Udaipur (Lahaul-Spiti), October 28
The voters in Pattan valley have kept their cards close to their chest expressing their equal support for all three candidates and trying to judge them.

In Tandi, voters are silent as Congress candidate Phungchog Rai and BSP candidate Dr Bir Singh Rawal have yet to start campaigning in this belt which has relatively remained neglected over the years.

Though BJP candidate Ram Lal Markande has covered his home town in Pattan valley and Mayar valleys which are Buddhist strongholds, but he faces a virtual revolt as nine BJP leaders have resigned from the primary membership of the party in protest against Markanda as “their say” was ignored by the party high command right from the beginning.

Ramlal Sharma, Hiralal Gaur, Motilal Sharma, Hari Ram Thakur, Amarlal, Amar Pujara, Dola Ram, Hariman and Dharamdayal in a letter addressed to the state president, Jai Ram Thakur, said they would not work for the party as they had been let down. “We will prove to the party that how popular is the BJP candidate in the tribal segment, they warned. Though the Congress also faces undercutting from the disgruntled Congress leaders in this belt, the party supporters of Rai are trying to rope in nine BJP leaders as he went there for the first time to campaign.

The voters here are a divided lot as has been the case in the past several elections, Dola Ram, a villager said.

BSP Candidate Dr Bir Singh Rawal reached his native village, Shansha, this evening along with his supporters to file his nominations tomorrow. The Udaipur subdivision till Thirot village was a part of Chamba district till mid 1970s, they said. But the BJP candidate Markande is ahead of the Congress and the BSP in campaigning, but Congress supporters Dile Ram, Bir Singh and Gopal claimed Rai would succeed in Pattan valley in the end.

“We are in touch with BJP leaders who resigned”, they added.

Shimla, October 28
The statement of senior Congress leader and in charge of party affairs in Himachal R.K. Dhawan that having contested as a rebel candidate would not be a bar in the allotment of tickets, has come a morale booster for five sitting MLAs, who had fought the election against the official Congress nominees.

Though the party’s stand on the issue of giving a Congress ticket to these five associate members is unclear, Dhawan’s statement that loyalty was important but not at the cost of winnability has raised the hopes of these five MLAs.

The five MLAs - Rakesh Verma from Theog, Sohan Lal from Kasumpti, Kuldeep Singh Pathania from Bhattiyat, Dr Biru Ram Kishore from Gheriwn and Subhash Manglet from Chopal - are lobbying to ensure that this time they are able to secure the Congress ticket. They feel they have supported the Congress all along and as have been loyal to the party.

Dhawan’s view on the issue came after Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Viplove Thakur had clearly stated that she was not in favour of giving ticket to those who had contested against the party candidates.

Political observers say the final say would lie with party’s Central leadership and the matter would be discussed with AICC chief Sonia Gandhi.

Bilaspur, October 28
District spokesman of the Congress and zila parishad member Jitender Chandel today joined the race for the Congress ticket from Bilaspur Sadar constituency. He would apply for the party ticket tomorrow.

Addressing mediapersons Chandel said the party high command would decide on who would get the ticket.

Chandel lashed out at BJP leader and former health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda for his repeated allegations against the Congress that the government had failed to solve the problem of unemployment in the state.

He said Nadda himself had declared that he would provide employment to at least 10 youths from each polling booth before he became minister in 1998, but forgot them on coming to power. He said Nadda betrayed thousands of youths who had supported him in elections.

Chandel also criticised the former BJP regime and said it failed to protect Himachal’s interests as it did not insist on the provision of state’s 25 per cent shares in MOU’s signed in connection with the Kol Dam Project and the Parvati Project in the state. He said the BJP should explain why it had failed to do so.

Dharamsala, October 28
The state government has issued the gazette notification regarding the opening of a new medical college at Mandi, which is in violation of the model code of conduct of the elections.

The Election Commission had already announced the dates of the Assembly elections to be held on November 14 and December 19 in two phases.

Earlier, the state government had made operational Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital in its new building at Tanda on October 17, which too was done after the announcement of elections.

The gazette bearing number 2070/GAZETTE/2007-23/10/2007 was issued on October 23. However, it was signed by the principal, Secretary, Health Department, on October 8. The number of the notification as per the official order is HFW-B (F) 4-4/2007.

The notification stated: “The Governor, Himachal Pradesh, is pleased to order to open a new Medical College in Government Sector at Mandi, with an intake capacity of 50 MBBS admissions. The Medical College shall become functional after completion of all formalities and approval of the MCI as required under the rules”.

