|
|
|
|
|
Constituency profile:
Sangrur
Clans that dominate politics in Punjab
campaign trail:
mohinder singh kaypee |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Border residents feel neglected
constituency:
Mumbai North-Central
Campaign Trail:
Mehbooba Mufti
special to the tribune
Key constituency:
Raiganj (west bengal)
AAP’s Kumar Vishwas alleges death threat
EC issues notice to Mulayam BJP moves EC against Sonia
|
|
AAP upsets Cong, SAD calculations
Triangular contest on the cards; sitting MP Singla faces SAD's Dhindsa, AAP's Mann Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service
Sangrur, April 18 Mann entry into the electoral battle has upset the poll calculations of the Congress and the SAD. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Singla defeated Dhindsa by a margin of 40,872 votes. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded Madan Bhatti, while Master Karnail Singh Narike
Key issues
Corruption, unemployment, poverty, price rise, drug mafia and skewed development are the issues concerning the
people in the segment Sitting MP Singla is banking on works carried out in his tenure. These include cancer hospital for Ghabdan Kothi (near Sangrur), new trains
and setting up of seven Adarsh railway stations in the constituency. Bhagwant Mann is seeking votes to change the corrupt political set up.
Since 1977, the Sangrur Parliamentary constituency has been represented five times (1977, 1985, 1996, 1998, 2004) by the SAD candidates (Surjit Singh Barnala, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa). The constituency was represented three times (1980, 1992, 2009) by Congress candidates (Gurcharan Singh, Gurcharan Singh Dadahoor, Vijay Inder Singla). Candidates of the SAD (Mann) Rajdev Singh Khalsa and Simranjit Singh Mann were elected in 1989 and 1999. HIGHS AND LOWS
Vijay Inder Singla (Cong)
STRENGTH WEAKNESS Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD)
STRENGTH WEAKNESS Bhagwant Mann (AAP)
STRENGTH WEAKNESS
|
|
Clans that dominate politics in Punjab
Chandigarh, April 18 The Badals
Politics has created split in the Badal family. Former Finance Minster Manpreet Badal, who is Parkash Singh Badal's nephew, is contesting against his sister-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Parkash Singh Badal and his brother Gurdas Badal are now seen in opposite camps. Both the camps don't hesitate to take potshots at each other. Gurdas Badal was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 from the Fazilka-Ferozepur seat. The Majithias
Sukhbir Badal's bother-in-law and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia's family has been active in politics since 1920. Majthias' are also known for their big landholdings and business. Sunder Singh Majithia was the Irrigation and Revenue Minister of Punjab in the 1930s. His son Surjit Singh Majithia and Bikram's grandfather remained the Deputy Minister for Defence in the Union Government from 1952 to 1962. The Kairons
Adesh Partap Singh, son-in-law of Parkash Singh Badal, belongs to the Kairon family. His grandfather Partap Singh Kairon, who became active in politics in the 1930s, remained the Chief Minister of Punjab for about a decade. Adesh's father Surinder Kairon also remained an MP and MLA. Partap Singh Kairon also started his political career as an Akali, but later joined the Congress after he was sent to jail in during the Quit India movement. The Brars
The family of former Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar, having big landholdings, is also active in the state politics. Brar's wife Gurbinder Kaur Brar was elected an MLA from Muktsar and also remained the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly. Harcharan's daughter-in-law Karan Brar is now an MLA in the state. Earlier, Harcharan's son Kanwarjit Singh Brar remained an MLA. Brar's daughter Babli Brar had contested the Lok Sabha elections against Sukhbir Singh Badal. Patiala royals
The royal family of Patiala is another dominant force in the state politics. Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh's father Yadavindra Singh was elected to Punjab Assembly in 1967. Amarinder's mother Mohinder Kaur was elected as an MP in the 1970s. Capt Amarinder Singh remained MP from 1980 to 1984. He later became active in the state politics. He wife Preneet Kaur has been elected to the Lok Sabha three times. She is a Union Minister and is contesting again from Patiala. Their son Raninder Singh also tried his luck in politics twice but success eluded him. Capt Amarinder Singh's brother Malwinder Singh was also keen to contest elections, but he was unable to get a ticket.
