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Saturday,
February 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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PM feels
sorry for Cong, focuses on roads, rivers, rebels
Hindutva
card not played: Atal Cong joins
issue with Vajpayee |
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Virbhadra’s
motorcade stoned; 5 injured Himachal CM granted exemption Mudslinging
to deflect real agenda: Jaitley INDEPENDENTS AND REBELS Cong-HVC
fight in Mandi ON RECORD Himachal
SP releases manifesto MLA
‘misused’ house loan CANDIDATE OF SUBSTANCE Poll
preparations
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PM feels sorry for Cong, focuses on roads,
Hamirpur, February 21 Though Mr Vajpayee focused mainly on development issues, including rationalisation and nationalisation of river waters and interlinking of major towns with good roads during his 35-minute address on the campus of the National Institute of Technology, he also hinted to the rebels — especially Mitra Milan candidates — to withdraw in favour of official BJP candidates. Incidentally, it was his first public meeting in Hamirpur as Prime Minister as his previous visits to the town on the eve of the 1998 elections and again in March last year were cancelled for one reason or the other. Intriguingly, while two of its major alliance partners — the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Indian National Lok Dal — are fighting out legal and political battles over rivers waters on riparian principles, Mr Vajpayee said the NDA government was considering rationalisation and nationalisation of available river waters for their better use than allowing them to go waste. He, however, did not dwell on details though he expressed his concern over the depleting level of subsoil water and impending water scarcity. “This year, we had drought in 14 states. But because of good food reserves, the nation has been able to look after people of drought-hit states by giving them rice at Rs 3 a kg and wheat at Rs 2 a kg for families who are below poverty line”, he said. Recently, Iran evinced interest in importing foodgrains from India, he said, mentioning that the country earned Rs 6,000 crore from export of foodgrains. Complimenting Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for good roads in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Vajpayee said no previous government ever paid any attention to roads. At present, there were 2.25 lakh people working on roads in the country everyday and the Union Government had evolved a plan to interlink Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata for a gross national saving of Rs 8,000 crore in conservation of petroleum products alone. Good road network could help in swifter movement of exportable surplus, he said, maintaining that at present, the financial position of the country was so comfortable that repayment of loans had started much in advance. The foreign exchange reserves have touched a new high. Himachal Pradesh, he said, had tremendous hydel-power potential. The government was also not averse to nuclear generation of power. Mr Vajpayee said because of nuclear explosions, some of the bigger countries had stopped helping India. “But our commitment to being self-reliant helped us to get through this phase”, he said. The Prime Minister did compliment people of the district for its contribution to defence and paramilitary forces and the sacrifices made for the country. He did not refer to ‘one rank one-pension’, a long-standing demand of ex-servicemen, though the earlier Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, had announced that the Finance Minister had decided to constitute an inter-ministry committee to work out modalities to concretise the proposal. The demand, said Mr Khurana, had been accepted in principle. Mr Vajpayee came down heavily on ‘rebels’, saying individuals could not do much in a system of parliamentary democracy. Each party worker must abide by the party discipline and should accept the duty or responsibility given to him, he said. In a repeat of what he said yesterday on the first leg of his election tour of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Vajpayee decried ‘personalised attacks’ and exhorted that elections should be contested on policies, programmes and principles. Realising that Hamirpur was one district wherein all five Assembly segments had more women voters than men voters, Mr Vajpayee said, “This district — one of the smallest in the country otherwise — is ‘devi bhoomi in dev bhoomi’ (land of women in the land of gods)”. ‘’We are trying to give women reservation in the Lok Sabha as Indian democracy is free from gender bias. Both men and women votes enjoy the same value. But women need some reservation”, he said. ‘’When I look at the performance of the Himachal Pradesh Government and compare it with other states, I find it is far ahead of others, both in women education and women population. Compared to some neighbouring states (without mentioning Punjab and Haryana), the ratio of women to men is very good here,” he said. Before he ended his speech, Mr Vajpayee appealed to women, who had turned up in large numbers, to come and vote on February 26. Women responded by singing a chorus, promising the Prime Minister and his party their support. Earlier, referring to the decreasing sex ratio in the state, Mr Dhumal said that the state government had enacted an Act to ban sex determination tests and check female foeticide. This was done immediately after census reports were released last year, he said. All five BJP candidates from the district were introduced to the Prime Minister. Mr Kirpal Parmar and Mr Suresh Chandel, both MPs, greeted Mr Vajpayee. PALAMPUR:
