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Poll
First Round — Faridabad
Muslim-dominated area in time warp
Corruption agitates voters in Sirsa
Punjabis hold the key in Panipat
Kambojs, BCs crucial
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Haryana Assembly Poll
— YAMUNANAGAR
Yamunanagar, January 23 The seat has always been represented either by a Punjabi or Brahmin. Out of the 10 elections held for the seat so far, the voters have chosen a Brahmin candidate five times. Except for the 2002
by-election, the seat has been retained either by the Congress or the BJP. Yamunanagar is the largest seat in the district in terms of number of voters with more than 1.43 lakh persons expected to cast vote on February 3. There are 160 polling booths out of which, 32 are sensitive. There are 36 panchayats and 44 villages in the constituency. There are 11 candidates in fray for the seat. The main contest is likely to be among, Ms Krishna Pandit of Congress, Mr Ghan Shyam Dass of BJP and Mr Sahib Singh of INLD. Jagadhri:
The fight for the Jagadhri seat from 1967 to 1991 had been restricted between two doctors, Dr Om Parkash and Dr Brij Mohan. Dr Om Parkash won the seat four times -once as an Independent candidate, then on the ticket of the Jan
Sangh, the HVP and the Congress. There are 10 contestants for the seat. The main contest, however, is expected between Mr Subhash Chaudhary of the Congress, Mr Rameshwar Chauhan of the BJP, Mr Rajiv Kaku of the BSP and sitting MLA Mr B.L Saini (who had won the seat on a BSP ticket) of the INLD. Sadhaoura (Reserve- SC): Except for the joint candidate put up by the INLD - BJP combine in 2000 elections (Mr Balwant Singh of INLD won), voters of the area have always been electing candidates of opposition parties. Mr Deep Chand, who had contested the last elections on Congress ticket from Sadhaura, is contesting this time as an Independent candidate. Political observers believe that he could upset the calculations of the official Congress candidate Mr Ramji Lal. The BJP had fielded Mr Datta Ram. The sitting MLA of the INLD, Mr Balwant Singh, is also in fray. A total of nine candidates are contesting the elections. Radaur (Reserve): None of the MLAs elected from the Radaur seat had been ever made a minister in the state. This is the smallest seat as far as number of voters are concerned. The Congress has not been able to win the seat during the past eight elections. However, the party had won the first four elections.. This seat consisting of 216 villages has 1,21,375 voters including 65,229 male voters. About 50,000 voters belong to backward classes. A rebel Congress candidate Master Ram Singh is ‘sure’ to make dents in the votes of Congress. The Congress has fielded a two-time MLA Mr Lehri Singh from here. The BJP has fielded a new face Mr
ĚKrishan Bedi. The INLD candidate Mr Ishwar Singh Palaka is also contesting assembly elections for the first time. There are 12 candidates in the fray. Chhachhrouli: This time a four-cornered contest between the Congress, the INLD, the BJP and the BSP is likely on the seat. The BJP has once again fielded Mr Kanwar Pal, who had resigned from the Assembly last year on the SYL issue. INLD candidate and former minister Akram Khan and Congress nominee Hazi Fitrat Ali are poised to give him a tough fight. Mr Arjun Singh, who had contested the last elections on HVP ticket ,this time is facing the public on a BSP ticket.
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Poll
First Round
— Faridabad
Nearly all constituencies of Faridabad district have old and new faces trying their luck this time. While the Congress has fielded two first-timers in the district, it has decided to retain at least four old faces, which include two sitting MLAs. The BJP and the ruling INLD are also trying both fresh and experienced to raise their tally. One of the sitting INLD, MLAs who had deserted the party recently following the denial of the party ticket, has been lucky to get the BJP nomination from one of the constituencies here.
