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key Constituency:
Mandi
campaign trail:
pratibha singh |
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campaign trail:
muzaffar hussain beigh
key Constituency:
Rajampet
campaign trail:
priyanka gandhi M-Y factor worries BJP in Bihar
HC relief to BJP’s Giriraj
Shahnawaz attacks Azmi
VARANASI BATTLE
Ruling clan’s antagonism continues
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It’s veteran vs novices in Cong stronghold
In country’s 2nd largest LS seat, BJP urges voters to break ‘royal dominance’ by electing a commoner instead of CM’s wife Dharam Prakash Gupta Tribune News Service
Mandi, May 2
Pratibha represented the Mandi parliamentary constituency from 2004 to 2009 and stepped in for her husband who had vacated the seat after becoming the Chief Minister.
The Congress lost the seat just four times out of the 16 times it contested and Virbhadra had won the seat with a narrow margin during the 2009 election when the BJP was ruling the state and had won rest of the three Lok Sabha seats.
Traditionally, the Mandi constituency has been dominated by Congress stalwarts such as Virbhadra Singh and Sukh Ram and the party enjoys good support from CM's pocket borough - Rampur Assembly segment - where Congress candidates have been gaining a lead of around 25,000 votes. The major issue dominating this second-largest parliamentary constituency of the country is poor and visibly no road connectivity to several tribal and snowbound areas.
CPM candidate Kushal Bhardwaj is banking on the support of trade unions, anganwadi workers, youth and students. He is trying to present the party as an alternative to the major parties - Congress and BJP. AAP candidate Jai Chand Thakur is trying to capitalise on the support for the party and its convener Arvind Kejriwal at the national level. 17 Assembly segments
Bharmour, Kullu, Lahual & Spiti, Manali, Banjar, Anni, Karsog, Sunder Nagar, Nachan, Seraj, Darang, Joginder Nagar, Mandi, Balh, Sarkaghat, Rampur and Kinnaur
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pratibha singh ‘Rani Sahiba’ eyes bigger margin Dharam Prakash Gupta Tribune News Service
Mandi, May 2 She spends over 12 to 14 hours canvassing in the second-largest segment, which is mostly dominated by difficult hilly terrain. An hour for
'puja'
Up at six in the morning, she starts her day with her daily 'puja' of an hour, which she says "is a must for her". "I have been doing it forever. It gives me my inner strength and keeps me at peace. No matter how busy my schedule is, I take out time for it and adjust my day accordingly," she says. Soon after, she discusses her day's strategy and takes feedback from her trusted staff from
Rampur, Rohru and a few Congress leaders over a simple, but nutritious breakfast, which she says keep her on toes in this difficult belt. Being the Chief Minister's wife and MP from here, her stay, halts and other requirements are well taken care of, which she follows religiously. Early starter
It's 8 am and she moves out of the Circuit House in Mandi to greet a gathering waiting outside to meet her. Hearing their grievances and taking their good wishes, she assures help, but before moving ahead for her first meeting to Duddar village, she urges them to vote for her. Reaching
Duddar, which takes her two hours, the party enthusiasts and villagers welcome her. The panchayat is dominated by Dalit population. A large number of women are also present. Addressing the gathering, the MP gives credit to the UPA Government for empowering women and how MNREGA and other schemes have helped them in backward areas. Invoking
Rajiv
She makes it a point to establish an emotional chord with women she meets during the campaigning and does not forgets to refer the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's role in giving 50 per cent reservation to women in local bodies' election. She takes her next halt at Kort Morse at 11.30 am. Here again, she addresses a gathering of over a hundred villagers. In this meeting, Pratibha talks about the role of successive Congress governments in connecting villages with the roads, opening schools and health
centres. Hailing the governments, both at the Centre and the state, she hurriedly moves for her next destination at
Majhwar. Reaching Majhwar past noon, she is aware the place is a stronghold of former Communication Minister Sukh Ram. She is greeted by over 250 villagers. In her speech, she does not forget to mention the contribution of Sukh Ram in bringing telecom revolution in the country. Later, she takes traditional
"Mandiali dham" for her lunch here. After her lunch, Pratibha addresses a small gathering at Padhiyun around 3:30 pm. In this meeting, she lists highlights of
UPA-II. She also lauds the state government's initiatives in opening the IIT at Kamand and ESIC Medical College at Ner
