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ON
CAMPAIGN TRAIL Election Commission keeps vigilant eye on poll costs Wresting seat from Vinod tough for Bhinder FACTORS
AT PLAY CONSTITUENCY
PROFILE: SRINAGAR
Paswan in neck-and-neck contest Stakes high for goons too ‘Vote wisely’ campaign
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Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan rules the roost in the sensitive Jat belt in the Sonepat parliamentary constituency where the turnout in rallies is seen as a significant indicator of political clout. In fact BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu was so impressed by the support which Mr Sangwan exhibited in the “shankhnaad” rally held in Sonepat in February that announced that the party would go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections. A two-term MP from Sonepat, Mr Sangwan rewrote the political fortunes of the INLD in Haryana which could hardly have thought of a break-up with the BJP. Sangwan is now running for a hat-trick from Sonepat. Mr Sangwan political career began in 1987, when he won the Assembly elections from the Gohana Assembly segment, but he suffered defeats in the 1991 and 1996 Assembly elections. Mr Sangwan came back in 1998, as he was elected MP from the Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency on INLD ticket. In 1999, Mr Sangwan won the Lok Sabha elections on BJP ticket. He defeated four-time MP and Congress leader Chiranji Lal Sharma. Mr Sangwan’s main poll plank is the development of the Sonepat constituency during his terms. He says the Central Government has given more than Rs 12 crore for the development of this constituency. The long-standing demand for a railway link between Gohana and Jind was fulfilled by him. He claims to have provided basic amenities to the people. To solve the water shortage in several parts of India, the BJP was planning a project to link all rivers of the country, he says. He promises to get equal share of water in the Ravi-Beas link canal to the people of Haryana. He is banking upon the anti-incumbency factor against the INLD government. Apprehending disturbances on the polling day, Mr Sangwan alleges that a large number of police personnel in plain clothes have been canvassing for Krishna Malik and she is misusing government machinery for campaigning. The INLD will use anti-social elements to create disturbance on polling day, he fears.
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Krishna promises to promote education
By making a rather surprise entry into politics on INLD ticket, DGP M.S Malik’s wife Krishna Malik has made Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan’s task more than just difficult. A seat which was believe to be BJP stronghold, now will witness a fight. Ms Krishna Malik’s political career is thanks to Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. She is giving sleepless nights to Mr Sangwan. She is the president of Kanya Gurukul Khanpurkanla (a body of nine education institution) since 2002 and taking care of two schools for the past one decade in Nidani. She says she came into politics to help the poor people and to get them basic amenities. She is promising to set up more educational institutes in the constituency to provide better education to the children, specially girls. She is banking on the development of the constituency and Haryana under Chief Minister Chautala. She says the INLD had spent Rs 25,000 crore for the development in Haryana. She is promising the people to get round-the-clock electricity with the completion of the seventh and eighth units of 250-MW capacity each at Tau Devi Lal Thermal Power Station (TDLTPS) in Panipat. She appeals to the villagers to give Mr Chautala one more year to serve them. She promising that Mr Chautala would do rest of pending work and complete remaining projects in the area. Denying the anti-incumbency factor, Ms Malik blames the NDA government for not providing sanctioned development fund to the state.
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Dry fruit market on Dharmpal’s agenda
Mr Dharmpal Malik may not be as much a subject of media attention but the two-term MP from the Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency has an influence in the area that cannot be ignored. The former president of the Haryana Congress, despite kick-starting his campaign later than other two main candidates (Mr Sangwan and Ms Krishna Malik), is confident of victory. He is hopeful of having touched base with his electorate. Development for needy is on his agenda. An old warhorse, Mr Malik joined the Congress in 1967. He won the Lok Sabha elections from the Sonepat constituency in 1984 and 1991, but he lost elections in 1989 and 1996. He served as Managing Director of Central Corporation Bank, Rohtak, in 1972. He promises to provide jobs to unemployed youth, to make this constituency an industrial town, upgrade educational institutions, withdraw VAT, complete the SYL canal and provide a suitable land price to the farmers whose land had been acquired by the government. He promises to start an international dry fruit market at Rai, which would provide jobs to hundreds of people in this constituency. Mr Malik is banking on the anti-incumbency factor against the INLD and BJP. He says there is nothing to feel good about anything. There is a complete failure of law and order, crime has increased manifold, dacoity and murder have become routine in this constituency. He says the INLD and BJP have been playing with the sentiments of the people. The farmers have suffered a lot following a hike in the prices of diesel, kerosene and urea and unemployment has increased. Confident about his victory, Mr Malik says that there is Congress wave in the constituency following road show by the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi.
