringing people together on the Hindutva plank in Karnataka. Sources say the BJP leadership had not anticipated this kind of a reaction over Muthalik. The social media, which Modi is very particular about, is abuzz with criticism over the “regressive” move. Besides, the party wanted to avoid yet another embarrassing situation, especially when ticket troubles involving veterans LK Advani and Jaswant Singh were still ongoing. The damage might have already been done, as Muthalik’s induction has given a jolt to the BJP’s women empowerment campaign and given ammunition to the Opposition. It has also sent a negative message to first time and young voters Muthalik has been part of the RSS and the Shiv Sena but this is the first time he has been officially associated with the BJP. The hardcore Hindutva leader is facing several cases, including one relating to promoting enmity between two communities. According to reports he has 45 cases pending against him, mostly for delivering inflammatory speeches. In the eye of storm
(With inputs from Shubhadeep Choudhury)
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Pawar asks people to ‘vote twice’; Opposition sees red
Mumbai, March 23
Addressing a rally of head loaders employed at the wholesale markets of Navi Mumbai, Pawar suggested that they need not escape voting in the satellite township. Canvassing for sitting MP Sanjeev Naik of the NCP, the Maratha strongman suggested that voters could use the three-phase voting in Maharashtra to their advantage. “Last time, when the voting was held in Satara and Mumbai on the same day, people went to vote in their villages. This time voting will be held in Satara on April 17 and here on April 24. Vote for the clock there, return and vote for the clock here,” Pawar said. Much to the amusement of the gathering, he asked the voters to rub off the ink mark on their fingers before voting second time. The Thane unit of the BJP was the first off the mark, saying that the NCP strongman was advocating bogus voting. However NCP’s spokesman Nawab Malik said, Pawar was speaking in a sarcastic tone to the workers who are known to rush to their home towns very often and especially during the election time. "It was joke and everyone was laughing," Malik said. Pawar, however, later told reporters in Mumbai that his statement was made in "a lighter vein and had a tinge of satire to it". "Party workers get bored by same cliched electoral speeches. The statement which I made earlier in the day was in a lighter vein," the NCP chief said in suburban Bhandup where he was campaigning for party candidate Sanjay Dina Patil who is contesting from the Mumbai North East seat. "My statement should not be misinterpreted. Bogus voting does not take place in our state," he said. Pawar, the student union activist-turned-national leader, however, asked party leaders to circumspect before delivering any speech. "All leaders should be careful while delivering their speech. They should see there is no slip of tongue," he said. (With inputs from PTI)
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In poll season, babus turn netas in AP
Hyderabad, March 23 The multiplicity of parties is providing them enough hunting ground to test their fortunes. The former Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy, who retired recently, former IAS officers V Chandramouli, K Raju, AK Goel, Ram Lakshman and V Varaprasada Rao are set to join the electoral race. Dinesh Reddy, who had a public spat with former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, is said to have decided to join the BJP. He is keen to contest from the Ongole Lok Sabha constituency. ‘ In a tactical move, the YSR Congress Party, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has decided to field Chandramouli, a retired civil servant, in Kuppam Assembly constituency in Chittoor district, the home turf of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Chandramouli, a 1990 batch IAS officer, superannuated in 2013 but was appointed Director General of the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) which is part of the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development. After being offered the party ticket by YSRCP, the civil servant, who belongs to a backward class community, quit his job recently and is gearing up to take the electoral plunge. Lok Satta Party (LSP) president Dr N Jayaprakash Narayana is probably the most visible and high-profile case of Babu turning a Neta. He quit his job as senior civil servant in the late 1990s, started an NGO to work for democratic reforms and later converted it into a political party. He now represents Kukatpally Assembly constituency in the city. Dr Narayan recently announced that he was willing to work as an alliance partner of BJP-TDP combine. The former bureaucrat is said to be negotiating with BJP and TDP leaders for Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in the city. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), a dominant player in Telangana region, is also likely to field retired IAS officers AK Goel and Dr S Chellappa in the Assembly elections. Both of them are the members of politburo, the highest decision-making body of the regional party. Goel, who hails from Haryana, had a long stint in Telangana region and has been associated with TRS since his retirement. Dr Chellappa, former Education Secretary who belongs to Tamil Nadu, has prepared a policy paper on education in Telangana. Retired DGP P Ramulu had also joined politics after retirement. He started his political innings with TDP but later shifted to TRS. Along with him, former IAS officer KV Ramanachari may also contest in the elections. In the past, the state had seen several IAS and IPS officers entering politics with mixed results. Union Minister JD Seelam is a role model of sorts for IAS officers aspiring to seek a career in politics. Seelam joined politics after retirement and became member of the UnionCabinet. In the recent past, former IAS K Raju was handpicked by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and made Chairman of Congress SC cell. He may be given party ticket in the coming elections. IPS officer SK Jayachandra is keen on testing his political fortunes on TRS ticket. Ram Lakshman, an IAS officer, had also joined TRS. IAS officers V Varaprasada Rao, D Kishore Rao and retired officer T Chandra Sekhar are ready to contest on behalf of the YSR Congress Party. Many keen on jumping into fray
