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Cong prestige at stake, grim battle for BJP
JD(U) to support Kejri in Varanasi
Saket Bahuguna, Congress candidate from Tehri Garhwal, addresses a rally in Dhanaulti near
Mussoorie. A Tribune photo
Ex-CM takes on two-time MP in Cong bastion |
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Modi’s ‘beti jaisi’ remark evokes sharp reaction from her, Cong
Security ring off as Priyanka campaigns
Turncoats winners in Andhra poaching game
AAP moves EC against Ramdev's camp
BJP-RSS stoking communal passions: CPI-M
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key Constituency Shimla (Reserved) The ruling party lost the reserved seat only thrice in 12 LS polls, but BJP won it for the first time in 2009 Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service
Wresting the seat from the BJP has become a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, while the BJP is making an all-out bid to retain the seat that it won for the first time in 2009. The constituency, stretching from Chansel Pass bordering Uttarakhand in north to Shivalik foothills in Punjab and Haryana in south, comprises 17 Assembly segments - seven in Shimla district and five each in Solan and Sirmour districts.
In the 2012 Assembly polls, the Congress and the BJP won eight and seven seats, respectively, while two seats went to independents (supporting the Congress government). Congress candidate Mohan Lal Brakta, who was handpicked by Virbhadra during the Assembly polls, won by the highest margin of over 27,000 votes from Rohru constituency. Backed by Virbhadra, Brakta's massive lead helped him get the party ticket this time as well. He has been preferred over Vinod Sultanpuri, son of Krishan Dutt Sultanpuri who has won six times consecutively from Shimla. For the first time, the Congress has fielded a candidate from Shimla district, which comprises seven Assembly seats. Virbhadra is concentrating on his home district for maximum lead. He is also working hard to consolidate the eroding vote bank in Sirmour district. BJP's Virender Kashyap has a tough task ahead. What might work in favour of Brakta and against Kashyap is the party in power in the state, which has a history of supporting the party that has formed the government. Kashyap had contested the seat from 1980 to 1998, but never won. His victory in 2009 was nothing short of a miracle. The political scenario has undergone a discernible change in the past two decades and the BJP has made inroads into Sirmour and Solan districts, while the Congress, which was dominant in these districts till 1990, has lost ground. A postgraduate in physics, Kashyap has performed well as an MP. His close proximity to former CM PK Dhumal helped him deliver well during the BJP regime. However, the "cash on camera case" has put him on the back foot. The caste factor The state has 26.2 per cent Scheduled Castes, but Shimla has maximum number of SC votes (35 per cent) and five of 17 Assembly seats are reserved for the SC. Rajputs and Brahmins form 35 per cent and 23 per cent population, respectively. Other castes constitute 7 per cent of the population. The Kohli community constitutes 85 per cent of the SC votes and candidates of this community have been winning invariably from this seat. Brakta and Kashyap belong to the Kohli community, which balances the caste equation. Other parties The CPM has never been able to grab more than five per cent votes. This time, the party has fielded Jagat Singh. The party has a strong cadre and support of trade unions, but its influence is limited to a few pockets. Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Subhash Chander, a retired engineer, is working hard to make the contest triangular. Being new to politics, the party is reeling under acute financial crunch and Chander is mainly depending on personal resources and contacts to garner support. The BSP, which polled 2.74 per cent votes in 2004 and 1.32 per cent in 2009, has fielded Gurnam Singh this time. The background Congress' Krishan Dutt Sultanpuri won the seat six times in a row from 1980 to 1998, barring 1977, which was an aberration. The party lost the seat for the first time in 1999 when Sultanpuri was denied a ticket. Col Dhani Ram Shandil, who defeated former Speaker of Vidhan Sabha Gangu Ram Musafir of the Congress in 1999 as HVC-BJP candidate, defected to the Congress ahead of the 2004 polls and won on a Congress ticket. However, he lost to Virender Kashyap of the BJP in 2009, but was later elected to the state Assembly from Solan constituency in 2012 and inducted as a minister. The Congress lost the seat for the first time to Janta Party in 1977, while the HVC, floated by former Union Minister Sukh Ram, won the seat in alliance with the BJP in 1999. Main issues With the Congress and the BJP trading charges against each other, real issues such as poor roads, increasing import duty on apple to 100 per cent, remunerative prices for cash crops, monkey menace, damage to crops by wild animals and poor quality of education in government schools seem to have taken a back seat.