|
|
campaign trail:
mohinder singh kaypee He tries to convince voters that Cong is synonymous with progress Umesh Dewan Tribune News Service
Mannan (Hoshiarpur), April 18 Busy with the election schedule, the 57-year-old seasoned politician skips his morning walk to spare time for a meeting with his party workers at his residence before leaving for the campaign. Sporting a white kurta payjama, Kaypee settles in his Fortuner at 7.40 am as the party workers follow him in separate vehicles. With 10 election gatherings scheduled for the day, Shergarh village is the first halt of his campaign trail. Women outnumber men in terms of attendance in his meetings. Kaypee waves at the crowd and seeks blessings of the elderly women by touching their feet. "Congress tarakee de massiha hai (Congress is synonymous with development)", says a visibly charged up Kaypee. Undeterred by the fact that this time he has been shifted from Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur, Kaypee says: "Being a loyal soldier of the party, I always accept the party's decision. Since I have worked as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, I know people in every nook and corner of the state. Changing the constituency from where I am contesting is a non-issue." After spending about half an hour at Shergarh village, his cavalcade now heads towards Bajwara Kalan village, where he gets a rousing welcome. As Kaypee hears the sound of drumbeats and slogans in favour of the Congress, he makes it a point to shake hands with maximum number of people. Exhorting people to cast their votes, Kaypee says: "Hoshiarpur is number one in terms of literacy in Punjab and I feel that all of you must exercise your franchise," while quickly adding: "Vote for the Congress only. The SAD-BJP is a party of most tainted and corrupt leaders." At some places, he encounters people complaining about the problems they are facing, but he responds positively by assuring that once elected, he will make sure that their grievances are addressed on priority. To restore energy, Kaypee takes a glass of juice at the residence of a party leader at Bajwara Kalan before leaving for Mannan village. He is known for responding to all calls he misses during his hectic schedule. He receives a warm welcome at Mannan. Delivering a well-thought speech, Kaypee makes a clarion call to the villagers to decimate the SAD-BJP from Punjab by voting in favour of the Congress. After Mannan, Kaypee addresses around seven election meetings at different places. Taking a dig at the Akali-BJP combine in most of his speeches, he mainly targets the SAD-BJP government for "patronising" the drug mafia and its "failure" to generate employment opportunities in the state. Around 10 pm, Kaypee is back to his residence but the day is still not over. He sits down with his key men and chalks out the campaign schedule for the next day. It is only at midnight when he finally goes to bed.
|
|
Border residents feel neglected
Rajatal (Indo-Pak Border), April 18 Kabal is not alone. The word 'development' sounds Greek to the residents of border villages who have been leading the lives of deprivation in the absence of basic amenities like roads, drinking water, healthcare and education. Talking to The Tribune, Balkar Singh, a resident of Rajatal, said the village has a middle school which caters to the neighbouring five-six villages. "Our demand for upgrading the school has fallen on deaf ears," he said. The village does not have a hospital building. A doctor and two ANMs appointed in the village examine patients in a room meant for the staff of the veterinary hospital. The village panchayat had passed a resolution to construct the hospital building, but nothing has been done yet. The veterinary hospital is also in a dilapidated condition. The situation in Daoke village is no different. The bridge over the defence drain is in a bad shape. The village has mud houses, dusty streets and choked sewers. There is neither a hospital nor a veterinary dispensary. Residents have to go to Attari for medicines and to Amritsar, 40 km from Daoke, to access healthcare facilities. Besides, there is a lone private bus which is the only means of transportation that connects the residents to the other parts of the state. Sucha Singh of Daoke village says the groundwater here has been polluted by the Hudiara drain. Drug addiction is also a problem in these border villages. Easy availability of drugs and unemployment has compounded the problem. Besides, with rising input costs and declining landholdings, the youth here don't find the farming economically viable. Gurdeep Singh of Neshta village says: "Industrial units should be set up in the border belt and special quota for border youth should be fixed in the Army and paramilitary forces. Farmers are also a harried lot in the border villages as they find it difficult to cultivate their land across the fence. Harpreet Singh and Chanan Singh from Rajatal village said: "The time allotted to us by the BSF to work our fields across the fence is inadequate. Besides, wild boars also damage our crops. The non-availability of electricity near the fence makes it difficult for us to water our fields." The farmers demand a compensation of at least Rs 15,000 per acre for their agricultural land across the fence. The residents of these border villages vote in every election, hoping that things would change for good and their endless wait for a better tomorrow will finally end. Devoid of amenities
The villages along the border are deprived of basic facilities such as drinking water, electricity, education, connectivity and healthcare. Farmers having their fields across the fence also face difficulty in tilling the land.