While the Congress has brought Mr A.C.Chaudhary, a former Minister from the all-important Faridabad (NIT) segment, the BJP has retained the sitting MLA, Mr Chander Bhatia from here, who was once in the news for his “closeness” with Chief Minister and INLD Supremo, Om Prakash Chautala. The INLD has, however, brought Mr Attar Singh, its District President and Mayor of the town. The Samajwadi-Party has fielded Mr Shailender Singh, a journalist. In Mewla Maharajpur, one of the biggest constituencies of the state having over 3.36 lakh voters, Ch Mahender Pratap Singh, an ex-minister has been able to get the Congress ticket, whose main rival will be Mr Krishan Pal Gurjar, (BJP), the sitting MLA out to make an
hattrick this time. Mr Hemraj Dhingra represents the INLD here. In Ballabhgarh, Ms Sharda Rathaur, a young leader has been able to get the Congress ticket, outsmarting sitting MLA Rajinder Singh Beesla. Her supporters consider her lucky as Mr Beesla has come in her support, instead of becoming a rebel. He had won this seat as an Independent in 2000, when the party had denied him the ticket. While the BJP has fielded Mr Anand Sharma, an old face, Mr Mool Chand Sharma (INLD) is the first-timer. At Palwal , sitting MLA Karan Dalal who had joined the Congress a few months ago is the party candidate. He is trying his luck for the fourth consecutive time. He, however, had been representing the HVP and the RPI and will be fighting as a Congress nominee for the first time. While the BJP has fielded Mr Sanjay Dagar, a new face, the INLD has made Mr Subhash Katyal, an old-timer its candidate from here. In Hathin, an interesting electoral battle is in the offing as the Congress has denied the ticket to Mr Harsh
Kumar, a former minister and a close associate of Mr Bansi Lal and fielded Mr Jaleb Khan, a novice. While Mr Kumar is contesting as an Independent, the BJP has gone for Mr Bhagwan Sahai Rawat, who had left the INLD a few days before the ticket announcement. Mr Rawat had won the last election from here as the INLD candidate. The INLD has fielded Mr Azmat Khan, a two time former MLA. In Ferozpur Zirka, Nuh and Pataudi, the three prominent constituencies of the Mewat region family politics and connections seem to have worked well. While Mr Aftab Ahmed, son of former MP, Khurshid Ahmed is the Congress candidate from Nuh, Mr Hamid Hussain, sitting MLA, and a brother of Tayyab Hussain is the INLD nominee. Mr Azad Mohammed, a former MLA is the Congress candidate from Zirka, while the BJP has fielded a Hindu and a first-timer there. At Pataudi, a reserved segment, the (SC) candidates of all main parties are new faces.
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Tainted Cong nominee aims at sixer
Panipat, January 23 Charges have also been framed in these cases filed against her in four police ranges of Rohtak, Gurgaon, Ambala and Hisar. When contacted, Parsanni Devi admitted that four cases of corruption had been filed against her and they were being heard by the special courts. However, she said these cases were politically motivated. However, the BJP is also not lagging behind in giving ticket to its tainted leader. It has made tainted Kartar Singh Bhadana its nominee from Sohna. With this, the number of tainted candidates of major political parties in Haryana Assembly elections has risen to three. Trying her luck for the 10th time, Parsanni Devi, who had won five out of total nine elections contested so far, is keen to hit a sixer of her victory. However INLD candidate Ramratti Jaglan is standing on the Naulatha boundary to catch her and to open her own account. While BJP candidate Balwan Sharma and BSP contestant Jagbir Arya, a rebel of BJP, are making their efforts to make the contest four-cornered, however the preliminary survey of the constituency indicates a direct contest between Parsanni Devi and Ramratti. Ramratti has been given ticket after its denial to Haryana Vidhan Sabha speaker Satbir Singh Kadian, who represented this constituency three times in 1987, 1991 and 2000.