It may be mentioned that the state government had recently decided to open a medical college at Mandi. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was eager to inaugurate this college but due to the implementation of the poll code, he could not do so. But he had promised to inaugurate the college after the elections.

Opposition parties had raised questions on the statements of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, assuming that the Congress was trying to get a political mileage out of it.

Shimla, October 28
The Himachal Pradesh Employees Confederation has accused Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of misleading the people on the issue of raising the retirement age and granting unemployment allowance for electoral gains and said these demands were outrightly rejected by him earlier.

General secretary of the confederation Vinod Sharma said his organisation had put a proposal for raising the retirement age of government employees from 58 to 60 years on the pattern of the Centre, but Virbhadra Singh had rejected it.

However, now after announcement of elections, he was saying he wanted to raise the age of retirement and also proposed to give unemployment allowance but before the Cabinet could approve the proposal, the model code of conduct came into force.

Shimla, October 28
The water supply position to the city worsened further with the bursting of the main pipeline from Gumma, near Craignano, this afternoon.

The residents will have to go without water for the next two days as the Gumma pumping station provided 30 lakh gallons of water daily, which was around 50 per cent of the total supply. The supply has been severally affected for the past few days due to breakdown of the pipeline from Churat nullah, near Sanjauli bypass. The pipeline is still under repair. Earlier, the pumping machinery at Aswhini Khad had developed snag.

The pipeline had burst at the same point two years ago also and it had taken several days to restore the supply. The daily requirement of the city is 80 lakh gallon and availability had already gone down to 60 lakh gallon due to breakdown of the Churat pipeline. With discontinuation of supply from Gumma, only 30 lakh gallons will be available now.

Mayor Narinder Kataaria said a team had already been put on the job to repair the pipeline and supply was likely to be restored in two days. He said the matter for replacing the old pipeline from Gumma had been taken up with the government and Rs 2 crore would be released for the purpose soon. 

Bilaspur, October 28
Everyone should come forward and donate liberally to the district Red Cross Society which is making efforts to provide maximum help to a large number of poor and needy people in the district.

Inaugurating the district-level Red Cross fair in Government Boys Senior Secondary School today, deputy commissioner Devesh Kumar said the district Red Cross had provided financial help worth Rs 2.03 lakh to 345 persons for the treatment of various ailments during the current financial year.

He said the Red Cross was also subsidising the cost of x-ray films and ambulance fare in the district.

He said a highway patrol ambulance service had been introduced recently by the society between Salappar and Garamora on National Highway No- 21 in the district and it was stationed at Suharghat.

Additional District Magistrate Hans Raj Chauhan and chief medical officer Dr Sharda Pandit also addressed the gathering. The DC presented a wheel-chair to Uma Devi of Baddi Billore village, crutches to Jagdish Kumar of Nalti and a cheque of Rs 5,700 to Anil Kumar of Nal Village for purchasing artificial foot-boot on behalf of the Department of Social Welfare. A blood donation camp and a baby show were also organised on the occasion.

Dalhousie, October 28
The Himotkarsh Sahitya Sanskrit Avm Jan Kalyan Parishad honoured Additional District Magistrate of Chamba Gopal Sharma with the Lok Sewa Puraskar for his contribution to the uplift of the downtrodden at the annual function of the parishad at Dalhousie today.

The Vishwa Karma award was conferred on K.K. Joshi, chief engineer (in charge), Chamera hydroelectric project (stage-III). Awards were also given to Shalu Devi, pradhan of the Kahri gram panchayat in Chamba district, and Gauri Dass Sharma for propagating advantages of flower cultivation that led to economic development of Tissa, an interior belt of the Churah subdivision in Chamba district.

Kiran Dodeja, chairperson of the Yog Manav Vikas Trust, Banikhet, presided over the function, while J. N. Barowalia, law secretary to the state government, was the chief guest.

The Parishad awarded scholarships to 56 students and gold medals to 50 others.

Prizes were also given the winners of inter-school competitions in painting, declamation, quiz and dance. Kanwar Hari Singh, state president of the Himotkarsh, also addressed the gathering.

Bharmour, October 28
The Congress has been holding a sway in Bharmour tribal Assembly constituency in the past 12 Assembly elections.

The Congress has recorded victory six times, the BJP twice, the Janta Party once, while the Independent candidates have won the seat thrice.

In 1952, Gurditta Mal won the election as a Congress candidate and became the first member of the Territorial Council of the then Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh. Gurditta Mal also won the elections for the second term in 1957. But Ram Chand who contested as an Independent captured the seat in 1962 and in 1967 elections.