|
|
BJP-TDP alliance to continue
New Delhi, April 18
Announcement of the new formula for seat sharing was made by representatives of the two parties - Prakash Javadekar (BJP) and YS Chowdary (TDP) - after hectic negotiations among leaders of both sides at the residence of senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu. The BJP's initial share included 14 Assembly and four Lok Sabha seats in the 13 districts. Though the TDP wanted the BJP to part with seven out of the 14 Assembly seats, the BJP ceded only Ichchapuram. In Delhi, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad called the stand-off between the allies on the eve of filing nominations for the Phase-8 General Election a "minor hiccup". "Minor irritants are part of a grand alliance," he said. Incidentally, April 19 is the last date for filing nominations for 25 constituencies in the state. Yesterday, Naidu said that "weak" BJP candidates at some places could eventually benefit rivals and damage the NDA's electoral prospects. He is believed to have also remarked that some of these candidates were "not capable" of getting elected even as ward members. However, sources in the BJP continue to assert that the main reason for Naidu's discontent was BJP's candidate D Purandeshwari from Rajampet in Seemandhra. Analysts say that Naidu wanted a better deal for his party to send a message to a section of the TDP and voters who were not happy with the alliance. "This is a do-or-die election for Naidu," an analyst said. Sources in the BJP also believe that Naidu had little choice but to stick to the NDA. "He has not come to the NDA out of goodness. He is with us because he understands the gains. There is no way Naidu could have walked out because there was too much on the line for him. The main beneficiary of the fall-out would have been the YSR Congress in the Seemadhra region." a source said.
|
|
constituency:
Mumbai North-Central Pramod Mahajan’s daughter takes on that of Sunil Dutt’s Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service
Mumbai, April 18 "Priya Dutt will win by a record margin," says Ajay Shrivastava, a party worker on Dutt's entourage. Till last weekend, not everyone was so sure. Powerful MLAs Naseem Khan and Kripashankar Singh were simply staying put and did not even show up when Dutt filed her nomination forms. Worse still, letters purportedly written by Dutt criticising the two also made it to the public domain embarrassing the Congress. Sources said a worried Prithiviraj Chavan called a meeting of Khan, Singh and other party leaders to solve the crisis. By Sunday morning, some truce was worked out and the two MLAs accompanied Dutt on her campaign trail. Dutt, who is close to Rahul Gandhi, is also said to enjoy the backing of the top party leadership which wants the Maharashtra unit of the Congress to ensure her victory. "There are no problems between us. Please do not believe in rumours," Dutt told reporters on the campaign trail. The Mumbai North-Central LS seat is prestigious for the Congress. In the 2009 polls, Dutt defeated BJP's Mahesh Jethmalani by a margin of 1.75 lakh votes. Congress leaders believe that Dutt would have sailed through even without help from Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which bagged 1.25 lakh votes. This time, Dutt is facing Poonam Mahajan of the BJP. A rank outsider, Poonam, daughter of the late BJP leader, Pramod Mahajan, was chosen by the party after no one was willing to take on the sitting MP. Sources said Poonam was also reluctant to contest this seat and wanted to try her luck from the Mumbai North-East seat. As news of the Congress getting its act together in this constituency filters to the BJP camp a mild sense of disappointment is evident. "We are telling voters that a vote for Poonam is a vote for Narendra Modi," says local BJP leader Parag Alvani who is managing Mahajan's campaign. Alvani does not think the Congress getting its act together would help Priya repeat her performance from this constituency. "People had voted for Priya in the last polls because of the work done by her father Sunil Dutt. However, they are disappointed as they did not see her face after the elections," says Alvani. As for the BJP candidate, he does not sound very convincing when he says Poonam will work for people of his constituency. However, the BJP is banking on the SP candidate, film-maker Farhan Azmi, to cut into Dutt's votes. The fourth candidate in the fray is AAP's Phiroze Palkhivala, nephew of late jurist Nani Palkhivala.
