Shimla, November 15
The highly politicised and thoroughly polarised government employees no longer hold the key to elections in the hill state. The myth that the employees as a class “make or mar” the electoral prospects of political parties has been exploded over the past few elections. The employees do not vote as a group anymore and go by their individual party affiliations.

A cursory look at the results of the Assembly elections indicate that the so-called “employees-friendly” governments have lost heavily in constituencies dominated by employees. The Dhumal government went out of the way to woo the employees and bent backwards to accommodate their interests. However, in the 2003 Assembly poll the BJP managed to win 16 seats but lost in almost all segments where employees were concentrated, including Shimla, Bilaspur, Dharamasla,Chamba, Nahan, Kullu, Sundernagar, Mandi and even Hamirpur, headquarters of the home district of Dhumal. Solan and Una, which it won by a narrow margin of 52 votes, were the only exceptions.

Similarly, in the 1990 Assembly elections the employees-friendly Virbhadra Singh government lost all employees-dominated seats. The Congress could win only nine seats. In 1998 when the Congress bagged 31 seats it managed to win only Nahan, Solan, Chamba and Una among the employees-dominated seats.

In contrast, in the 1993 elections when employees were perceived to be anti-BJP the party won only eight seats but out of these as many as three segments had a large concentration of employees. The party won the Dharamsala, Hamirpur and Bilaspur seats but lost the Shimla seat by a narrow margin.

The credibility of the employees’ leadership has been severely eroded over the past few years and with the once-powerful State Non-gazetted Services Federation having split into various factions there is no leader worth the name who commanded respect of the employees. The employees’ leaders have been virtually reduced to “paper tigers". The political leaders, who are well aware of the ground reality, have been using them to attack their political rivals within the party and in the opposition. The employees’ leaders show their existence only by issuing press statements in favour of or against particular parties and leaders to please their benefactors.

The reasons for the declining influence of employees’ leaders are not far to seek. They have been behaving more like political workers than trade unionists, seeking petty favours and interfering in transfers and other administrative matters. Their open indulgence in politics has done no good to their credibility. No wonder that most leaders are surviving due to patronage of their political masters and not on the strength of the staff bodies they represent.

Shimla, November 15
Over 2,000 participants from all over India, including large number of schoolchildren took part in the third Great Himalayan Run, organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, here today.

Participants right from the age of six to 70 years took part in the run, which was flagged off from The Ridge Maidan. The event was started three years back, with the twin objective to promote tourism and encourage schoolchildren to take keen interest in athletics.

Participants from Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Chandigarh took part in the run, which had three separate events for men, women and for those under 20. A special event had been organised for schoolchildren between four to 16 years, separately for girls and boys to spot talent and train these children.

Manoj Kumar was the winner in the men’s 12-km run category. The second place was won by Rakesh from Una and third by hem Raj from Jogindernagar, followed by Anil from Ambala and Anil from Jind.

In the women run of eight km, Guddi Devi from Mandi emerged as the winner. The second and third place went to Sunita from UP and Rekha Devi from Mandi, followed by Nivedita Singha and Sushma from Kullu.

In the under 20 (boys) group, Shashi kant from Delhi, Sakesh from Mandi and Nitin from Solan won the top three positions. In the under 20 (girls), Neelam from Kullu, Nivedita Singha from Shimla and Sushma from Kullu bagged the top three positions. The under-20 run was eight km for boys and six km for girls.

Infact, Nivedita Singha, a plus two student at the local St Bede’s College won the second place in the under-20 and fourth place in women 8 km run.

In the under-16 group for boys Sunil, Gulab and Ishan, all from Shimla, won the top three positions. In the girls group, Sushma and Nirmala from Bilaspur and Sapna from Shimla won the top three places.

Shimla, November 15
The Congress has denied that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had intimidated election officials and maintained that he did not make any comments on the model code of conduct while campaigning in Kinnaur.

Congress general secretary Kuldeep Rathore said here yesterday that the Chief Minister had not in any way interfered in the election process. He had already sent his reply to the commission.

He said it was true that vehicles had reached Reckong Peo to cover his visit on November 11 and 12. Due to ignorance, the security staff did not remove the beacons and sirens from the vehicles that were challaned by the district police. The incident took place a day prior to the visit of the Chief Minister.

He said the Congress had applied for permission to use private vehicle. A letter in this regard was given to the assistant commissioner.

On November 12, the CM met the election observers at Reckong Peo and requested them to intervene in getting the necessary permission. They told him that if the party had applied in time for permission, it was deemed to have been given.

He said the CM had been wrongly quoted having cautioned the DC and the SP and his alleged comments on the model code of conduct.

Chandigarh, November 15
Even as the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhardra Singh has pleaded that he was not guilty of the violation of model code of conduct, the BJP today sought the derecognition of the Congress for repeated violation of the code of conduct by the Chief Minister.