Blaming the successive Congress governments in Himachal Pradesh for ignoring infrastructure development in the hill state, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on Friday urged the people to assess the performance of the Dhumal regime before casting their vote. Addressing an election rally at the Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya ground, Mr Vajpayee said had the Congress, which ruled the state for more than four decades, initiated development in the state right from the beginning, Himachal Pradesh would have been one of the most prosperous states in the country. “If the pace of development initiated by the BJP government in the state has to be continued, there should be cordial Centre-state relations and for this, the BJP must be voted to power in Himachal,” he exhorted the people, while addressing his last election meeting in Himachal Pradesh. Lauding the excellent track record of Himachal Pradesh as far as literacy, power sector and road network were concerned, he said the Congress had failed to harness the 21,000 MW hydroelectric potential and it was the BJP regime which had started power projects worth Rs 40,000 crore, since it formed the government. “Apart from a very high female literacy percentage, credit must be given to Himachal for keeping a check on female foeticide, which was very high in the neighbouring state,” he remarked. Stressing the need for having an excellent road network, especially in the rural areas, he said it was a must for economic prosperity. “Ever since the BJP assumed power in Himachal, top priority has been given to road construction under the Gramin Sadak Yojna and it is for the people to judge the performance of the government,” he stated. Lamenting the political degradation and mudslinging being resorted to by the Congress to win the elections, he said the BJP too had played the role of opposition for many years, but had done so with dignity, stressing more on positive criticism. “Every political party will try to woo you with false promises, so you have to be very cautious before casting your vote in favour of any candidate,” he said. Mr Vajpayee said the endeavour of the NDA government had been to create facilities and job opportunities in rural areas so as to tackle the growing problem of migration to urban centres. He also assured that all possible concessions would be given to promote industry in Himachal Pradesh, so that more jobs opportunities could be created. The Union Rural Development Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, while thanking Mr Vajpayee for providing liberal financial assistance to the state, said granting of ST status to Gaddis and Gujjars of new Himachal could be achieved only due to the support of the Prime Minister. |
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Hindutva
card not played: Atal Shimla, February 21 Addressing a press conference here, he said he would not have even touched the issue if the Youth Congress had not come out with pamphlets in which it was alleged that he had been eating beef. He said he was of the firm opinion that provocative issues should not be raised and elections should be fought on the basis of policies and programmes. He said the dispute regarding the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya was not a new issue .The BJP was in favour of building the temple and it wanted the Congress to clarify its stand on the issue. Similarly, the demand for imposing a complete ban on cow slaughter was not a new one and also not an election issue but a matter concerning the country’s economy. A private member Bill was already under consideration of Parliament in this regard. The government had set up a commission which had also recommended that a ban on cow slaughter was essential to preserve and propagate quality cattle. Replying to a question he said mudslinging and character assassination in electioneering could not be curbed by enacting a law. It was not a legal issue but one involving political ethics and conduct of the parties. The Election Commission had already laid down a code of conduct but it had to be followed by the political parties. Significantly, he did not give a clean chit to his own party in the matter and said that all parties, including the BJP, adhere to norms and exercise restrain to ensure that the level of political debate did not plunge to the abysmal depths. The Prime Minister expressed the hope that the women reservation Bill would be passed by Parliament. He said the BJP was committed to providing 33 per cent reservation to women and there had been some change in the attitude of certain parties, which had not been seeing eye to eye on the issue. Regarding the possibility of the USA attacking Iraq he said India believed that all issues should be resolved through negotiations. If any action had to be taken at all, it should be through the UN only and not at the behest of one or two countries. |