|
|
Campaign Trail:
Mehbooba Mufti Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service
Noorabad (Kulgam), April 18 She is pitted against another strong woman of Kashmir - Sakina Itoo - a Minister in the Omar Abdullah's Cabinet, who emerged as the lone successful candidate of the National Conference in the south Kashmir in the 2008 elections. For Mehbooba, who is fighting a long-drawn war against the ruling party, campaigning in Itto's constituency was not less than a challenge. Mehbooba says her party will get maximum votes from this segment on April 24 and will also win the Assembly elections to be held after four months. On the campaign trail with Mehbooba, the picturesque constituency, dotted with ravines and hillocks, and comparatively better roads than seen in Srinagar, gives a mixed impression. Once a hotbed of militancy, Noorabad is a safe zone now. The police records show that no local militant is active here. However, the campaign trail is still a demonstration of a security drill. Mehbooba seldom detaches from her bullet-proof SUV. At every venue during the day-long road show in Noorabad, she takes on the NC leadership. "The NC has failed on all grounds and only brought miseries to the people of Kashmir. Although I am here to seek votes for the Lok Sabha elections, you should be ready for the Assembly elections in October to bring an end to this gloom," Mehbooba said amid cheers at Nandimarg village. Hundreds of women were listening to Mehbooba, who is the leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly and now aspires to represent the state in the Lok Sabha for the second time. Mehbooba has been a crowd-puller. Her popularity graph swung after she began to identify herself with the victims of violence in Kashmir. Mehbooba began her day-long programme around 8 am. Before leaving her fortified Srinagar residence at Gupkar, her personal security officer (PSO) ensures that everything is in place before leaving for south Kashmir. She has to attend 21 meeting during the road show in villages of the Noorabad constituency. Her first destination is Pohloo where Mehbooba addresses the party workers. Her cavalcade moves to Guddar, where she is greeted by women, who had been waiting for her since morning. Wearing a traditional long flowing robe under the grey hand-knit sweater on an overcast day, Mehbooba rushed through Kulgam town to reach Damhal Hanjipora, the native village of NC leader Sakina Itto. The cavalcade gets elongated as it is joined by a number of vehicles of PDP workers. From here, Mehbooba moves to Chamgund, Nandimarg and Kounsarbal villages. "The NC-Congress coalition is responsible for unemployment. They have re-employed over 500 retired persons, including Mushtaq Peer, who sold MBBS exam papers. They have allowed the use of pellet guns. A total of 120 youngsters were killed in a single day," she said. "This government is spreading rumours. The NC was a part of the BJP even when Gujarat riots took place. Omar Abdullah continued to remain minister despite these gory incidents," she said. Mehbooba security guards get curious as the light starts fading. She had to address some more meetings. She, however, goes ahead with her schedule and completes her tour by 8.30 pm before heading towards Srinagar. She reaches home at 9.50 pm and had to start for another day.