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ON CAMPAIGN
TRAIL Srivijaynagar, April 25 The film star-turned-politician is wooing the voters by projecting himself more as a son-of-the-soil than an astute politician seeking votes. He does not promise them the moon, but his simple approach to the voters, asking them to make him a shining star of the political arena, is going down well with the masses. The drama ahead of his political rallies is palpable, as people travel several kilometres to have a look at the star. Jagnandan Singh of Balochan village near Suratgarh had travelled almost 50 km to this town to see his favourite star. “I am glad that he has chosen to represent our constituency. He is a big star and as he has fought evil forces in the films, I am sure that he will work for our uplift,” says this 56-year-old farmer. Never mind that Jagnandan, along with hundreds of other people, have to bear the scorching sun for almost two hours, before the BJP candidate comes along in his black Scorpio. Or that the BJP leaders managing the stage say on many an occasion that if the people did not maintain decorum, “ Dharmendra ji, aapko bypas kar jayenge”. The leaders try and maintain the hype by assuring the electorate that if Dharmendra is elected, “... woh Hema Malini, Sunny Deol, Esha Deol aur baki saare film stars ki Bikaner mein line laga denge”. For most people who come to attend Dharmendra’s rallies, it is a long but worthwhile wait for getting a lifetime chance of seeing their favourite action hero. In the Punjabi dominated areas of the constituency, the men, especially the youth, are unfazed about the recent controversy over his second marriage or religion, or that he is an outsider. They are all starry eyed as the BJP candidate makes his fervent appeal. “Main aapka Dharmendra aapke pyar ke samundar mein doob chala hoon...,” he begins and the crowd cheers. Dharmendra talks to them as if he is one among them. “Main bhi ek kisan ka beta hoon. Main jaanta hoon kitna dard hota hai jab faslon ke liye paani nahin hota. Aap mujh mein aur Sh Atal Bihari Vajpayee mein apna vishwas dikhayein, main vaida karta hoon, Atalji ke netritav mein hum is registan mein bhi swarg bana denge,” he goes at one after another election meeting. He does not miss out on his antics as in his typical Veeru style, as he says that he will appeal to Atalji to listen to the problems of Bikaner, and will not chicken out once he is elected. “I will stay in the constituency for 10 days a month, and if Atalji does not redress your grievances, I will climb atop the Qutab Minar in Delhi, and tell him, Atalji.... suicide kar loonga agar Bikaner walon ki samasya ka samadhan nahin kiya.” His election managers claim that the film star attends eight to 10 election meetings daily. Considering that Dharmendra has to reach out to 19 lakh voters of this constituency, and the Punjabi vote is just a small fraction (70,000 votes in the Pilibanga, Raisinghnagar and Kolayat Assembly seats) of the total votes, it will be a daunting task for the film star to win the seat in his maiden foray into politics. With 3.5 lakh of the voters belonging to the Jat community, and his opponent from the Congress, Mr Rameshwar Dudi, being a Jat, and being preferred by the community over a Punjabi Jat (Dharmendra), especially in Jaiyal, Bikaner and Loon Karansar Assembly segments, the going may not be as smooth for Dharmendra. Whether the crowds that swell at his election meetings will also vote for him, remains to be seen. For now, the electorate is happy to have its half an hour with the film star and feels on top of the world as their hero comes to them with folded hands, seeking their support.