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Cong joins issue with Vajpayee Shimla, February 21 “Mr Vajpayee’s indication of a post-electoral understanding with other players and caretaker Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s expression of obligation to the HVC were admission of the BJP’s inability to secure a majority in the elections,” an All -India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesman Anand Sharma told a press conference here today. Mr Sharma also said Mr Dhumal did not rule out a post-poll understanding with other parties. Mr Sharma asked Mr Vajpayee to put forth a proposal before the Opposition leaders after striking a consensus within the ruling NDA on banning cow slaughter. Doubting the Prime Minister’s statement during an election rally seeking a clarification from the principal Opposition party on its stand on the Ayodhya issue, Mr Sharma said the party was for solution of the problem either through court or negotiations. He emphatically denied the Prime Minister’s allegations that the Congress had termed Mr Vajpayee as a beef eater, saying that the AICC had checked and cross-checked that any of such pamphlet was distributed by the party office-bearers or its frontal organisations. Mr Sharma said it was surprising that the Prime Minister had chosen to raise these issues during the election. Apparently seeking to expose the Prime Minister’s intention and sincerity on the issues, Mr Sharma said the NDA was in power for five years and the issue of a ban on cow slaughter was not raised during the period. He said the response of the Congress on the issues like Ayodhya and reference to the Supreme Court should have been brought before the in-session Parliament and not in public meetings and media. DHARAMSALA:
An AICC spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP, Mr Ashwani Kumar, on Friday categorically denied the allegations that it was the Congress which had started the politics of character assassination. Addressing mediapersons here, Mr Ashwani Kumar said the BJP believed in confusing the common man. He said the Punjab Chief Minister had only released a list of assets accumulated in Punjab by his Himachal counterpart but it so unnerved BJP leaders that they immediately started a sleaze campaign against Punjab Congress leaders. Interestingly, no such allegations had been made against Himachal leaders and this proved that BJP leaders like Mr Madan Lal Khurana and others were only trying to confuse the people, he added. Mr Ashwani Kumar said the Congress had always gone to the people with policies and programmes. He said AICC president Sonia Gandhi was on record asking her party Chief Ministers to ensure good governance so that the common man was benefited. He said this was the reason the Congress was now ruling in 14 states while the BJP’s base was fast shrinking. The mature and secular Himachal voters refused to be trapped in the hatred campaign unleashed by the BJP leaders like Mr Narendra Modi and in desperation the BJP was now trying to level false charges against Punjab leaders. UNA:
The BJP has already conceded defeat in Himachal Pradesh as it has started talking of forming a coalition government in the state. This was stated by Mr Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, while addressing a press conference here on Friday. Mr Jogi said the Congress always believed that the Supreme Court judgement should be awaited on the Babri
Masjid issue while the BJP was raking up the issue to take political mileage out of it. He said this was his second tour of Himachal Pradesh and he believed that people of the state had made up their mind to vote the Congress to power. He said the Congress would secure a clear majority in the elections. Mr Jogi said the BJP government, during the past five years raised loans of Rs 15,000 crore from different financial institutions, but failed to generate jobs as the number of educated unemployed youth had touched 11 lakh in the state. NURPUR:
Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab Chief Minister, on Friday alleged that the Vajpayee government at the Centre and the Dhumal government in Himachal Pradesh had failed on all fronts. While addressing a well-attended Congress rally in support of the party candidate and former PCC chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, at Rehan, near here, Capt Amarinder Singh accused the NDA government of failure to contain inflation. He said the national security had been endangered during the NDA regime as its foreign policy had proved to be a failure. The Punjab Chief Minister said the WTO treaty signed by the Vajpayee government had started showing-bad results. The Indian industry and the farming community were the worst affected.