|
|
Indian-origin US prof predicts NDA sweep
Shyam Bhatia in London As most analysts predict a significant shift in voting patterns during this year's General Election, an Indian specialist based in the US has projected his estimate of the BJP-led NDA winning more seats than their rivals in the Congress-led UPA. Professor Devesh Kapur does not go as far as the BJP's claim of winning an outright majority, but his assessment is consistent with what many in India have been saying about the likely outcome of the election. Professor Kapur predicted the NDA's victory even before two books listing alleged weaknesses of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were released. Former Coal Secretary PC Parakh and ex-media adviser Sanjaya Baru highlight what they see as the PM's inability to assert his authority. Baru's argument is that the Prime Minister's authority was constantly undermined by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Kapur says: "In the end, the division of powers simply has not worked. It could never have worked, meaning you have a PM who doesn't really have authority. For me, at least the most troubling part of this government has been how the constitutional office of the PM was undermined and even the constitutional obligation of cabinet governance. These were weaknesses and it seemed for long that he (Manmohan Singh) was serving time so that the person being groomed by the party to be the PM would be in that position." Kapur, Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India at Pennsylvania University, argues that the Congress is, to some extent, a victim of its own success because its performance was good during the first term of the UPA government. "The performance was good and that good performance was rewarded by voters. So they got re-elected. This time, there is a widespread sense that the performance has not been good and voters will do what they should when they judge performance - vote them out and try their luck with someone else." He says by delivering strong growth for over a decade, which lifted 100-150 million people out of poverty, the Congress has created a vote bank of core swing voters who now have aspirations that are different from when they were poor. "When you are poor you are looking for anything that helps you and then handouts might work. But when you are part of the lower middle class, the aspirations change. You're not just looking for handouts, you are looking for empowerment and you're looking for employment," he says. Kolkata-born Kapur says he did not set out to predict who will win the election. Rather, his aim, based on a random sample survey, is to highlight changes underway in Indian society. About what will be disclosed on May 16, he says: "The likely outcome is that the Congress-led UPA will bag around 100-130 seats and the NDA will get around 200-230/240 seats."
|
|
Key constituency:
Raiganj (west bengal) Subhrangshu Gupta
Kolkata, April 18 Now, she is a junior minister in the Monmohan Singh Cabinet as the MOS, works and urban development. This time, she is contesting against CPM's Md Selim, her brother-in-law and TMC candidate Satya Ranjan, and BJP's actor-turned-politician Nimu Bhowmick. Raiganj has been the Congress stronghold since 1957. Chapalakanto Bhattacharya, editor of a Bengali newspaper, had been the Raiganj MP twice in 1962 and 1967. Former Congress stalwart and an important member of the Indira Gandhi Cabinet, Siddhartha Sankar Ray was elected the Lok Sabha MP from here in 1971. Thereafter, Golam Yazdani of the Congress won the seat thrice in a row from 1980, only to be taken over by the CPM's Subrata Mukherjee in 1991, who won the seat twice in a row. But Priya retained the seat for the Congress in 1999. The elections in this constituency will be held on April 24 along with five other constituencies in north Bengal. A total of 11,08,382 voters will exercise their franchise in this constituency, which comprises seven Assembly seats - Islampur, Goalpukur, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hemtabad (SC) Kaliaganj (SC) and Raiganj proper. CPM candidate Md Selim, who had shifted from North Kolkata after being defeated by the TMC's Sudip Banerjee, is trying hard to charm local residents, while TMC candidate Satya Ranjan is banking on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who, he claims, has publicly assured him of the seat.
|
|
AAP’s Kumar Vishwas alleges death threat
Amethi, April 18 "We have got an application from Vishwas for lodging an FIR against Rahul, Priyanka, Chandrakant Dubey, Vinod Mishra and other Congress workers. We will examine it and take appropriate action," SP Hiralal said. Vishwas said that on April 15 during Priyanka Gandhi's tour, a video of Congress worker Vinod Mishra had been "leaked" in which he allegedly said: "Vishwas Rahul bhaiya ke khilaf bol raha hai. Mai usko goli maar dunga (Vishwas is talking against Rahul, I will shoot him)." Vishwas alleged that instead of telling about it to the police, Priyanka called Mishra at the guest house. He said that he would also approach the Election Commission.