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JD(U) to support Kejri in Varanasi
Patna, May 1 JD(U) is opposed to both the Congress and the BJP, hence would support Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi, JD(U) spokesman Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said. Prasad said the JD(U) has been playing a prominent role in bringing together non-BJP, non-Congress parties on a single platform to fight corruption and strengthen secularism. Another party spokesman Neeraj Kumar said the Varanasi JD(U) unit came up with a proposal to support the AAP leader to which the national leadership endorsed. JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and general secretary KC Tyagi would campaign in favour of Kejriwal at Varanasi, he said. — PTI Two Shankaracharyas to work against Modi
New Delhi: Two Shankaracharyas have come out openly against Narendra Modi and decided to work for his defeat in Varanasi as they believe he is a "sinner" in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Puri Shankaracharya Swami Adhokshjanand Devtirath today said he would go to Varanasi and campaign against the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the May 12 elections. "I will go to Varanasi and expose him. Those who divide people to come to power should be exposed," he said. He said Modi had committed "sins" and no justice-loving person would ever "like" him. The Shankaracharya said he had himself gone to Gujarat and witnessed the situation after the 2002 riots. He charged the RSS with using religion to "mislead" the people. — PTI
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campaign trail
saket bahuguna Ajay Ramola Tribune News service
Mussoorie, May 1 Saket, who had lost the 2012 byelections to BJP's Mala Raj Lakshmi Shah, is brimming with confidence this time and working around 18 hours a day. He prefers meeting people rather than campaigning online. "The online campaign is not working here. So, I am striking a chord with voters by visiting small hamlets and bylanes of big cities," Saket says. He begins his day around 7.30 am by offering prayers to his grandfather late Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, the doyen of Indian politics. After seeking progress report of the poll campaign from his workers, he gets down to discussing strategies to woo voters. Thereafter, he sets out on the door-to-door campaign and a public rally in Prem Nagar, Dehradun. "I have been working to solve the problems of people in the constituency despite losing the byelections, whereas BJP's sitting MP Mala Raj Lakshmi has not met the voters even once," Saket says. He also does not forget to mention the works done by his father Vijay Bahuguna during his stint as the Chief Minister. In Dhanaulti Assembly segment, Saket tries to woo voters by listing the development works carried out by the party in the area such as opening of various poly-technique institutions and colleges. Saket says the people of the constituency have elected his father to power twice from Tehri, so he owes a lot to them. He is contesting elections from Tehri due to this love and affection, he says. "My focus is on carrying forward the development works initiated by my father who released Rs 500-crore funds for the constituency. Facing the anti-incumbency, Saket does not find it difficult to explain as to why there was a delay in providing relief to the people affected by natural disaster last year. He compares it with the state government's decision to change the norms for distributing compensation amount to those affected. "The Congress government increased the compensation amount to the level the BJP government couldn't even think of," Saket says. "People of Tehri are looking for a political representative who can fulfil the promises made and raise their concerns effectively in Parliament. I have pledged to adhere to this principle once elected to power," he says.
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key Constituency Nainital BD Kasniyal
Congress' KC Singh Baba, a scion of the erstwhile rulers of Kashipur, won the seat in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections. While the Congress is facing anti-incumbency against the Centre and the state governments, the BJP is riding “Modi wave”. The saffron party performed well in the last Assembly elections by winning nine out of 14 Assembly seats in the state.