After the reorganisation of the large Punjab state in 1966 merging some of its parts with Himachal Pradesh making it full-fledged state, Siri Ram won the Bharmour seat as a Congress candidate in 1972.

Again, Ram Chand contested elections as a candidate of the Janta Party in 1977 and won the seat when the wave was against the Congress.

In 1982 when Thakur Singh Bharmouri could not get the Congress ticket, he contested as an Independent candidate and won the elections. Later, during the mid-term assembly poll in 1985, he got the Congress ticket and won the elections.

In 1990, Tulsi Ram won this seat as the BJP candidate, while the seat went to Congress candidate Thakur Singh Bharmouri in 1993 mid-term poll of the Assembly.

In the same process, Tulsi Ram of the BJP became victorious on this seat in 1998 elections. Similarly, Thakur Singh Bharmouri of the Congress captured this seat in 2003 elections by defeating Tulsi Ram by a wide margin of 9,692 votes. Bharmouri secured 21,869 votes, Tulsi Ram 12,177 votes, Kartar Singh 626 votes as the Himachal Vikas Congress candidate, Ram Parsad as an Independent got 468 votes and Jaram Singh also as an Independent got 317 votes.

The present incumbent Thakur Singh Bharmouri of the Congress has been victorious four times, while Tulsi Ram of the BJP has won twice and accordingly their ‘political match’ is continuing during the ongoing Assembly elections also despite the third forces.

Kumarhatti, October 28
Since the polling date has been announced, the ruling Congress will not be able to take the credit of the Giri water lifting scheme. Had the poll dates not been announced, the scheme would have been the main poll plank for the Congress to get political mileage in this area.

The scheme conceived as the lifeline of Solan district was to be completed soon. Involving a budget of Rs 51.46 crore, the scheme will meet the water requirement of Solan town besides, 114 villages falling under Dharampur and Kumarhatti areas.

As per the IPH Department, the current population of 114 villages was estimated at around 20,207. Earlier, the scheme was expected to start functioning by October 2. The scheme planned in 2003 was supposed to meet the water requirement for the next 30 years.

It was a setback not to inaugurate the scheme before the poll, a senior Congress leader pointed out. But as the Congress will continue its tenure till March, irrespective of the poll outcome, the scheme will in fact be inaugurated by the present government after the poll result was out, he remarked. 

Shimla, October 28
Going to the polls for the first time before the rest of the state, the three tribal constituencies of Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti and Bharmour will witness hectic campaigning as this time the voters will not be influenced by the party in power, which has normally been the trend in recent years.

Out of the nine Assembly elections held so far, the polling in the three tribal seats has been held later than the rest of the state on six occasions, thereby influencing the mind of voters to go in favour of the party in power. This has been the trend in 1990, 1993, 1998 and 2003 Assembly elections. This time, however, the tribal electorate would vote before the rest of the people of the state on November 14.

Since it will for the first time that polling will be held before the rest of the state, campaigning is expected to be hectic and high-profile. All senior leaders from the state will devote enough time for canvassing in the remote and rugged areas falling under these three segments. Elections to the remaining 65 seats will be held on December 19, while counting will take place on December 23.

During the past two decades, people of the tribal areas, who had in the past voted in favour Thakur Sen Negi, a former chief secretary and Speaker from Kinnaur, and Devi Singh, a former forest minister from Lahaul Spiti, preferred to go with the party in power.

Despite the Congress being voted to power in 1967 elections, Thakur Sen Negi won from Kinnaur and Devi Lal from Lahaul Spiti, both as Independent candidates, in the elections held later. Again in 1972, Negi won, despite the Congress being in power and tribal elections being held later. During these elections, the people voted against the candidates of the ruling party, the Congress, and preferred the Independent.

However, in recent years, tribal people have shown preference for the candidates of the party in power rather than putting their might behind tall personalities. Thakur Sen Negi, who was able to withstand the Congress wave, lost the elections in 1985 despite the tribal polling being held later. Again, in 1993, he lost to the Congress candidate, Dev Raj Negi.

The 1998 elections here that were held after the Assembly elections in rest of the state, witnessed the most aggressive and extensive campaigning. With the BJP regime headed by P.K. Dhumal having a wafer-thin majority, the Congress and the BJP put in their might to gain control over the tribal seats as the outcome could have affected the formation of the government.

While Chet Ram and Tulsi Ram, both of the BJP, won the Kinnaur and Bharmour seats, respectively, the Lahaul Spiti seat was won by HVC candidate Ram Lal Markanday. Thus it was the result of the three tribal seats that ensured comfortable majority to the BJP-HVC combine.