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Election Commission keeps vigilant eye on poll costs Chandigarh, April 25 The candidates seem wary of “showing their faces through the posters”. It is not that the campaign is totally free from posters, buntings or party flags. The Congress candidates, perhaps, are yet to get their posters printed because of their late nomination by the party. The same seems to be the case with the candidates of the BJP, the Indian National Lok Dal and the Haryana Vikas Party in some of the constituencies. An exception seems to be Mr Arvind Sharma, the Congress candidate from Karnal, whose posters appeared even before he shifted his base from Sonepat to Karnal. Because he was not sure from where he would get the ticket, his posters printed in anticipation of the nomination do not carry the name of the constituency. Enquiries reveal that most of the candidates are reluctant to use printed publicity material because of two reasons. Expenditure observers appointed by the Election Commission are keeping a strict watch on the expenses incurred by the candidates during campaigning. Another reason is that the administration is insisting on the implementation of the Property Defacement Act. In several constituencies, the Returning Officers have issued notices to the candidates to explain why action should not be taken against them for violating the Act. The Returning Officers have drawn up a list detailing the cost to be incurred by the candidates on various items during campaigning. Though the rates marginally vary from constituency to constituency and state to state, an average rate for posters of full size(28” x 22”) will cost Rs 790 per 1000. Similarly handbills will cost from Rs 38 per 1000 to Rs 75 per 1000, depending upon the size. The printing cost will be extra. A candidate will be presumed to have paid Rs 100 a day for hiring a loud speaker, microphone and amplifier with battery. If he does not hire a battery, the cost would be reduced by Rs 25 a day. Cloth banners should cost Rs 21 per metre for ordinary cloth and Rs 58 per metre for satin cloth, including writing. The cost of cloth and plastic flags has been calculated at Rs 24 per sq. If a candidate wants to put up hoardings, he should be ready to pay Rs 10 per sq. mt. per month, which includes the landuse charges. He will have to pay Rs 10 per sq. ft. per month to the civic body for hiring the hoarding site. A wooden 4’ x 3’ cutout should cost Rs 600. The cost of the first copy of a video cassette has been calculated at Rs 600 and Rs 250 for each subsequent copy. Each audio cassette would cost Rs 21. If the candidate wants to erect gates or arches to welcome a star campaigner, he would be presumed to have paid Rs 10 per sq.ft. per week. One of the biggest sources of expenditure in an election is vehicles. While a jeep’s daily hiring charges have been calculated at Rs 600 without fuel, that of a truck will come out to be Rs 11,00. The daily charges for other types of vehicles are: Tata Sumo(Rs 700), Qualis(Rs 1000), car(Rs 800) and a three-wheeler (Rs 300). These charges do not include the fuel cost. A cycle rickshaw should cost Rs 200 daily. A driver’s salary is estimated to be Rs 300 per day. A candidate will pay Rs 200 for an ordinary hotel room and Rs 600 for an air-conditioned room. He will pay Rs 3 per day for an ordinary chair, Rs 5 per day for a velvet chair and Rs 80 per day for a sofa. The Returning Officers have calculated the expenses on food for the election agent, polling agents and counting agents to be Rs 15 per diet in a dhaba for each person. The rent for the election offices has been estimated at Rs 1,500 per month for a one-room set in a residential area. Informed sources say these charges are on the conservative side. Most candidates do not declare the exact number of vehicles hired by them or the exact quantum of stationery used to escape the commission’s net. Still they prefer to cut on the cost of those items which can be easily identified by a vigilant observer.
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Wresting seat from Vinod tough for Bhinder Gurdaspur April 25 Except for the Dhariwal assembly segment, which is represented by independent Sucha Singh Chhotepur, other eight MLAs belong to the Congress. They include the heavyweights like Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Mr Kushal Behal, Dr Kewal Kishen and Mr Raghunath Sahai Puri. Against the total saffronisation of the GT Road with Akali-BJP flags and banners there are hardly any Congress posters. However, the exception is the Sujanpur area, represented by Urban Development Minister Raghunath Sahay Puri. But here too, it is difficult to make out as to who is the contesting candidate. The huge posters carry a big picture of Mr Puri himself and a small passport-size photograph of Ms Bhinder, Ms Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Same is the case in the Kanuan Assembly segment, represented by PWD Minister Partap Singh Bajwa. Hardly any picture or sticker of Ms Bhinder was visible anywhere. Instead, there were stickers with pictures of Mr Bajwa pasted on walls and vehicles declaring their support for Ms Bhinder, who could hardly be seen in any of the posters or pictures. Another factor that may go against Ms Bhinder is her alleged role during the rebellion against Capt Amarinder in December-January last. She was even accused of aspiring to be the Chief Minister at that time. This is said to have cost her the goodwill of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as well. His absence at the time of her filing the nomination papers was also attributed to her role during the rebellion. However, there are some positive factors for Ms Bhinder as well. She still enjoys widespread goodwill among the masses. Her husband, Mr Pritam Singh Bhinder, a retired Indian Police Service officer is credited with having recruited thousands of youths in the Delhi Police and other central police organisations during his service. Belonging to a Jat family herself, she may also get a significant number of Jat votes from the rural area. It remains to be seen as to what extent the Akali Dal will be able to transfer its votes to the BJP.