The Nainital Lok Sabha seat has traditionally remained a Congress bastion, represented by veteran leaders such as Govind Ballabh Pant, ND Tewari and KC Pant in the past. The Congress has been projecting BJP candidate Koshiyari as an outsider since he belongs to Bageshwar district. The party is banking on the popularity of sitting MP KC Singh Baba. He is credited with setting up of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Kashipur. Industrialisation during the regimes of ND Tiwari and Vijay Bahuguna may also work in favour of the Congress. However, annoyance of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister ND Tiwari with the Congress could go against the party. Tiwari wanted to contest 'one last time' and had also pleaded with the party leadership to field his son Rohit Shekhar, but his pleas were not yielded. Tiwari has a large following in the Kumoan region. Besides the Modi wave, the BJP is banking on its MLAs as eight out of the 14 Assembly seats are with the saffron party. The Congress is also banking on more than three lakh Muslim voters in the constituency. The other candidates in the fray are Laik Ahmed of the BSP and Balli Singh Cheema of the Aam Aadmi Party.
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Priyanka’s comment may help Varun in Sultanpur
The three adjoining constituencies of Rae Bareli, Amethi and Sultanpur may be witnessing an ideological divide, but for the Nehru-Gandhi family, rescuing a Gandhi perceived to be in trouble is a duty. Addressing a closed-door meeting after brother Rahul's nomination in Amethi on April 12, Priyanka had said: "If you think someone from my family is contesting the Sultanpur seat, you are right. He (Varun) is from my family, he is my brother. But he has gone astray, and when a young member of the family chooses the wrong path, elders should show them the right path. I urge all of you to show my brother the right path." Ostensibly, Varun retaliated but the political spat has had a very different outcome than visible. "Yeh code word tha. Behen ki appeal thi ke mere bhai ko bacha lijiyega. Us ke baad se sahanubhuti bahut badh gayi Varun ke liye"( This was a code word. The sister is appealing to bail her brother out. After that sympathy for Varun has increased), said Jagdish Prasad Pandey of Isauli in Sultanpur. Pandey, a schoolteacher recalls that Sanjay Gandhi laid the foundation of development works in Amethi, which was then a part of the Sultanpur district, which later his brother Rajiv and now nephew Rahul is carrying forward. Echoing the sentiments, Sushma Devi from Motiyapur in Sultanpur said: "Khoon bahut gadha hota hai. Jab behen bhai ke liye madad mangegi toh kya hum nahi denge? (Blood is thicker than water. If a sister asks for help for her brother, why would we not come forward?) Earlier, some areas of Rae Bareli and Sultanpur districts were a part of the Amethi Lok Sabha seat symbolising the overlapping relations of the three members of the present Gandhi family in the fray from here. However, despite loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family, people here are clear about the ideological divide. In 1984, Rajiv Gandhi won the seat by a margin of more then three lakh votes. He defeated Maneka Gandhi who was contesting as an Independent. This time, too, the family is on two opposite sides of the political divide. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is contesting from Rae Bareli, a constituency represented by both her father-in-law Feroze Gandhi and mother-in-law Indira Gandhi. Sonia's son and sitting MP from Amethi Rahul Gandhi is fighting to retain his seat for the third time. His cousin BJP candidate Varun Gandhi has shifted to Sultanpur from Pilibhit where he had won in the 2009 elections by a margin of more than 3 lakh votes. While he describes the shifting as his wish to inherit his father Sanjay Gandhi's 'karmbhoomi', people see it as a part of the BJP's strategy to use a Gandhi to undermine the family's hold over the area. However, after what is described as Priyanka's appeal, Varun is considered safe in Sultanpur - so safe that he took almost a week-long break from the election campaign.
