Dharamsala, December 3
The Election Commission has banned the use of SMS messages by the political parties and candidates for the purpose of publicity to attract voters two days before the poll much to the ‘displeasure’ of the mobile phone companies that were looking forward to do a good business to gain profits by providing bulk message facilities.

There were reports that some of the candidates had used this facility to attract the voters in the polling for the three tribal constituencies of Bharmour, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur that had helped them to reach the voters of the far flung areas.

This trend of using bulk messages to attract the electorate after the halt of formal campaigning, 48 hours ahead of the polling was being used as an alternate method of electioneering.

The SMS system was extensively used by the political parties and the candidates in the last Lok Sabha general elections.

The deputy election commissioner R Balakrishnan, who was here at Dharamsala today to preside over a meeting for reviewing the preparedness of polling had clarified that the political parties and candidates could use the SMS messages as a mode of campaign, but only during the permitted period of campaigning and the expenditure incurred on the SMS messages would be included in the expenditure of the candidate.

The bulk messages were likely to add to the incomes of the mobile phone companies and service providers. But now, there would be few takers for using this technology to woo the voters and the mobile companies would lose a prime business.

The EC had also made it clear that the use of SMS messages at the last moment after the end of the campaigning period, two days before the polling would be treated as an offence under the Representation of the Peoples’ Act.

The observers appointed by the commission had been asked to monitor this practice. Telecom companies had also been asked to keep a check on SMS messages that could be tracked within few minutes of its sending.

On the other hand, former transport minister and sitting Congress MLA G.S. Bali. who was contesting the assembly elections from Nagrota Bagwan held the view that the mobile phone technology had been helping the individual candidates and the political parties to reach the people in the far flung areas.

A candidate of the Lok Janshakti Party, contesting the elections from the Dharamsala constituency said the use of technology to reach the masses was a good sign of modernisation. He further added that the modern communication technologies like cell phones, satellite television, radio, e-mail and web portals apart from the print media should be allowed to be used extensively for campaigning and the conventional methods like door-to-door campaigning and holding nukkar sabhas should practically go out of practice.

Dharamsala, December 3
A senior official of the district administration of Kangra has said there was no proposal under the consideration of the district administration to set up a polling booth for people living on the Kuthera island in Pong reservoir.

The island has a total population of about 172 persons, out of which, 110 have voting rights, but for the past over three decades polling booth had never been set up here for the panchayat, assembly or parliamentary elections.

In the past, people had to cross the waters of the reservoir on boats to cast their votes at Bari village, the panchayat headquarters. This time also, they would have to do the same to cast their votes.

Manisha Nanda chief electoral officer of the state, who was here to review poll arrangements along with deputy election commissioner R Balakrishnan said special efforts were being made to set up ramps on as many as 102 polling booths for the comfort of disabled persons who otherwise could find it difficult to cast their votes.

Nanda further said Bir village of the Baijnath assembly constituency of Kangra district had 1,044 electors, out of which, more than 400 electors were migratory from Bara Bhangal village.

For the first time efforts were being made to establish a polling station at Bara Bhangal where about 48 electors would cast their votes.

The village would be about 72 km from the Bir and all members of polling party would land there through helicopter. The villagers of Bara Bhangal could cast their vote either at their native village or at Bir.

Meanwhile, both Balakrishnan and Nanda reviewed poll arrangements being made by the district administrations of Kangra, Chamba and Una districts here today.

The DMs, SPs of the three districts, poll observers and other senior officials related to the elections duty were present on the occasion.

Shimla, December 3
The stage has been set for multi-cornered contests in the 65 assembly seats scheduled to go to the polls on December 19 contestants after 38 candidates opted out of the electoral race on the last day of withdrawals today.