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Muslim-dominated area in time warp
Nuh, January 23 The sign of “emergency” in Hindi and Urdu revealed that it is a hospital -the multi-crore, multi-speciality and modern Al-Afia General Hospital, Mandikera. A closer look inside the emergency shows the place is almost deserted. Barring two student nurses manning the counter of the
three-storied hospital, a peon and a security guard, there is none in sight. A lone patient and his attendant is sitting on one of the 50 beds in the hospital, constructed by the government with the help of Rs 10 crore donated by the King of Oman some years back. Just an hour's drive from the swank shopping malls and the state-of-the-art office complexes of MNCs and call centres in Gurgaon, the filth and squalor in the villages of this area point an accusing finger towards the neglect of this most backward region of the country’s most progressive states. Most of the leaders in the area are from the minority community and have been representing the region in the state Assembly and Parliament. Al-Afia hospital has only one staff nurse as against the total strength of 24 posts. All five posts of nursing assistants are vacant. Instead of 12 medical officers, besides a senior medical officer and a dental surgeon in the hospital, six are on duty. The rest are on leave or vacation or deputation. There is an x-ray machine, but no technician to operate it since the past three
months. The posts of radiographers are lying vacant and only one of the sanctioned five posts of lab technician is filled. Mohammad Asad , a resident of the biggest village in the region, Ghasera, says the hospital gets only about three patients, per day per
doctor. "Last year, not even a single patient was admitted to the hospital. Most of the sophisticated machines have been sent to Gurgaon.” Except for Haryana Roadways buses, vehicles belonging to other state governments do not stop
here. With the health infrastructure at such an abysmal low, it is not surprising that most of the women and children of the area are suffering from malnutrition and anaemia. Sources in the Mewat Development
Agency (MDA) say the prevalence of TB is high in the area. Despite community health centre at each of the four major points in the region, Nuh, Touru, Hathin and Ferozepur Jhirka, and 15 primary health centres, 76 sub-centres, health services in the region are bad. " People in the area are very conservative and scared to go to government hospitals, " says the MDA official. According to Naseem Ahmed, a social activist in Nuh, neither religious nor political leaders have bothered to free people of their social backwardness. “Blame it on the apathy of consecutive state governments, officials or illiteracy in the region, the fact is the health services in the region are pathetic. And for politicians, whether from the INLD, or the Congress or any other party, the people here are merely a minority votebank, to be visited for encashment after every five years,” he adds.
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Developing Guhla his poll plank
Cheeka (Guhla), January 23 Congress candidate Dillu Ram, who has been an MLA in 1982 and 1996, says that issues like power, water and roads are being highlighted by him during his campaign. “During my previous tenures, I had carried out considerable work and there was improvement in the constituency, but now the area has fallen on bad days,” he says. Mr Dillu Ram, who is the national general secretary of the Bazigar Banjara Congress cell, says that four substations, including a 220 KV substation at Cheeka, had been established during his tenure. “There is a requirement for granting further subsidy on water supply. It will help in
irrigation and will bring prosperity to farmers,” he says. He says that making available tractor loans on easier instalments is a priority. “We are taking up issues concerning the farmers. We are with the underprivileged sections of society.” “In education, I will ensure that there is marked improvement in the school infrastructure. More high schools are needed here,” he says. They will also be paying attention to the health sector, he adds. Better health facilities promised The BJP candidate, Mr Shamsher Singh, who is contesting from Guhla for the first time, says that overall development of this Assembly constituency will be his priority. Link roads are in a bad condition, attention has not been paid to water availability in minors and education and health facilities are lacking in this segment, he says, adding that more “than a dozen villages are receiving water which is unfit for drinking.” “The Chautala government has ignored Guhla and that is the reason behind poor development here. The policies of the INLD government has been anti-people. We are taking up the issue of backwardness of Guhla and we promise to bring about a sea-change in the area,” he claims. Mr Shamsher Singh, who is an ex-serviceman, says that no repair of the minors have been carried out by successive governments and farmers are paying a heavy price. “Twenty villages near Ghaggar are flood-prone and steps are needed to prevent flooding,” he says. Medical facilities in that segment also need to be improved. “The government hospital needs to be upgraded” he says. The BJP has never won from Guhla, but he is confident of his victory. Banking on development Former MLA Boota Singh is banking upon the work done by the Chautala government to ensure the victory. Mr Boota Singh had become the youngest MLA at