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Modi’s ‘beti jaisi’ remark evokes sharp reaction from her, Cong
New Delhi, May 1 Reports that Modi referred to Priyanka as "a daughter" prompted a stern reply from her. "Main Rajiv Gandhi ki beti hoon ( I am Rajiv Gandhi's daughter)", she said, while senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was not sure if Sonia Gandhi's daughter considered Modi as a "father figure". "I am happy that Narendra Modi considers Priyanka Gandhi as his daughter but I am not sure if she will be happy to consider Modi as a father figure," he said, earning BJP's wrath in return. BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said it was quite obvious that Chidambaram did not subscribe to age-old Indian traditions of giving respect to daughters. Later in the evening, portions of the "much-talked-about" interview surfaced where Modi was seen speaking kindly about the Congress' star campaigner's style of electioneering though not exactly calling her a daughter. Apparently, the decision to edit some parts of the interview was taken because Modi did not hit back at Priyanka while responding to questions on her direct attack on him. Modi is believed to have said he did not consider her a political rival like her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka is leading the Congress campaign against the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Saffron leaders suspect that the grand old party did not want viewers to see Modi's benevolent comments diluting Priyanka's campaign, especially with the elections poised at a critical stage in final phases in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Though the BJP alleged several portions of the interview, including parts where Modi said that "Indian culture daughters were not targeted", were edited to suit Congress' requirements, I&B Minister Manish Tewari junked the claim. He said the Ministry did not interfere in Doordarshan's news agenda as it had an "arm's length relationship with Prasar Bharati, which was an autonomous broadcaster by an act of Parliament". "Prasar Bharti is an independent body. Somewhere pressure has been exerted and the interview has been censored and cut," Sitharaman alleged. However, Doordarshan said: "No deliberate editing or omission of any portion of the interview was done. Wherever editing was done, it was for technical reasons and during post-production. There was no interference or control from any authority in the entire process. It was given wide pre-telecast publicity and (the interview) was repeated the next day." Apparently, Modi also said in the interview that while he had been "blacked out" by the Doordarshan Kendra in Gujarat, he was surprised to get a request from the Centre-financed broadcaster. Though Chidamabaram said he was not aware of what Modi said and what was deleted while asserting that portions of his own interview had been edited, sources said the call had to be taken because if the portion was retained, it would have create a political controversy. Priyanka may have been going all out against Modi, but senior BJP leaders have been cautious while returning fire. Party leaders address her as "Mrs Vadra" instead of "Ms Gandhi", making clear her linkage with Robert Vadra.
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Security ring off as Priyanka campaigns
Amethi (UP), May 1 When the Congress star campaigner reached Gandhinagar near Gauriganj, she came out of her SUV and stopped SPG personnel from following her and moved to Tiloi for campaigning, Superintendent of Police Hiralal said. However, Uttar Pradesh Police personnel accompanied her. She was schedule to address a meeting at Shahmau near Kasimpur but she changed her route. Local Congress sources said Priyanka was apparently upset with the attitude of the SPG personnel towards her interaction with people. Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary, Home, Anil Kumar Gupta said: "It was a matter of concern and SPG headquarters will be informed about the incident." — PTI
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Turncoats winners in Andhra poaching game
All major players are guilty of poaching the rival camps and rewarding the defectors. The ruling Congress had to bear the brunt of the poll-eve desertions as the UPA government's decision to divide the state had forced its elected representatives from the Seemandhra region to quit the party and join either the TDP or the YSR Congress Party to secure their political future. The TDP has fielded defectors from the Congress in seven Lok Sabha seats and 28 Assembly seats in Seemandhra. Similarly, the YSRCP, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has given Assembly tickets to several sitting Congress legislators. Prominent among the turncoats is former Union Minister D Purandeswari, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP in protest against the formation of Telangana. Purandeswari, who is the daughter of TDP's patriarch and former Chief Minister late NT Rama Rao and sister-in-law of N Chandrababu Naidu, is contesting from the Rajampet Lok Sabha seat in Seemandhra on the BJP ticket. The TDP and the BJP are contesting the elections together in the Telangana and Seemandhra regions. A Congress veteran and former Minister