Chowk. She accuses the BJP of creating a media hype of Modi wave "through a section of electronic media by spending huge money". At about 5 pm, she holds a meeting at Randhara in Nachan Assembly segment. Here her speech again focuses on the development carried out by the Central and the state governments. She doesn't carry anything special for maintaining energy level and drinks tap water during the day when thirsty. She also walks to villages to meet the voters. "Many interiors and tribal areas in my segment are dangerous but I have been travelling on hilly roads to reach them. It's tiring at times as a 100 kilometer takes your entire day. But I am okay with it and try to cover as much area as I can." Her schedule is over by 9 pm restricting her to around 12 meetings as commuting takes time in hills. The segment also includes difficult and tough belts of
Kinnaur, Bharmour and Lahual and Spiti districts. Once back for the night halt, she talks to people and supporters waiting for her and retires for the night at about 11 pm, after having dinner. As her schedule is well planed, she doesn't have to worry for her next day's
programme. Pratibha Singh was elected the MP in the by-election held last year in June. The seat fell vacant after her husband Virbhadra Singh resigned from here after taking over as the CM of the state. She had at that time won with a thumping margin over 1.36 lakh votes, defeating BJP's Jai Ram
Thakur. She says, "I am well versed with the segment as I have served it earlier too. I am sure of people's love and support and will win this poll with a better margin."
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campaign trail:
muzaffar hussain beigh Ishfaq Tantry Tribune News Service
Baramulla, May 2 Despite being a separatist bastion, the mood in the village and surrounding areas appears festive. Green buntings and posters of the PDP can be seen everywhere in the village. The venue of the election rally is a small playground which is guarded by the police and CRPF jawans. Invokes soft separatism
If Srinagar is the capital of J&K, then the capital of Kashmir's history is Sariwarpora. The struggle was born from this village," says Beigh with an obvious reference to the past events as one of the founding members and former head of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Master Ahsan Dar, hails from the area. "Your struggle against the atrocities will not go waste. The PDP will ensure that you get justice," he said while giving a historical account of the formation of the Muslim-Muttahida Mahaz (MUF) and the subsequent rigging of the 1987 Assembly elections, which is said to be the genesis and the immediate precursors of the armed militancy in Kashmir. Mohammad Yousuf Shah, alias Salah-ud-Din (United Jehad Council Chief), who was the MUF candidate - an alliance of political-religious parties of J&K - also contested the 1987 elections from the Amirakadal area, says Beigh. He said Yousuf Shah was winning but Mohiuddin Shah was declared a winner. As Yousuf Shah protested, he and his wife were jailed," Beigh recounted while narrating the events which lead to the rigging of 1987 elections and blamed it on the National Conference. Terms NC ‘anti-Kashmir’
Focusing on the "misrule" of the NC-Congress alliance, Beigh attacks NC patron and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, terming him 'anti-Kashmiri'. "Farooq Abdullah had suggest a unique solution to the Kashmir problem - drop a nuclear bomb on Islamabad and Muzaffarabad. This would mean an end to this part of Kashmir as well," Beigh said, while referring to a previous controversial statement of Farooq Abdullah. After finishing is speech at Sariwarpora, Beigh's holds roadshows in other villages in Pattan and Tangmarg Assembly segments. He urges people not to boycott elections and promises that the PDP will work for the solution of Kashmir dispute. He also lists the 'failures' of the Omar Abdullah government during the past over five years of rule and also highlights the achievements of the PDP's three-year rule. He promises that the PDP will open more routes between the two divided parts of Kashmir. In his address at Sariwarpora, Pattan Mughalpora village in the Tangmarg Assembly segment, Beigh also attacked Hurriyat leaders for their election boycott, warning people that boycott will only help the National Conference and its allay. "If you want a solution to the Kashmir problem, you will have to come out and vote," he urges his supporters. PDP will work for K-solution: Beigh
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NTR’s daughter faces uphill task
Ex-Union Minister D Purandeswari is pitted against 5-time MP Sai Pratap of Congress Suresh Dharur Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, May 2 Suave and soft-spoken Purandeswari, who is the daughter of legendary Telugu film hero and founder of the Telugu Desam Party, set off ripples in political circles when she announced her resignation from the Union Cabinet and the Congress in March in protest against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. As a member of the Manmohan Singh Cabinet, she had earned accolades for her work and also the dignified manner in which she conducted herself.