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Virbhadra’s motorcade
stoned; 5 injured Mandi, February 21 When contacted today Mr Virbhadra Singh said he was not hurt as Youth Congress workers cordoned him and people rushed to the scene of incident forcing the hooligans to retreat. Condemning the violence allegedly being indulged in by the BJP he said it only indicated their frustration as they were foreseeing their defeat in the coming elections. The Election Commission would also be informed about the incident. Mr Satinder Pal Singh, SP, said the police had registered two FIRs in which over 15 persons had been named. Hooligans had parked two cars on the road causing a traffic jam at a bridge near Lad Bharol and were not allowing residents of Neri Langna to come to the venue of the Congress rally. ASI Prem Singh and others prevailed upon the crowd to clear the road. Later in the evening when Virbhadra Singh and his motorcade was going to the venue of the rally, hooligans reassembled and stoned the cars. |
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Himachal
CM granted exemption Chandigarh, February 21 Issuing the directions on a petition filed by Mr Dhumal, the High Court also issued notice of motion to the respondents. The case will now come up for further hearing on March 11. Challenging the maintainability of the criminal complaint filed against him by Congress (I) worker Bal Bhushan Sharma under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, Mr Dhumal, in his petition, had earlier alleged that the complainant had neither the locus standi, nor the cause of action, to file the case against him. Even as per the complainant’s own submissions, the allegations had been levelled against Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and another, not against him. Giving details, senior advocate appearing on Mr Dhumal’s behalf asserted that only an aggrieved person had the right to file a case for criminal defamation under Section 199 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. He added that not only was the criminal complaint liable to be quashed, but also the summoning orders passed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate on February 14. Seeking directions for quashing the entire proceedings arising out of the criminal defamation complaint against Mr Dhumal as it was non-maintainable in law, counsel added that the intention behind the filing of the same was more political in nature than legal. It may be recalled that the Chief Judicial Magistrate, after taking up the complaint, had asked Mr Dhumal to appear in the court on February 22. |
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Mudslinging
to deflect real agenda: Jaitley Shimla, February 21 Addressing a press conference here, he said the Congress had been from the day one trying to sidetrack the real issues of performance of the Dhumal regime and the contribution of the Vajpayee Government in accelerating the pace of development in the hill state. Unfortunately, it relied heavily on character assassination and falsehood to achieve its objective which took the level of political debate to a new low. The Congress was on a weak wicket on these issues as its governments at the Centre handed out stepmotherly treatment to the state for over 45 years. Mr Vajpayee nurtured the state caring as a guardian and granted liberal financial assistance, besides sanctioning some mega projects to help exploit the state’s hydel power potential and improve the road network. |
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INDEPENDENTS AND REBELS Shimla: While the presence of rebels of major political parties in the fray has become a usual feature during elections, it is for the first time that such a large number of them have entered the electoral arena. Although rebels of the BJP and the Congress, contesting as Independents or candidates of other parties, are in the field in 14 of the 17 Assembly segments falling under the Shimla parliamentary constituency, they are among the front-runners in six seats and in a position to tilt the scales in some others. Mr Rakesh Verma (Theog), Mr Mohinder Sofat (Solan), Mr Lakhwinder Rana (Nalagarh), Mr Sohan Lal (Kasumpati), Mr Karnesh Jang (Paonta) and Mr Jagat Singh Negi (Shilai) are among the potential rebels who are giving the official party candidates a run for their money. It may not be a surprise if the rebels, who have pushed the official candidates to the third place in some seats in the first phase of electioneering, may even make it to the winning post. Mr Rakesh Verma, who humbled Mrs Vidya Stokes, the pradesh Congress committee chief, in the Theog constituency in 1993, resigned from the BJP on poll eve to contest as an Independent. He lost to Mrs Stokes in the last elections by about 6,000
votes. With Mrs Stokes shifting to the adjoining Kumarsain, he is facing Mr Rajinder Verma (Congress ) and Mr G.S. Chandel (BJP ). Another BJP rebel, Mr Mohinder Sofat, is giving sleepless nights to the official party candidate, Dr Rajiv Bindal, in the Solan seat. Mr Sofat lost to Maj Krishna Mohini of the Congress by 26 votes in the 1998 elections. However, Major Mohini was unseated and Mr Sofat, who was denied the party ticket in the by-election, revolted and expelled from the party. In the Nalagarh seat, it is again a BJP rebel, Mr Lakhwinder Rana, who is posing a stiff challenge to Mr H.N. Singh (BJP ) and Rani Sukriti (Congress). Similarly, in Shilai Mr Jagat Singh Negi, a BJP rebel, has engaged the sitting Congress legislator, Mr Harsh Wardhan, and Mr Dalip Singh (BJP ) in a grim triangular fight. Mr Negi won the seat in 1990 as a Janata Dal candidate, but later joined the BJP. In the neighbouring Paonta seat, the Congress rebel, Mr Karnesh Jang, who is contesting as a Him Loktantrik Morcha candidate, is giving anxious moments to the sitting Congress legislator, Mr Rattan Singh. Mr Soukh Ram of the BJP stands to gain from the division of Congress vote. In the Doon seat, Mrs Vinod Chandel, a Congress rebel, is in the arena as the Him Loktantrik Morcha candidate. She has made the contest a hot one for Mr Lajja Ram, the sitting Congress MLA, who has won from the seat thrice. In the Chopal constituency, apart from Mr Arun Bhandari, a Congress rebel, an influential Independent, Mr Dr Subhash, are posing problems to the two major parties. Mr Sohan Lal, a Congress rebel, is making life difficult for Mr Chiranji
