Election panel disqualifies 18
Shimla, April 6
The Election Commission of India has disqualified 18 candidates for not filing the expenditure returns concerning elections as required under the law.

BJP Mahila Morcha attacks Congress
Shimla, April 6
Mrs Vimla Kashyap, president of the state BJP Mahila Morcha, today attacked the Congress for blaming Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the non-passage of the women reservation bill and said that the party which had been supporting governments known for pursuing anti-women policies had no right to make such allegations.

Hamirpur, April 6
BSP supremo and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati said here today that her party would contest the next Lok Sabha election on its own and there was no need to have any alliance with any party. She said the BSP was going to contest the next election on its own, and it would be a major force in India after the declaration of the Lok Sabha results. She said the party would contest 325 LS seats. She said by contesting the elections on its own, the BSP would be strengthened.

Talking to reporters here this afternoon after addressing an election rally, she said the pre-election surveys conducted by various organisations, including the electronic media, were not based on facts. She said, “Such surveys are highly manipulated and conducted by giving huge money. In the last election, the surveys had given no seat to the BSP where it had won 14 seats. This time, the party would win more than the expected seats.”

Regarding any post-poll alliance, she said let the elections be over. Everything would be decided later on.

The BSP chief announced that Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, former Congress MP from Hoshiarpur who left the Congress and joined the BSP here today, would be the party nominee from the Hoshiarpur seat.

She said the party would contest all four Lok Sabha seats from the state. It had decided to field Mohar Singh Mastana from Hamirpur, M.L. Sahni from Mandi, Colonel Shakti Chand from Kangra and Som Nath from Mandi seats, respectively.

During her 50-minute speech, the BSP supremo hit out at the majority community for ignoring the Dalits, OBCs and Muslims. Ms Mayawati said that the BSP was not a caste-based party.

In her hard-hitting speech, she blamed the BJP and the Congress for the ills afflicting the nation. She spoke about developmental activities undertaken in Uttar Pradesh under her rule. She exhorted people to join hands with the BSP to have “UP-like development”.

Ms Mayawati dubbed the roadshow of Sonia Gandhi and the yatra of L.K. Advani as nothing but shows to fool the public. She said there parties would get nothing from such shows.

Dharamsala , April 6
Union Surface Transport Minister B.C. Khanduri today claimed that a pro-Vajpayee wave was clearly evident in the country and this would help the BJP gain majority on its own in the forthcoming poll. He was addressing party workers at Gaggal today.

Major-Gen Khanduri, who was to preside over the launch of the party campaign at Una today, arrived by air at Gaggal in the morning and was received by state BJP president Suresh Bhardwaj, former Union Minister Shanta Kumar and other party leaders from Kangra.

The Union Surface Transport Minister asked the workers to start a door-to- door campaign to ensure victory of party candidate Shanta Kumar. He advised them to ensure that the voters did not stay back at home on May 10. He later left for Una by road.

Una: Major-Gen Bhuvan Chand Khanduria, (retd), on the occasion of the foundation day of the BJP asked party workers to take pledge to strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister. He was addressing party workers at Amb, 32 km from here.

Former Central Minister Shanta Kumar while addressing a big gathering of party workers said there was no doubt that Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee would become the Prime Minister after the Lok Sabha poll.

Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, former Chief Minister, said the BJP would try its best to provide one rank one pension for ex-servicemen in the country after coming to power after the Lok Sabha poll.

Mr Suresh Chandel, BJP candidate for the Hamirpur parliamentary seat, said the Congress had become a weak party and does not have any one whom they could name as the Prime Minister.

Shimla, April 6
The Election Commission of India has disqualified 18 candidates for not filing the expenditure returns concerning elections as required under the law.

According to a communication received from the state Election Department, the candidates have been disqualified for the period December 12, 2003, to December 11, 2006. They will not be able to contest any elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Vidhan Sabha held during the period of disqualification.

Shimla, April 6
Mrs Vimla Kashyap, president of the state BJP Mahila Morcha, today attacked the Congress for blaming Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the non-passage of the women reservation bill and said that the party which had been supporting governments known for pursuing anti-women policies had no right to make such allegations.

Reacting to the statement of Dr Prabha Thakur, spokesperson of the AICC, accusing Prime Minister Vajpayee of ignoring the interests of women and indulging in “double speak,” Mrs Kashyap said that the Congress was supporting the PDP government which introduced a bill in the state assembly curtailing the property rights of women.

She said that Indira Gandhi remained the Prime Minister for more than 14 years but she hardly did anything for the uplift of women.

Palampur, April 6
Despite tall claims by the state government and the Election Commission, over 35 per cent of the voters in this sub-division are yet to get their voter identity cards.  Most of the voters who had already gone through video filming of the Election Department, have not received their identity cards.

Enquiry made by this reporter revealed that in Sulaha, Rajgir and Palampur constituencies over 43,000 voters were without voter identity cards. In the Palampur constituency,  out of 60134 voters only 42,939 had received their voters identity cards.  In the Rajgir constituency, out 50792 voters only 36932 were issued the identity cards.  In the Sulaha constituency,  out of 50,027 voters, only  37,206  had received the identity cards.

Various political leaders here have appealed to the Election Commission of India to either make the identity cards mandatory or discontinue these if the Commission was not in a position to issue the same.

Mandi, April 6
Three persons have been arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged torture and subsequent death of Saroj (24), who had been married to Jitender of ward No. 6 of Ropa colony, Sarkaghat. She leaves behind her one-month old daughter. Those arrested include her husband, father-in-law Ram Dass and mother-in-law Krishna Devi.

In an FIR lodged by Ashok Kumar, father of the deceased, it has been alleged that she was being tortured by her in-laws for bringing more dowry. He further stated that Saroj had complained to the SP, Bilaspur, on April 2, 2003, in this regard.

Dharamsala, April 6
Dr Paramvir Singh Ahuja, Director, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, (IHBT), Palampur has been granted another term for six years.

According to a release of the IHBT, the CSIR headquarters have conveyed this to Dr Ahuja, who had completed his first six-year term as Director. His case, recommended by the Ministry of Science and Technology, was vetted by the Prime Minister Office.

Chamba, April 6
The GOC-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt-Gen Hari Prasad, yesterday inaugurated a rest and relief (R and R) centre at Dalhousie to provide relaxation and physical and mental rest to the soldiers working under stress.

General Prasad said that it was for the first time that such a centre had been set up by the Army, keeping in view these specific concepts in mind.