Fifty-five-year old Purandeswari has an interesting set of skills. She is a trained gemologist, a Kuchipudi dancer and a polyglot. When her father NTR strode the state politics like a colossus, she was focused on her studies and domestic responsibilities while her husband Dr D Venkateswara Rao was helping his father-in-law as a key member of the TDP along with Chandrababu Naidu, the younger son-in-law of NTR. Purandeswari plunged into politics about 10 years ago by joining the Congress along with her husband. Her father was a staunch anti-Congress leader till his death in 1996. She was elected to Parliament from Bapatla the constituency in coastal Andhra in 2004 and was subsequently inducted into the Union Cabinet. In the 2009 elections, she was elected from Visakhapatnam, a prosperous coastal Andhra city. Although she was keen to seek re-election from the constituency on the BJP ticket, the saffron party did not oblige her. It fielded the party's Seemandhra unit chief Haribabu from the seat as he is a local leader who has nurtured the constituency for a long time. Reluctantly agreeing to contest from Rajampet, Purandeswari has been campaigning extensively in the constituency and seeking to strike an emotional chord with the people by invoking NTR's name. "Many people asked me why I have taken the risk of contesting from Rajampet. But I have the blessings of my father, who was like a son of the soil though he hailed from coastal region," she says. But, the BJP camp is not optimistic about the prospects in the constituency. It is because of the "lack of chemistry" between her and the grassroots cadre of the TDP which has an electoral alliance with the BJP. Purandeswari has been nursing a strained relationship with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu who is her brother-in-law. On several occasions in the past, the two leaders were locked in a war of words over claiming NTR's political legacy. As a result, it has been an uneasy working relationship between her and the TDP cadre in the constituency, despite the poll tie-up between the two parties. The friction in NTR's family came to the fore at the NDA rally organised at Madanapalle in Chittoor district yesterday which was attended by BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Chandrababu Naidu and Purandeswari. However, Naidu and his sister-in-law did not even exchange pleasantries on the dais. She did not mention Naidu's name in her address. Rajampet, which has seven Assembly segments, is expected to throw up some surprises this time in view of the altered political situation following the death of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy in a helicopter crash in September 2009. Assembly segments
Rajampet, Kodur, Rayachoti, Thamballapalle,
Pileru, Madanapalle and Punganur.