from Anantapur district JC Diwakar Reddy had switched his loyalty to the TDP just before the elections and was rewarded with the party ticket to contest from Anantapur Lok Sabha seat. His younger brother JC Prabhakar Reddy was given the ticket to contest Assembly elections. The 'JC brothers' have a long-standing rivalry with the local TDP leaders. Ministers in the outgoing Congress government — E Pratap Reddy, TG Venkatesh, G Aruna Kumari and G Srinivasa Rao - crossed over to the TDP and were promptly given party tickets to contest the Assembly elections while another Minister K Parthasarathy defected to the YSRCP and is contesting as its candidate for the Machilipatnam Lok Sabha seat. The TDP is desperate to stage a comeback and has been the favoured destination for Congress defectors from Seemandhra. In TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's home district Chittoor, Congress defectors were fielded in six out of the total 14 Assembly constituencies. There have been instances of sitting MLAs and senior leaders shifting loyalties several times within 24 hours to get party tickets for M Hanumanth Rao, a TDP leader, had changed three parties in as many days and finally settled down for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on the final day of the nominations. He is the party candidate from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat. The Congress had sent 33 MPs to the Lok Sabha in the 2009 elections, the highest contribution from any state to the UPA's kitty. As many as 65 Congress MLAs, who had won in the previous election, are now contesting as TDP, YSRCP and TRS candidates. Former Congress MPs A Venkatarami Reddy (Anantapur) and SPY Reddy (Nandyal) are now seeking re-election on the YSRCP ticket, while another Congress veteran MP R Sambasiva Rao (Guntur) is seeking re-election on the TDP ticket after his poll-eve defection to the regional party. In Seemandhra, four Congress MPs, who were expelled by the party for giving a notice for no-confidence motion against the UPA government, joined hands with former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's Jai Samaikyandhra to fight for the unification of the state. Aiming to form the first government in the new state of Telangana, the TRS virtually rolled out a red carpet for turncoats from other parties. The disgruntled leaders from other parties crossed over to the TRS in the last minute and managed to get tickets. They include two communist leaders B Chandravati, a sitting CPI MLA from Wyra constituency in Khammam district, and N Narasimhaiah, a veteran former CPM legislator.
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AAP moves EC against Ramdev's camp
In a letter to the Returning Officer of Varanasi, AAP's campaign manager in Varansi Gopal Mohan said Baba Ramdev was known to have been campaigning for the BJP. "AAP requests the commission to take steps to ensure free and fair elections," he said. Recently, the commission had reiterated in its October 2013 order that no political message should be allowed on the pretext of holding a yoga camp. "Any attempt by Baba Ramdev to participate in a public function in this constituency is likely to create a law and order problem, since people are angry due to his irresponsible utterances which have created hatred in the society," he said.
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snapshots New Delhi: The CPI(M) on Thursday accused the BJP-RSS of "systematically stoking communal passions" as a build-up to the final phases of polls in the next two weeks, especially in a large number of seats in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, said senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury. — PTI Women Cong workers protest against Ramdev
New Delhi: Women Congress workers on Thursday held a demonstration outside BJP headquarters here, condemning Yoga Guru Ramdev's "derogatory" remarks against Rahul Gandhi and Dalits. — PTI Defeat Rahul to end dynastic rule: Kejriwal
Amethi: To root out corruption and dynastic rule from the country, Congress vice-president and candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat should be defeated, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday. He was addressing an election rally in support of AAP candidate Kumar Vishwas at Jagdishpur. — PTI
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'Experts' commenting on Gujarat's dvlpt model 2 discredit @narendramodi's trck record as CM is laughable givn bkdrp of failing Indian economy — Rajeev Chandrasekhar How well did TDK know Abdul Gayoom of Maldives? I am chasing a money laundering case. — Subramanian Swamy "India pips Japan to be 3rd largest Economy in purchasing power parity". TOI. Yet BJP and their friends say UPA didn't do enough — Digvijaya Singh
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Shimla, May 1
Nainital, May 1
The BJP has fielded former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari against two-time Congress MP KC Singh Baba. "Modi wave is sweeping the country. Besides, anti-incumbency against the Congress governments at the Centre and the state is working in favour of the BJP this time," claimed Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.
Amethi/Rae Bareli/Sultanpur, May 1
Hyderabad, May 1
New Delhi, May 1