“The Election Commission should take cognisance of the umpteen violation of code of conduct by the Chief Minister and issue a strict warning followed by the derecognition of the party,” Satya Pal Jain, in charge of the Himachal unit of the BJP, said here today.

Jain alleged that Virbhadra had violated the model code of conduct several times by using the state helicopter, transferring government employees and luring voters by distributing grants.

Outlining the electioneering strategy of the party in the second phase of polling, Jain informed that senior leaders, including L.K. Advani, M.M. Joshi, M. Venkiah Naidu, Navjot Sidhu and film actor turned politician Hema Malini would canvass for the party from December 7 to December 17.

The election campaign would be kicked off by party president Rajnath Singh with a youth rally at Mandi on November 18, the national executive member said .

Dharamsala, November 15
The Vigilance Bureau has registered an FIR in connection with the use of sub-standard material in the construction of the Shah canal in Kangra district.

The alleged irregularities came to light during the previous BJP government in 2001-2002. The vigilance bureau took a suo motu notice of the news items and initiated an inquiry.

After six years of inquiry, an FIR was registered in the bureau’s police station here recently. A hunt has been launched to arrest two contractors allegedly involved in the scam, besides a few engineers associated with this project.

A senior bureau official revealed that the bureau took 13 samples of the material used in this multi-crore project and sent them to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh, which failed three samples during quality checks.

Meanwhile, when the inquiry was in progress, a breach occurred in the canal in February, 2003. The inquiry into the breach of the canal was also clubbed with the ongoing investigation.

The official revealed that two construction companies S.K. Sharma Contractors (Talwara) and Sadhu Singh and Company (Pathankot) had been found guilty in the irregularities, besides a few engineers. “The statements of all these parties had already been recorded in the case”, he said.

There were allegations that huge money had gone into the pockets of some senior officials of the state government associated with the project at that time. However, some payments to the construction companies were stopped by the government after the Vigilance Bureau began inquiry into the matter.

It may be mentioned that work on this canal, a joint venture of the Centre, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, began in 1997 and it was supposed to be completed by 2007.

However, due to lack of coordination between the two neighbouring states, the target to complete this project was recently extended by another three years resulting into cost over-run of the project, which was originally supposed to cost Rs 317.52 crore.

The canal would take water from Punjab territory to irrigate 15,287 hectares of land in Kangra district.

Keylong, November 15
Though all three rivals from the Congress, the BJP and the BSP have claimed lead in the tribal segment, which recorded over 73. 4 per cent of polling yesterday, poll pundits and party inputs reveal the ruling Congress has been placed on the defensive as the BJP has cut into its vote bank in Spiti this time.

As per inputs gathered by this correspondent from voters, candidates and experts, the main contest has emerged between BJP candidate Ramlal Markandae and Congress candidate Phunchog Rai. Birsingh Rawal could at best play a spoilsport for the Congress and the BJP.

Although “eleven BJP men” had resigned in protest against the allotment of party ticket to Markandae, he continues to enjoy an edge in the lower Pattan valley, Buddhist-dominated Mayar valley, middle-belt of Lahaul valley, giving a heady time to both Rai and Rawal.

The eleven leaders of the BJP had openly supported Rai, but it remains to be seen as to how successful they have been in making a dent in the otherwise strong base of Pattan-Udaipur-Mayar belt.

The Udaipur block, the main support base of the BJP, recorded around 65 per cent polling that has now left the BJP a worried lot as most of the disgruntled BJP leaders who resigned come from this block, party inputs revealed.

Lahaul block also recorded over 68 per cent polling where the BJP is well placed. The Congress expected to make up for the loss from Spiti, but this time the BJP has dented the Congress vote bank as “Buddhist factor” did not work in favour of Rai as the Congress has expected, sourced said.

The Congress is expecting a lead of 1,500-2,000 votes in Spiti, while the BJP is expecting a lead of 1,000 votes in Lahaul and 3,000 in Udaipur, sources said. But the BSP is expecting a lead in both Udaipur and Lahaul.

Mandi, November 15
Ruling out the possibility of a hung Assembly, former union minister Shanta Kumar today asserted that the BJP would return to power in the state with a two-thirds majority.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the party would form the next government in the state with a two-thirds majority after humbling the ruling Congress.

Shanta Kumar promised that the party would provide a clean, efficient and a transparent administration.

Claiming that the people of the three tribal constituencies, where polling was held in the first phase yesterday, had overwhelmingly voted against the Congress government, he said a huge voter turnout was not good news for it.

The BJP would raise the issues of widespread corruption, rising prices of essential commodities and huge numbers of unemployed youth in the state during the second phase of elections on December 19, he said.

About the presence of the BSP in the elections, the BJP leader said there was no room for the so-called third force. — UNI