|
|
New Delhi, April 18 On April 3, addressing an election rally in Bulandshahr, Yadav had allegedly threatened "shiksha mitras" (government primary schoolteachers on contract) to vote for the SP or else they will not be made permanent. "As far as 'shiksha mitras' are concerned, we have done it (made them permanent)...we have done it, now give your vote. If you do not vote, we'll withdraw it," EC quoted Yadav as saying. — PTI
|
|
|
BJP moves EC against Sonia New Delhi, April 18 In a letter to CEC VS Sampath, the BJP alleged the Congress was planning to use one of its earlier advertisements already aired through private TV channels on Doordarshan and AIR using one of the free slots alloted to it. "The standard rule is that the slots can be used only for short speeches or messages by the party functionaries to whom the slots are given," a BJP communication said. — PTI
|
|
|
Modi wave didn't ensue off BJP. It emerged out of the necessity of Congress to deflect discussion on its dismal & abject non-performance. — ShivrajSingh Chouhan Recently Madam addressed the nation by purchasing prime time space on TV, but what she said was full of lies! — Narendra Modi Sonia & other congress leaders have amassed a lot of wealth as black money and now trying to target people who are raging war against it — Swami Ramdev EXPOSED: So called custodians of Hinduism @yogrishiramdev & BJP candidate from Alwar caught scheming money laundering — Raj Babbar PTs; I have prepared a suit for Rs10 crore in damages for the Congi demos, against TDK and link it to New York suit on Sikh genocide. — Subramanian Swamy
|
|
Clarification
There was a mix up of questions in an interview with CPI-M (Punjab) secretary
Mangat Ram Pasla — 'We are determined to revamp faulty system' — carried in these columns on Friday. The error is regretted. |
||||||
BJP will realise Gandhiji’s dreams, says Rajnath Centre suppressing Census figures: Vardhan
|
| 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 | |
Sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla is facing stiff challenge from SAD's Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and AAP's Bhagwant
Mann in the Sangrur Lok Sabha segment. Mann entry into the electoral battle has upset the poll calculations of the Congress and the SAD.
It's half an hour before sunrise and with the alarm bell ringing, lights are switched on in this house.
Rajatal (Indo-Pak Border), April 18
During her hectic campaigning in the prestigious south Kashmir parliamentary constituency spread over
Kulgam, Shopian, Anantnag and Pulwama districts, 55-year-old Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) candidate Mehbooba Mufti took out a road show in the Noorabad Assembly segment on Tuesday.
In 2009, defeating the CPM's Bireshwar Lahiri to win the Raiganj seat was a cakewalk for Deepa
Dasmunsi. Sympathy votes in the favour of the wife of ailing Congress stalwart Priya Ranjan
Dasmunsi, who had been a former union minister and the WBPCC president, helped her emerge victorious.
Sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla is facing stiff challenge from SAD's Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and AAP's Bhagwant
Mann in the Sangrur Lok Sabha segment.
is the SAD (Amritsar) nominee. The other candidates include Sukhdev Ram Sharma (CPI), Joginder Singh Aulakh (CPI-M) and Gurpreet Singh Rureke (CPI-ML Liberation). 
SAD candidate Dhindsa is seeking votes on development works carried out by the state government. He is also banking on Modi wave. 
As of now, the Badal family, known for its big land holdings, has been dominating the state politics. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is active in the state politics since the late 50s. While he is serving his fifth term as the Chief Minister, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal is the Deputy Chief Minister. His daughter- in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal is eyeing another term as the Bathinda MP. The three Badals remained MPs and the father-son duo were also ministers in the Central government.
The saffron party has reportedly agreed to have a re-look at nominees of some seats on which the TDP chief had raised objections yesterday.