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FACTORS AT PLAY Srinagar, April 25 Various factors are at play to decide the fate of the two main contestants that revolve round the employment opportunities, economic uplift and human rights violations. “We are not happy with the present government. There has been equally a dismal role of National Conference for 27 long years”, comments Mohammad Ayub from the Harwan area, about 20 km from here. He said the successive governments had been playing with the sentiments of the people and “not really looking” into their problems. “It is only the ground level worker of any party who would come out to vote”, Ayub, a contractor by profession said. That was reflected by the negligible response of the people during recent visits of contesting candidates campaigning in the area, he adds. For Abdul Ghani, a retired government official, the performance of the PDP-led coalition government, over the past 18 months since the change of guard was effected, has been equally disappointing. He opines that the recent marriage of Saira, daughter of National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah to a non-Muslim in Delhi, would have a negative impact towards the party. Abdul Ghani held that it did not deliver its promises on providing jobs to educated youth, who do not have any other sources of employment. This, he said, led to a peculiar problem hitting the social fabric whereby educated boys and girls do not get married for want of a “proper match”. He added that the engagement of over 20,000 teachers on the meagre remuneration of Rs 1500 was not sufficient. Against the assurances of disbanding SOG and end to human rights violations, Abdul Ghani claims that there has been no respite. He adds that people have lost faith in the present government for there was no end to custodial deaths, excesses by security forces and the SOG continued to function, though in a different shape. How could the people differentiate between NC rule and PDP rule, he questions, adding, “it is better to boycott”. Though Ali Mohammad, a Shikarawalla at the Nehru Park in Dal Lake, is happy with the present government for providing a relief package of Rs 20,000 last November, he is sore over the restrictions on constructions in the interiors of the lake. He claimed that only promises were made for the allotment of residential plots, adding that they were not allowed to make their dwellings within the lake area where they have been living since long. “We are not responsible for pollution in the lake, as we had been using its water for drinking purposes till nearly two decades ago, he commented adding that the government agencies were responsible for polluting it. He pointed towards at least six drains constructed by government agencies being emptied into the lake.
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CONSTITUENCY
PROFILE: SRINAGAR Srinagar, April 25 Both main parties are focusing on the main issues ranging from Indo-Pak relations, opening of the Muzaffarabad road, Centre-Hurriyat talks, human rights violations, demolition of encroachments in major towns and the “resolution of Kashmir issue”. It would be the performance of the PDP-led coalition government over the past 18 months that would be reflected in these elections. While the ruling PDP claims to its credit various achievements made so far, the opposition NC has been criticising the government for not fulfilling its last poll promises. Former Union minister Omar Abdullah was elected from here in 1998 and 1999 when the National Conference led by his father and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, was in power in Jammu and Kashmir. It is for the first time that he is contesting from this home constituency with his party sitting in the opposition in the 87-member state Assembly. Mr Omar Abdullah defeated his nearest rival, Ms Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP in the last Lok Sabha elections held in 1999, when the PDP contested for the first time after it was constituted. This time, the PDP has chosen Ghulam Nabi Lone, a vociferous youth leader, to contest from this prestigious constituency, while Ms Mehbooba Mufti contests from her home constituency of Anantnag. Her choice to contest from Anantnag has been mainly on the grounds that she emerged victorious from two Assembly constituencies in Anantnag district — Beijbehara in 1996 and Pahalgam in 2002. It would be again a testing time for the National Conference that faced an electoral debacle in the last Assembly elections and was relegated to the opposition for the first time since it took over in 1975 under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. It was for the first time that the Ganderbal Assembly constituency went to an opposition party, the PDP, at a time when Omar contested first from this constituency. The voting pattern in Ganderbal is, therefore, reflective of the trend in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency.