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campaign trail:
priyanka gandhi
Amethi, May 2 She gets off her vehicle and is immediately surrounded by the AAP activists, who are too thrilled to see her. Jostling to shake hands with her, they chattily interact with her. Forgetting the political barriers and the fact that their candidate AAP's Kumar Vishwas has been relentlessly campaigning against the Congress party's dynastic rule in Amethi, the young men adorning the AAP caps thank Priyanka for the improvement of local roads. Such out-of-the-ordinary behaviour is often visible in Amethi where sister Priyanka is carrying on a high-voltage election campaign for brother and two-time sitting MP Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is facing the toughest electoral fight of his political career. Amethi's strong emotional ties with the Nehru-Gandhi family are visible during Priyanka's hectic campaigning in Amethi. Almost everyone has a personal tale to share illustrating the family's personal association with the people. Forty-year-old Nuruddin, a tailor in Bazaar Shukul, remembers Rahul and Priyanka coming here as young children. "They often came with their father the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and stayed at Raja Sahib Chadhury Asad Hussain's house where I played bat and ball with them. I have vivid memories as I have seen them coming here since they were this high," says the childhood playmate, marking the height to his waist. Clad in burqa (veil), 30-year-old Raisa Bano had come to Mahona Bazaar from Bhalakpurwa village, 2 km away, on a personal errand. When she hears that Priyanka Gandhi is to address a meeting here, she stays on to fulfill her wish of having a glimpse of the Gandhi. "I originally belong to Rae Bareli. Amethi is my sasural. My sister was telling me that one day Sonia Gandhi suddenly arrived at our village of Sothi, pulled a charpai, sat down and started a chit-chat with the women folk asking them of their problems. For a minute, everyone was too stunned to react," she recalls. Raisa, another enthusiastic electorate, says, "When I called my sister to inform her that Priyanka was coming to Mahona she strictly instructed me to wait for her." Waiting at another shop for Priyanka's arrival is Zahida Banu, a member of one of the Self-Help Groups formed under Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi's initiative. She says: "I am a single mother bringing up young family while my husband ekes out a living in Mumbai doing odd jobs. These days, he does not keep too well. After becoming a member, I am entitled to take a loan of Rs 2,000 which I can repay at my convenience. For me, self-help initiative by our MP is a great blessing as I often face financial emergencies." After a long wait, Priyanka arrives at the Mahona public meeting. During the 8-km route from Jagdishpur town to Mahona in Bazar Shukul, her cavalcade was frequently stopped by enthusiastic locals like the bunch of AAP activists at Banbhariya. At the brief meeting, she calls Amethi her extended family: "Mere pita jinhe aap Rajiv bhaiya kehte the, aap ne unhe utna hi prem diya jitna shayad unhe mujhse aur Rahul se mila (My father who you called Rajiv bhaiya, and showered as much love on him as I and Rahul gave him." She recalls her father's concern and long-term vision for the region: "Woh 10-15 saal aage ki sonchte the. Yahan BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited), HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) lekar aaye. Woh computer aur IT revolution ki baat karte the aur tang nazariye walle log unka mazaaak udate the. (He thought 10-15 years ahead. He brought BHEL and HAL here. He spoke of computers and IT revolution while the short-sighted made fun of him)" She said that her brother Rahul Gandhi is also a 'doordarshi" (far-sighted) who has given a network of seven national highways as well as good road in the villages under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). He has brought in 20 new trains and stoppages in Amethi and Jais. She also lists the scores of new educational institutions and proposed Food Park.
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M-Y factor worries BJP in Bihar New Delhi, May 2 There are reports of resurgence of the Muslim-Yadav (MY) factor and its consolidation behind RJD leader Lalu Prasad. Though Arun Jaitley did not say in as many words, his response to a question on "polarisation against Modi in Bihar" made it clear that the party was aware of the ground situation in the key state "When there is a large pro-Modi polarisation, there is bound to be the other side. We didn't expect everyone to vote BJP," Jaitley said. Sources say the BJP's one-time ally Nitish Kumar is "practically" out of the game, and that the fight for Bihar is between the RJD and BJP. Modi, seniors to campaign for Smriti Irani in Amethi The BJP will lend its full weight behind its Amethi candidate, Smriti Irani, locked in a tough fight with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and AAP leader Kumar Vishwas. Modi is expected to arrive there on May 5. His rally will be on the culminating day of campaigning in the constituency which goes to polls on May 7. Senior party leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley will also tour Amethi.