In all 325 candidates have been left in the fray. The following is the complete list of contestants :-

Rampur- Nand Lal (Cong), Brij Lal (BJP), Kewal Ram (BSP); Rohru- Virbhadra Singh (Cong) and Khushi Ram Balnatah (BJP), Randhir Ranta ( BSP) and Govardhan Chauhan (LJP); Jubbal Kotkhai- Nariinder Bragta (BJP ), Rohit Thakur (Cong), Bhupy Sawant (BSP); Chopal- Subhash Manglet (Cong),Radha Raman Shastri (BJP ), Harinand (BSP), Anant Ram (NCP) and Dhanvir (Ind).

Kumarsain - Vidya Stokes (Cong), Bhagat Ram (BJP), Balanand Mehta (BSP), Promod Sharma( Ind), Om Prakash Sharma(LJP); Theog- Rakesh Verma (BSP), D.R.Verma (BJP) and Rajinder Singh(Cong).

Shimla- Harbhajan Singh (Cong), Suresh Bhardwaj (BJP) and Ved Prakash Thakur (BSP), Sanjay Chauhan (CPM) , Rajesh Sharma (LJP), Surinder Singh Rajput (Shiv Sena), Liyakat Ali (Ind) and Madan Singh Rana (Ind)

Kusumpti- Sohan Lal(Cong), Tarsem Bharati (BJP), Surinder Kuamr( LJP),Uttam Singh Kashyap (BSP Ambedkar) and Roop Dass Kashyap and Manoj Kumar (both Ind), Ranjit Kumar (Shiv Sena), Roop Ram (Ind); Arki- Govind Ram (BJP), Prakash Karad (Cong), Gomti Devi (BSP), Padam Chand (SP), Ram Krishna (CPM), Deep Chand Sharma(CPI), Pradeep Kumar( LJP) and Dharam Pal Thakur and Vijay Singh (both Ind).

Doon- Lajja Ram(Cong) , Vinod Kumari (BJP), Darshan Singh (BSP), Prem Sagar ( SP);

Nalagarh- Vinod Kumar(BSP), Lakhwinder Rana(Cong), H.N.Singh (BJP), Gurbaksh (LJP), Gurnam Singh ( SP); Kasauli- Rajiv Saijal (BJP), Som Dutt (BSP) and Kamlesh (CPI) and Raghu Raj (Cong).

Solan- Rajiv Bindal (BJP) and Kailash Prasher, Rajesh Jindal ( BSP) and Dev Raj (Ind);

Pachhad- Gangu Ram Musafir (Cong), Suresh Kashyap (BJP) and Prakash Dutt (BSP),
Rainka(SC) - Balbir (BJP) and Prem Singh(Cong), Prithvi Singh (BSP); Shilai- Harsh Wardhan (Cong), Baldev Tomar (BJP), Raksha Negi (BSP) Amar Singh (Ind ) and Vandna Rani(SP).

Paonta Doon- Kirnesh Jang (Cong), Sukh Ram (BJP), Om Prakash (LJP), Kedar Singh (NCP) and Manjinder Singh (BSP); Nahan - Kush Parmar (Cong), Shyama Sharma (BJP) and Sadanand Chauhan (LJP), Sushant Singh (BSP) and Ram Kumar (Rashtriya Garib Dal).

Kot Kehloor- Ram Lal(Cong), Jeet Ram (CPI), Randhir Sharma (BJP) and Sukh Ram (BSP); Bilaspur- Tilak Raj(Cong), J.P.Nadda(BJP), Dharam Singh(LJP), Shyma Lal Thakur (CPI), Bamabar Thakur (Ind); Ghumarwin- K.D.Dharmani (BJP), Rajesh Dharmani (Cong) and Lal (BSP), Shri Ram (LJP), Budhi Singh, Naveen Sharma (Ind).

Geharwin- Biru Ram(Cong), Rikhi Ram (BJP), Sukhdev (BSP), Rajesh Kumar (LJP); Nadaun- Vijay Agnihottari (BJP ), Satish Kumar(LJP), Sukhwinder (Cong), Prabhat Chaudhari (BSP), Vijay Kumar and Des Raj (Ind).