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Paswan in neck-and-neck contest Paswan had defeated Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Ramai Ram of the RJD and was rewarded with a berth in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ministry. Paswan, then a candidate of the JD(U), has joined hands with his one-time enemy RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav this time. Challenging him is former Bihar Horticulture, Weights and Measures Minister Chedi Paswan of the JD(U) who quit the Rabri Devi ministry on being denied party ticket from the Sasaram (SC) seat. The last leg of the electrifying campaigning has cleared the haze and the battle of ballots has boiled down to a one and one contest between the two. The Bahujan Samaj Party is also trying to make its presence felt and has fielded Chandreshwar Das. There are five other candidates in the fray. A drive through various Assembly segments constituting the Lok Sabha seat and talks with a cross-section of the electorate suggest that the
constituency was heading for a neck and neck fight between Ram Vilas Paswan and Chedi Paswan with the latter giving the high profile Dalit leader a run for his money. The wheel has come full circle now and the anti-Laloo votes which had earlier helped Ram Vilas Paswan, appear in favour of the JD(U) candidate. Paswan, who had made it to the Guinness Book winning the 1977 election from Hajipur by a record margin of over 4.24 lakh votes, represented this constituency also in 1980, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 1999. Paswan, who lost only once from here in 1984 when a pro-Congress wave swept the country in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, had won the last poll from here in 1999 by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes.
— PTI
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Stakes high for goons too Gazipur, April 25 For the gangsters, too, the stakes are high, because if the elections do not go the way they want them to, they stand to loose the crores of rupees they have sunk in backing various candidates. And then there is the threat of Naxal violence in areas touching the tribal belts of Jharkhand and Bihar. The spate of violence during the first phase has in a way made the administration double its efforts for keeping the April 26 round of elections as peaceful as possible. The entire region is swarming with gangsters and goons. The other day, a political activist was shot down in daylight in a busy bazar of Varanasi. The police suspects Munna Bajrang, a proclaimed offender, to be involved in the pre-poll killing of a political worker. Vijay Singh is another local Varanasi don. Given even half a chance, the police would eliminate both the gangsters in what would be shown in official records as encounters. In some mysterious way, the shadows of Abu Salem and Dawood Ibrahim have managed to cause a scare among the voters. Nine times out of 10, the mafia works either for the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party candidates. Although Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav is not as unpopular in eastern Uttar Pradesh as he is elsewhere in UP, even his supporters admit his role in in giving political respectability, clout and protection to known criminals. He has realised the importance of muscle power in winning elections. Phoolan Devi was successful in winning from Mirzapur because of the covert support of friendly dacoit gangs. Even Brahmins and Muslims who have established themselves in the field of crime usually get his nod. That is why in Basti, he has given ticket to Bhishm Tiwari. He is the son of Hari Shankar Tiwari, a dreaded mafia leader from neighbouring Gorakhpur who is himself a feared figure in the region. Mukhtar Ansari is now as well known as name as D. P. Yadav. He is contesting from Ghazipur as a Samajwadi candidate. Akhlisheh Singh’s notoriety in creating electoral violence prompted Ms Priyanaka Gandhi Vadra to ask the Election Commission to post an observer in Rae Bareli. Pratapgarh is Raj Bhaiya’s territory. Mr Mulayam Singh’s open support for him on becoming Chief Minister has sent out the message to the local administration to look the other way for helping his protege Akshay Pratap Singh in defeating sitting Congress Lok Sabha Member Ratna Kumari by terrorising voters. The situation in Sitapur is equally tense. The Apna Dal has fielded the notorious Babloo Srivastava. His goons have managed to create panic and terror among the candidates of other parties as also the voters while their boss keeps a close watch on the campaign from the safety of a high security jail.
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‘Vote wisely’ campaign Faridabad, April 25 They are being told to choose candidates with a clean record. According to Mr Ravikant, Director of the NGO, a large number of people either do not vote or waste their votes by electing those who are not suited for the purpose. He said efforts should be made at the ground level to educate voters and make them aware of their responsibility. He said the NGO had started the drive both in the urban and rural areas in this regard. The NGO would use posters, and pamphlets, besides street plays and person-to-person contact to achieve this target. It would also conduct a survey involving about 20,000 voters to know what were the issues before them and what work they wanted to be done in the next five years. The result of the survey would be made public on May 6.
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Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan rules the roost in the sensitive Jat belt in the Sonepat parliamentary constituency where the turnout in rallies is seen as a significant indicator of political clout.
By making a rather surprise entry into politics on INLD ticket, DGP M.S Malik’s wife Krishna Malik has made Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan’s task more than just difficult.
Mr Dharmpal Malik may not be as much a subject of media attention but the two-term MP from the Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency has an influence in the area that cannot be ignored.
Gurdaspur April 25
Patna, April 25