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HC relief to BJP’s Giriraj
Ranchi, May 2 Justice RR Prasad quashed the arrest warrants after the former Bihar minister moved the court following rejection of his anticipatory bail petition by the Bokaro district and sessions court. The Bokaro sub-divisional judicial magistrate had issued non-bailable arrest warrant on April 23. At a rally in Harla, Bokaro, on April 18, Singh had said that those who opposed Narendra Modi would have to find a place in Pakistan. — PTI
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Patna, May 2 "Abu Azmi should get his DNA test conducted first," he said in a caustic remark on the SP leader. The BJP leader alleged that by making 'provoking' statements, Azmi was trying to 'hoodwink' minorities to his party fold. Differing with Azmi, Hussain said by voting for any party, a Muslim did not get 'jaanat or jahannum' but it made the world better. — PTI
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Cong top guns may skip campaigning
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma handpicked to oversee strategy Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 2 The two main Congress campaigners handpicked for the seat include Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik. Both are in Banaras after elections to their respective Lok Sabha seats ended. Azad is a candidate from the Udhampur seat in J&K where the polling was held on April 17. Wasnik's election concluded on April 10. He is a contestant from the Ramtek seat in Maharashtra. The Congress will also post Commerce Minister Anand Sharma in Varanasi. He was also sent by the party high command to accompany its Varanasi candidate Ajay Rai for the filing of nomination papers. Anand Sharma, currently engaged with the election campaign in Himachal, will leave for Varanasi after May 5, the last date of campaigning for the four seats in Himachal which goes to polls on May 7. As Congress' star campaigners plan to give Varanasi a miss (perhaps as quid pro quo for BJP stalwarts, including Modi, refraining from canvassing in the Gandhi bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli), the party sources admitted they had to work hard to pep up the campaign. The challenge has mounted further in the wake of reports that the RSS has dispatched 45,000 workers to Varanasi to hold public meetings in favour of the BJP candidate. Asked what plans the Congress had to counter Modi and the RSS presence, Anand Sharma said: "We do not have those many people, but we do have local strength. Our candidate is a local and he has his own supporters. As for Modi's supporters, they are mainly outsiders and can easily be spotted by their similar uniforms and makeovers. Come to think of it, even all the children in a given family do not wear similar clothes. So locals can be easily distinguished from outsiders and that will helps us in Varanasi." While the Congress hopes to gain from the "domestic" force, leaders admit they do not have the organisational strength to match the RSS presence in the high-profile seat from where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is another contestant. He is also a formidable opponent with Mukhtar Ansari's Qaumi Ekta Dal amd the JDU agreeing to back him.
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Ruling clan’s antagonism continues
"Get out, get out, you will get out immediately. The car has been ordered to take you to your mother's house." This is what the late Indira Gandhi told her younger daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi, while simultaneously ejecting her from the prime minister's residence at midnight.
That full drama minus the music took place 30 years ago in front of the national and foreign media when an ever-imperious Indira threw out Maneka, a sobbing, barefoot and much-younger widow. Today, the scenario has changed as the country emerges from two-thirds of the just-completed national election process. Yet, the core antagonism is no different from what it was once and today the sight of the Nehru-Gandhis (India's ruling clan) trading charges against each other is one of the least edifying spectacles of the General Election under way in the country. Inevitably, this has affected the image of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. The dynasty's current head, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeks to endorse her son Rahul Gandhi as her successor. But so far, Rahul has not been able to strike a chord with the masses. His recent speeches and interviews lack depth and clarity about the ideology he cherishes. His sister Priyanka, in contrast, is able to deal better with the public - first, because she revives memories of Indira and second, because she can communicate better with the masses. She evokes far more enthusiastic response from voters, but Italians are similar to Indians and prefer to endorse their male progeny. Her mother, Sonia, although has embraced all Indian practices, but still remains an Italian for extremist Hindus who are supporting BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Sonia does not like the manner in which Maneka has shoved her way into the mainstream succession of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. When Maneka's husband Sanjay Gandhi was killed in an air crash, Indira made sure that Maneka does not claim any share in the traditional loyalty the family attracted throughout the country. But, Sanjay is still considered part of the dynasty and Sonia makes sure she is present every year at the "Samadhi" or cremation site in remembrance of his death. Priyanka also showed her unhappiness with Maneka and Sanjay's son Varun Gandhi by saying that her brother "has lost the