Hamirpur- Urmila Thakur (BJP), Praveen Thakur ( BSP), Vipat Raj (CPI), Anita Verma (Cong) and Brij Lal(Ind), Hardyal Phool (LJP)

Bamsan- P.K.Dhumal (BJP), B.C.Lagwal (Cong), Surnider Kumar (BSP), Raj Kumar (LJP); Mewa (SC) - I.D.Dhiman (BJP), Suresh Kumar(Cong), Lal Singh (BSP), Ranjit Kumar (LJP) and Prem Kaushal (Ind).

Nadaunta- Vidya Zar (Cong), Nita Sharma (LJP), Yash Pal Thakur (BSP), Baldev Sharma(BJP)), Arvind Rani and Tulsi Ram (both Ind); Gagret(SC)- Kuldeep Kumar(Cong), Jagjit(Ind), Balbir (BJP), Mehar Chand(Ind) and Ashok Kumar(Ind).

Chintpurani- Narinder Sharma (BJP), Rakesh Kalia(Cong), Hari Dut(BSP) and Shadi Lal(Ind); Santokhgarh-Mukesh Agnohottari(Cong), Jagroop Singh (BJP),Vijay Joshi ( BSP) and Lekh Raj (LJP), Mukesh Chand(Ind); Una- Sat Pal (BJP), Virender Gautam (Cong) and Som Dut(BSP).

Kutlehar - Ram Nath Sharma (Cong ), Virender Singh (BJP), Ravinder Kumar Garg (LJP) and Roshan Lal(BSP).

Nurpur- Ajay Mahajan(Cong), Malvika (BJP), Kewal Singh (BSP), Rakesh Pathania (Ind) and Narinder Singh (LJP).

Gangath(SC)- Des Raj (BJP), Anita Kumari(Ind) and Hans Raj (BSP); Jawali- Rajan Sushant (BJP), Sujan Singh Pathania(Cong), Rajan Mankotia (BSP), Dilawar Singh and Ashok Kumar (Ind).

Guler- H.S.Rana (BJP), Neeraj Bharati(Cong), Subhash Chand (LJP), Om Prakash (Ind) and Bhikham Singh (BSP); Jaswan- Vikram Singh (BJP) ,Nikhil Rajour (Cong) and Hari Om (BSP); Pragpur(SC)-Yog Raj(Cong), Navin Dhiman (BJP)and Rajender Kumar (BSP); Jawalamukhi- Ramesh Chand ( BSP), Ruma Kaundal (Cong), Ramesh Chand Dhwala (BJP), Pratap Singh Rana (LJP) and Sanjay Rattan(Ind) .

Thural- Ravinder Singh (BJP), Sanjay Rana (Cong), Gian Chand (SP),Vijay Kumar(Ind), and Jagdish Chand Sipaya and Khushi Ram Bhuria (LJP), Chameli (BSP).

Rajgir (SC)- Atma Ram (BJP) and M.R.Goma (Cong), Vidya Devi (BSP), Sher Singh(LJP); Baijnath - Dulo Ram (BJP), Sudhir Sharma(Cong), Suresh Kumar and Udho Ram (BSP),Gian Chand (LJP), Vyas Dev, Ashok Kumar and Dhani Ram( all Ind) and Suresh Rana(NCP).

Palampur- B.B. Butail (Cong), Dhani Ram (Ind) and Vinod Kumar (BSP), Praveen Sharma (BJP) and Ramesh Singh (SP), Kesar Singh (LJP) and Suraj Raj (Ind)

Sulah- Jagjiwan Pal (Cong), Subhashna (BSP), Charan Dev Singh (BSP), Suresh Chander (SP), Vipin Parmar (BJP) and Sat Pal Singh (CPM), Lekh Raj (LJP) and Ramesh Singh (Ind); Nagrota - Mangla Chaudhary (BJP), G.S.Bali (Cong), Bhag Singh (BSP), Deepak Sharma (LJP); Shahpur- Kewal Pathania(Cong), Sanjeev (BJP), Onkar Rana (BSP), Poras Kumar and Balbir Singh (Ind).