Lal, the official Congress nominee. Only two days ago, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the in charge of the Congress campaign committee, issued an appeal to the electorate in favour of Mr Chiranji Lal to dispel the impression the rebel enjoyed his supports. Interestingly, the rebels of the two faction-ridden parties have been claiming the support of the one group or the other and their assertions are not without basis. It is largely because of the intense infighting in the two parties that so many rebels have jumped into the fray. Even the PCC chief, Mrs Stokes, is facing a rebel, Dr Pramod Sharma, in the Kumarsain constituency. In Arki, both parties are facing rebels, Mr Ram Chand Pal (BJP) and Mr Gurdass (Congress). |
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Cong-HVC fight in
Mandi Mandi:
Former Union Communications Minister, Sukh Ram is looking forward to a chance to play a key role in the formation of the next government of Himachal Pradesh after the Vidhan Sabha elections. Mr Sukh Ram is seeking re-election from his old constituency of Mandi (Sadar), from where he and his son Anil Sharma, have won many a political battle in the past. Five years ago, when he was in the thick of the telecom scandal, he won from the constituency, polling 25,656 votes, constituting 64.63 per cent of the total valid votes cast in the constituency. His nearest BJP rival Kanhaiya Lal could secure only 6,667 votes while his Congress opponent Durga Dutt Thakur could muster only 6,285 votes and forfeited his security deposit. This time, Mr Sukh Ram is facing, among others, Mr Durga Dutt Thakur (Congress) and Rani Kiran Kumari (BJP). While Mr Thakur is an old-timer, Rani Kiran Kumari is a political novice. Initially not keen on contesting from Mandi, since the party has given her the ticket, she has decided to make a fight of it. But Mr Sukh Ram says his main fight in the constituency is with the Congress rather than the BJP. “I treat Rani sahiba as my daughter. Her father was a great friend of mine. Therefore, I do not say anything against her in my poll rallies. I concentrate on the Congress for its various acts of omission and commission,” he says. The HVC leader says he is looking for a bigger role for his party in the post-election scenario in the state. “I am sure that our party, which is contesting 50 Assembly constituencies, will be able to win a sizeable number of seats,” he says. “If things work out well, we will be able to do a Jammu and Kashmir in Himachal Pradesh and form our own government with the Congress or the BJP supporting us from the outside,” he says. He recalls that in 1998, when the HVC had just come into being, it was stated by many that the HVC would not be able to open an account in the Assembly. “The HVC secured 12 per cent votes statewide and 32 per cent of the votes cast in my home district of Mandi. Now we have a statewide infrastructure and will be able to put up a much better performance during the elections,’’ he says. He points out that the presence of a large number of Congress and BJP rebels in the electoral arena has made the task of HVC candidates much easier. “They will be spoiling the votes of their parent parties,” he says. Mr Sukh Ram says he is not worried about the outcome of the Mandi (Sadar) election. “I have so far fought 11 elections. My style is that I just hold one party workers meeting in the constituency and then move elsewhere in the state to campaign in other areas. This is just what I am doing this time also,” he says. |
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ON RECORD Mandi: At 75, former Union Communications Minister and now HVC supremo, Sukh Ram, is still mentally and physically very agile. He gets up at 5.30 in the morning even if he had gone to bed late the previous night. He spends the next one-and-a-half hours doing yoga, followed by a body message. Then comes bath and breakfast and he is ready to face the world. He generally addresses his first poll rally of the day around 10.30 am. Excerpts from an interview conducted at his residence in Mandi: Q:
The HVC is contesting 50 seats in Himachal Pradesh. How many seats do you think your party will bag? A:
I have toured the entire state and I can say that we are very strong in Mandi district, which is my home district. We can walk away with as many as eight out of 10 seats. We will win seats in Kangra and Chamba districts also. Elsewhere, we will give a good fight. Q:
What sort of role do you see for HVC in post-poll Himachal? A:
Neither of the two major players, the BJP and the Congress, will be able to get a clear majority. They will have to come to us to form a government. We will see whom to support. Q:
You had indicated that you were keen on having a pre-poll alliance with the Congress which could not materialise for some reasons. Does it mean that you are inclined towards the Congress rather than the BJP whom you lent support and help to run a government for five years? A:
No. I am fighting both Congress and BJP. Although I lent all support to the BJP but its leaders, especially the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has done everything possible to run me down and finish me politically. I will not accept him as the next Chief Minister of the state at any cost. Q:
Serious charges have been made by the Congress against Mr Dhumal. What do you think of them? A:
The Chief Minister’s office is a sensitive post. If charges are being levelled against the Chief Minister himself, he must come clean and offer to face an impartial enquiry. |
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Himachal
SP
releases
manifesto Shimla, February 21 “The party was contesting 35 seats along with the Him Lok Tantrik Morcha and was confident of emerging a third force in the state to enable the secular forces to form a government,” the Samajwadi Party in charge of Himachal Mr Ram Asre Sharma said here today while releasing the party’s manifesto. The manifesto says the party would make efforts to ensure food, clothing, housing, free education, medicare and employment to all in the state. The manifesto promised the setting up of fast-track courts exclusively for ex-servicemen and those in service to expeditiously deal with their cases, which have been mounting in the state. While promising employment to one person in each household, the party said an employment guarantee scheme would be launched in the state. It also promised 27 per cent reservation to the other backward classes. |
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MLA ‘misused’ house loan Dharamsala, February 21 In a representation to the Himachal Governor, Mr Suraj Bhan made public here today, Mr Jagjiwan Paul alleged that Mr Parmar had availed a low interest loan of Rs 6 lakh for the construction of the house and pledged his land measuring 0-03-54 hectares in Khasra number 191 situated in Mohal Rada, Mauja Nanaun in Palampur. According to the complaint, no house had been constructed on the above land. Jagjiwan Paul has appealed to the Governor that the MLA was covered under the rules applicable for public servants and as such while steps should be taken to recover the said amount, action should be initiated against him under law for the misuse of funds. |
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CANDIDATE
OF SUBSTANCE MR Des Raj Sharma, who was a member of the 1962 Asian Games silver medalist Indian volleyball team, is perhaps the only international sportsman in the fray for the February 26 Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. An urge to serve people by cleansing politics of rampant corruption motivated him in 1996 to put in his papers as Superintendent of Police two years before his superannuation. And for the past couple of years, he has been into active politics, initially as the spokesperson of the HVC, and now as convener of the “Himachal Mitra Mandal”, a cadre-based breakaway group of the ruling BJP. Mr Des Raj Sharma is contesting from the Shimla Assembly seat as an independent and is claiming credit for “bringing all 32 Independent candidates” together to contest the coming elections from a joint platform with a “common minimum programme”. “This is perhaps unprecedented in the history of Himachal that all Independent candidates have a pre-poll alliance,” he says, claiming himself to be the “son of the soil” coming from the family of a marginal farmer, who with his “sheer hard work, determination and clean record earned a name not only in the field of sports but also as a police officer and a public man”. “It was I who had helped Mr Sukh Ram to come out of his deep bout of depression and organised a massive rally at Mandi to pave the way for his comeback in politics after the telecom scam virtually finished his political career. I worked hard for him and the HVC. But he let me down.” “Subsequently, when the Nationalist Congress Party decided to field me as its candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, the HVC men again got my ticket cancelled. I learnt my initial lessons in politics the hard way. It is why I decided to contest as Himachal Mitra Milan — otherwise Independent — candidate from Shimla. |
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Poll preparations Bilaspur, February 21 He said 46 polling stations had been identified as “hypersensitive” and 49 others as “sensitive” in the district. Meanwhile, the District Magistrate had banned opening of liquor shops and sale of liquor from February 23 morning to February 27 morning in the district. |
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Network of 1,155 wireless systems SHIMLA: Mrs Manisha Nanda, the Chief Electoral Officer, said on Friday that all arrangements had been made for conducting free and fair elections in the state. She said in the first phase elections to 65 Assembly constituencies would be held on February 26. Out of 5,934 polling stations to be set up in the state 548 had been identified as hypersensitive and 1,018 as sensitive, she added. She said a network of 1,155 wireless systems would work round-the-clock to ensure free flow of information concerning elections. Separate control rooms had been set up at 12 districts and 46 subdivisions/tehsil headquarters to receive and send information regarding movement of polling parties, she added. OC Bairagi Maha Mandal to back Cong Poster war picks up |
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Kelkar report Shimla, February 21 |
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