way", pinpointing his candidature on behalf of the rival BJP. She said: "He is definitely from my family, he is my brother. But he has gone astray. When a young one in the family chooses the wrong path, then the elders show them the right path, the right way. I urge all of you to show my brother the right path." In a separate retort she had said: "It is not a family tea party, it is an ideological war. I stand by the statement I gave on him because that is what I believe. I stand for the ideology which is right for this country." Varun's reaction was without venom. He merely commented: "I have not hurt anyone, be it my family. I have not crossed the line but my honesty and generosity should not be mistaken as my weakness." However, Maneka did not allow things to rest and launched a war on her son's behalf. "If he has gone astray while serving the country, the country will decide," she said when asked to respond to Priyanka's comment. The Congress continues to be the preserve of Sonia and her immediate family and Modi's attacks have been directed accordingly. Anyone who has watched Modi's numerous speeches on television will agree that he is a fluent and effective speaker. The way he derides "mother and son" indicates how easily he can ridicule the dynasty and possibly sway voters. It is a measure of how politics has degenerated that the average voter now enjoys most political campaigns for their entertainment value. Indeed, there is no mention of the basic problems being faced by the country. None of the competing Gandhis are able to take up anything serious because their attention is focused purely on placating the voters with meaningless slogans and shibboleths. The quarrel between Sonia and Maneka does not, however, dominate the political skyline. And that has come in handy where Modi is concerned. His barbed rhetoric goes down well with the electorate who are exasperated by the humdrum nature of national politics. They want "parivartan" (change) and are willing to take risks even with Modi. The problem the nation could face is if and when Modi fails to deliver and popular disillusionment sets in. Unemployment is rising, the economy is stuck and the gap between the haves and have-nots is increasing.
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Rajnath projecting himself as candidate for top job: Lalu Vajpayee like Mahatma, Modi like Bose: RSS
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Pratibha Singh, sitting Congress MP from Mandi and wife of Himachal Pradesh
CM Virbhadra Singh, is pitted against a new face fielded by the BJP Ram Swaroop
Sharma in the Lok Sabha polls.
Shedding comforts of royalty, Pratibha Singh, Congress candidate from Mandi
Parliamentary constituency, is giving her best shot to this General Election.
Back from a three-day campaign in Kranah tehsil of frontier Kupwara, senior Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) leader and candidate from the Baramulla constituency Muzaffar Hussain Beigh is in Sariwarapora village. This is the native village of Master Ahsan Dar, former Hizbul-Mujahideen chief.
As 42-year-old Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's cavalcade passes by Banbhariya village to a public meeting at Sanjay Gandhi Park at
Mahona, a group of youngsters wearing the characteristic AAP caps wave to stop her.
The contest has become interesting with Pratibha, after winning the last byelection in June 2013 by 1.36 lakh votes, seeking mandate again and Ram Swaroop trying to turn the tide in his favour by riding the "Modi wave".
Ram Swaroop was picked by the BJP when Seraj MLA Jai Ram Thakur, BJP candidate in the byelection, showed reluctance to contest this time and the party failed to rope in Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) leader Maheshwar Singh, who had won the seat thrice for the
BJP.
What weighs heavy on the minds of voters this time is anti-incumbency, price rise, unemployment, poor condition of the Kiratpur-Manali National Highway and other roads affecting tourism, road connectivity in tribal areas and failure of the state government in giving relief to villages ravaged by flash floods last year in Kinnaur district. The Opposition parties are trying to exploit these issues in their favour and planning to counter the CM and his family on charges of corruption.
The BJP candidate is urging voters to break the "royal dominance" and elect a commoner this time. He is getting good support from five BJP MLAs and is being helped by veteran BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur. Good attendance at Modi's rally here on April 29 has boosted his energy level.
Switching over to the BJP just before the announcement of the election schedule, former Union Minister and NTR's daughter D Purandeswari faces an uphill task in the Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency in the backward Rayalaseema region. She is up against a formidable Congress rival and a five-time MP, Sai Pratap, who is seeking re-election from the traditional Congress stronghold. However, the fledgling YSR Congress Party, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, may emerge as a dark horse as the constituency falls partly in Kadapa district, considered the backyard of Jagan's family.
Her sudden exit from the party, which the senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh described as "historic treachery", reflected the changing political dynamics following the division of the state. Like many elected representatives in the Seemandhra region, she realised that there was no future for the Congress in view of the widespread public anger against the division, particularly the loss of Hyderabad, which will go to Telangana after being the common capital for 10 years.