Dharamsala- K.K.Kapoor (BJP), Kapoor Singh (CPM) and Vijay Singh Mankotia (BSP) and Bimal (Adarsh Political Party); Kangra - Amar Singh (ABHMS), Vidya Sagar (BJP), Devi Lal (LJP) , Banarsi Das (Ind ), Aman Guleria (CPI) , Surinder Kumar Kaku (Cong), and Sanjay Kumar (BSP).

Bhatiyat - Vikram Jaryal (Ind), Kudeep Pathania (Cong), Kalu Ram (BSP), Bhupinder Singh Chauhan (BJP).

Banikhet- Asha Kumari(Cong), Renu Chaddha (BJP), Lokinand Sharma (BSP)

Rajnagar (SC)- Surender Bhardwaj (Cong) and Sunita (Ind) and Ram Dass (Ind), Mohan Lal (BJP), Karam Singh(Ind), Dinesh Kumar (BSP),

Chamba- Pawan Nayar(Congress), B.K.Chauhan (BJP), Nand Lal (LJP), Vineet Puri(BSP); Kulu- Raj Krishan Gaur(Cong), Gobind Thakur (BJP) and Dharam Vir Dhami (BSP); Banjar- Khimi Ram(BJP), Sat Prakash Thakur (Cong), Karan Singh(BSP) and Narain Singh (CPM), Karam Singh (BSP), Rakesh Vaidi and Ramesh Kumar (Ind ) and Dhale Ram (LJP).

Ani- Kishori Lal (BJP), Ishwar Das (Cong) and Gurnail Singh (BSP), Rameshwari (Ind) and Ramesh Chand (CPM)

Karsog-Mast Ram (Cong), Mansa Ram (BJP), Bhim Singh (BSP), Raj Kumar (CPM) and Hira Lal (Ind); Chachiot- Shiv Lal (Cong), Jai Ram Thakur (BJP), Jagdish Thakur (CPM) and Jagdish Reddy (BSP); Nachan (SC)- Dile Ram (BJP), Tek Chand Dogra (Cong), Roshan Lal (BSP), Chet Ram (SP).

Sundernagar- Roop Singh (BJP), Sohan Lal(Cong), Satya Pal Gautam ( BSP) and Beli Ram (Ind); Balh- Damodar Dass (BJP), Prakash Chaudahry (Cong), Mahant Ram Chaudhary (BSP), Ramesh Dev Kant (LJP) and Sant Ram (Bhartiya Bahujan Party);

Gopalpur- Inder Singh (BJP), R.R.Rao (Cong), Hukum Chand (SP), Sushila ( BSP), Munshi Ram, Maheshwar Singh (LJP) and Sanjeev Kumar (Ind).

Dharampur - Mohinder Singh(BJP), Chander Shekhar(Cong),Saju Ram(LJP), Natha Singh, Des Raj and Harnam Singh (all Ind), N.C.Bhardwaj (BSP)

Jogindernagar -Surinder Pal (Cong), Rakesh Bhardwaj (BSP), Gulab Singh (BJP) and Rajinder Kumar (LJP).

Drang- Kaul Singh (Cong), Jawahar Lal Thakur (BJP), Brahmanand (BSP) and Param Dev (NCP), Gursharan Singh (LJP)and Tej Ram (BBP) , Ashwini(Ind); Mandi - Anil Sharma (Cong), Rajinder Mohan (BSP), Neelam (LJP) , D.D.Thakur (BJP ), Kanhaiya Lal and Harish Chand Sharma (Ind), D.D.Thakur (BJP), Murari Lal (BBP).

Shimla, December 3
Having failed to persuade its rebels to withdraw from the contest, the BJP today expelled 10 of them for six years for contesting against the official nominees.

None of the prominent BJP leaders who had jumped into the election arena on being denied the party ticket retired from the contest on the last day of withdrawals of nominations. Efforts by senior leaders, including chief ministerial candidate P.K. Dhumal, vice-president Shanta Kumar and state party chief Jai Ram Thakur, failed to bring about the desired results.