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Parties woo NRIs for fund, votes
Washington, March 23 The most active among them is Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which recently launched a unique online platform that it expects to be a game changer in the upcoming general elections by tapping into popular support from inside and outside India. Some 18,000 Indian Americans have volunteered for AAP's phone-o-programme to make calls to friends and families in India asking them to vote in favour of its candidates. “The challenge is that we have so little time to mobilise. The good news is that it's a very dynamic environment filled with action packed frenzy of activity," Pran Kurup, spokesperson of AAP USA told PTI. Observing that social media at the candidate level is still new, he said AAP US is trying to make sure every candidate has a Facebook page, twitter account and a description about themselves. 'NaMo Tea Party' and 'NaMo for PM yagna' are the two main events organised by the supporters of Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP. The first of these NaMo Tea Party was held in California in February and then similar events were held in more than a dozen cities across the US including New York, Jersey City, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Tampa, Houston. Chandrakant Patel, president of the Overseas Friends of BJP-USA, said that they are organising "NaMo for PM yagna" at major temples across the country. Prominent among them being in New York, New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Tampa, he said. The Congress Party, which is facing anti-incumbency, has based the campaign on their accomplishments in last 10 years. George Abraham, chairman Indian National Overseas Congress (I), USA said lack of communication, not achievements, is the biggest problem facing the party. — PTI
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Jaswant to file papers as Independent
Jodhpur/New Delhi, March 23 He has also made it clear that the party will have to suffer the consequences of internal strife coming to the fore ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Back channel efforts were underway to bring him around, BJP sources said, but the veteran leader showed no signs of relenting. Training his guns on BJP president Rajnath Singh who said the 76-year-old leader's services will be utilised appropriately, Jaswant Singh retorted, "I am not a piece of furniture. The choice of the adjective 'adjust' itself is indicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principles and it is insulting". Singh said, "I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption is that they shall form the government and offer me some throttle. They can keep it for themselves". — PTI
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BJP demands Assam leader’s house arrest
Guwahati, March 23 BJP state unit general secretary Santanu Bharali said a formal complaint was being lodged with the Election Commission against Ajmal for making communal remarks, creating tension in sensitive parts of the state. Ajmal on Saturday had stated that “Allah (God) will not forgive the
AIUDF, if the BJP manages to win even a single seat in Assam because of AIUDF’s selection of poll candidates. The BJP is our number
one enemy and we will do whatever is required to defeat the BJP. We are ready to even join hands with the Congress party for the purpose.”
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Rahul Gandhi still a
child, says Jagadambika Pal Sonia to start campaign in Bihar next week Rajasthan Vikas Party to contest all 25 LS seats Congress, NCP forge alliance in Goa
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By fielding 66-year-old Kamal Kanta Batra, mother of Kargil martyr Capt Vikram Batra, from Hamirpur, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to pose a new challenge
to the traditional rivals — the Congress and the BJP.
It is not going to be a cakewalk for any political party in the Ambala (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency this time.
Ahmedabad, March 23
Bhubaneswar, March 23
Madurai, March 23
Abandoned houses and visible sense of uncertainty among inhabitants of this border village is an indication that people living in this belt are in dire need of sustainable peace.
By fielding 66-year-old Kamal Kanta Batra, mother of Kargil martyr Capt Vikram Batra, from Hamirpur, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to pose a new challenge to the traditional rivals — the Congress and the BJP.
Sitting MP and Union Minister Kumari Selja was considered a sure shot for the Congress, but her nomination to the Rajya Sabha sent the Congress on a wild hunt for a replacement. 
Contrary to the charges of Aam Aadmi Party convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against the media, it is the failure of the Congress party in Gujarat that helped Chief Minister Narendra Modi to build up a larger-than-life image for himself in the state and now in other parts of the country.
Some of the media houses have been strongly criticised by the BJP for running anti-Modi stories. They sought to “convince” the masses that the media was contradicting Modi’s claims only because the Chief Minister refused to concede to their undue demands or had personal reasons to grind, far from Kejriwal’s criticism of the media being “sold out” to Modi. The BJP’s criticism did not deter the Gujarat media from continuing to publish reports critical of Modi, most of the information dug up from the official records and statistics and never contradicted by the government. But the state Congress never tried to capitalise on the reports by going to people with the truth or was ever found to be aiding the media to bring about more such exposures.