the age of 25 in 1987. The sitting INLD MLA, Mr Amar Singh, has been denied ticket. Mr Boota Singh, who did not contest the elections after his victory in 1987, is in the fray for the second time. Mr Boota Singh says that unprecedented development work had taken place in Guhla ever sine the Chautala government came to power. “I promise to carry forward the development work. There will be more schools and I am keen to set up some technical institute. Facilities at the Civil Hospital will be improved,” he says. “I will be giving top priority to the issue of water availability in minors. A technical survey has already been carried out and it only needs to be implemented. I am determined to remove backwardness in the area,” he says. Mr Boota Singh, who is a law graduate, says that he was confident of victory since the electorate was aware of the performance of the INLD government. “People know that the Congress had failed to live up to its promises. While the Congress never paid attention to Guhla, the INLD had laid emphasis on developing this area,” he claims. |
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Corruption agitates voters in Sirsa
Sirsa/Fatehabad, January 23 A random visit by this correspondent in eight Assembly constituencies of the Sirsa parliamentary segment revealed a sharp division between the hardcore supporters of the INLD and the opponents. Sirsa is considered as the political hot seat of the INLD right from the era of late Devi Lal. There are nine Assembly segment in the Sirsa Parliamentary constituency in these districts namely, Sirsa, Rori, Ellanabad (SC), Darban Kalan and Dabwali (SC) in Sirsa district whereas Fatehabad, Ratia (SC), Tohana and Bhattu Kalan are in Fatehabad district. The entire belt has agriculture-based economy with no industry in these two districts. Cotton, wheat and mustard are the main crops in the area and the farmers here do not complaining much about the scarcity of water, electricity, urea and other civic amenities. Political corruption in the state is the issue and the voters are keen to discuss on the issue. They discuss allegations of opposition parties levelled against the government. Though a number of villagers swear by the development done in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts but are negative due to the ill-conceived development projects. The state government started a sugar mill in 2001 that proved as a non-starter as the soil here is not fit for sugarcane. Whatever sugarcane crop is cultivated in Fatehabad area is sufficient in the local mill at Bhuna,’’ says Bishan Chand, a farmer. Interestingly, distance between the two mills is just 70 km and farmers fail to see a reason behind the project. Another dream project of the state government, Chaudhary Devi Lal university is also a point of the talk among voters in Sirsa. Residents are looking for the reason behind the non-appointment of a regular Vice-Chancellor even after two years of its establishment.
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Punjabis hold the key in Panipat
DOMINATED by the voters of the Punjabi community the Panipat constituency is witnessing four-cornered contest. While as much as 12 candidates, including Subash Chander (BSP) are in the fray, however the survey indicate that the contest will be among the Congress, the BJP, the INLD and an Independent Om Prakash Jain.
Three of the prominent contestants — former Transport Minister Balbir Pal Shah (Congress), the President of the Municipal Council Sanjay Bhatia (BJP) and the Chairman of Improvement Trust Kasturi Lal Ahuja (INLD) belong to the Punjabi community, whereas former state Minister for Education and Tourism Om Prakash Jain (Independent) is a non-Punjabi. The dominance of Punjabi voters may be gauged from the fact that eight of the nine candidates elected from this seat after the creation of separate Haryana state were from the Punjabi community, whereas a non Punjabi candidate Om Prakash Jain could won only in 1996.While Mr Bhatia is trying his luck in the Assembly elections for the first time, Mr Ahuja could not win any of the four elections he contested in 1977, 1982 on the Congress ticket in 1987 as an Independent and in 1991 on late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal’s Janata Party ticket.
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Kambojs, BCs crucial
Indri, January 23 Mr Bhim Sen Mehta is looking for a hat-trick from here, having won the 1996 and 2000 Assembly elections. He won the 2000 Assembly elections, defeating his nearest rival, Mr Bal Kishan (INLD), by just 843 votes. The Kamboj community, along with other backward classes, basically dominates the constituency having a total of 49,556 votes. The total votes of the Scheduled Castes are 30,155. The rest of the electorate include Jats’ (11,806), Rors (6,950), Gujjars (1,147), Rajputs (4,375), Arora-Khatri (Punjabis) — 7,610,
Brahmins (10,625), Banias (2,186) votes, Sainis (7,012), Sikhs (8,058), Muslims (2,653) and others — Ahirs, Jagis, Bishnois, Christians etc. (2,066), and 116 service votes. During the Lok Sabha elections held in May, last year, the Congress polled 30,975 votes from this assembly segment. The INLD polled 12,892 votes even as the independent MLA helped the ruling party. Mr Ashok
Kumar Kashyap who contested the Lok Sabha elections on the BSP ticket and is now contesting the Assembly elections on the INLD ticket polled 16,078 votes the BJP polled 15,374 votes and the Ekta Shakti 11,774 votes.
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