The electoral prospects of the BJP’s official candidates in Banjar in Kullu, Gangath, Shahpur and Nurpur in Kangra and Kasumpti in Shimla could be marred by the presence of the rebels. Interestingly, the rebels in the fray are from both Shanta and Dhumal factions.

With Dhumal being projected as the chief ministerial candidate by the party, it was being expected that at least his loyalists like Rakesh Pathania and Anita Dhiman would retire from the contest in favour of the official candidates. Shanta loyalists like Roop Dass Kashyap, who was the Shimla district BJP chief, and Karan Singh had given indications right in the beginning itself that they were in no mood to reconcile.

State BJP chief Jai Ram Thakur today issued the expulsion orders of former education minister Karan Singh from Banjar for a period of six years.

Karan Singh who decided to revolt against the injustice meted out to him by the party by contesting on the BSP ticket is already giving tough time to sitting BJP legislator Khimi Ram, who has been given the ticket.

With Karan Singh’s elder brother, Maheshwar Singh, a former state party chief, also being irked with the high command for ignoring his claim for the ticket from Kullu, the BJP could face an uphill task in Kullu district.

Being the erstwhile rulers of Kullu, Maheshwar’s family wields a considerable influence in Kullu and Mandi districts.

In Nurpur and Kasumpti too, the presence of Rakesh Pathania and Roop Dass Kashyap could adversely affect the BJP as a large number of party workers are supporting them.

All other nine expelled from the party for six years are contesting as Independents. They expelled include former minister Roop Dass Kashyap (Kasumpti), former MLA Rakesh Pathania (Nurpur), Anita Dhiman (Gangath), Balbir Chaudhary (Shahpur), Hira Lal (Karsog), Amar Singh (Shillai), Vikram Jaryal (Bhattiyat), Naveen Kumar (Ghumarwin) and Harish Sharma (Mandi).

Nurpur, December 3
The nomination papers of Bodh Raj, the initial Congress candidate from the Gangath (SC) constituency, were rejected this afternoon by returning officer-cum-SDM Inder Singh Bhardwaj in the light of the Supreme Court judgement disqualifying him from contesting as an SC candidate.

According to Bhardwaj, he had received a direction from the Election Commission to scrutinise the nomination papers of the Congress candidate in the light of the Supreme Court judgement, the copy of which was submitted by the objector and BJP candidate, Des Raj. He had filed an appeal in the apex court in 2005 against the judgement of the high court.

The Congress had fielded Krishan Kumar as its alternative candidate in the wake of the court judgement, but his candidature was rejected on Saturday due to delay in submitting candidature authority letter to the returning officer.

With the rejection of nominations of both Congress candidates in the Gangath constituency, the party has been ousted from the fray.

Meanwhile, BJP rebel Anita Dhiman, who is contesting as an Independent, has said that she will seek support of the Congress to ensure her victory in the Assembly elections. According to her, the BJP high command has done injustice with her by first giving her the party ticket and then withdrawing the decision by nominating Des Raj as its candidate.

Palampur, December 3
The regional factor may not play a predominant role in the assembly poll in the merged areas of the state, particularly Kangra, which has over the years divided the hill state into “old and new” areas.

In the changed political scenario, there is no issue of “old” versus “new”. Moreover, Prem Kumar Dhumal as the Chief Minister took pains to woo people of the old areas by giving a fair deal to the apple growers and taking up development works like construction of roads etc.

The regional factor emerged here after the merger of hill areas of Punjab comprising Kangra, Una, Hamirpur districts into the state during the reorganisation of states in 1966 as the Congress leaders from old Himachal continued to dominate the Congress.

In a bid to upstage the established leadership of the party, dissidence cropped up in the Congress and leaders of the new areas like Salig Ram, Kunj Behari Lal Butial and Amar Nath Shamra raised the issue of discrimination on regional considerations.

The BJP, the then Jan Sangh, which had a significant presence exploited the regional sentiment to the hilt to expand its base. As the influence of the BJP largely remained confined to the new areas with the Congress maintaining its hold over the old ones, the people were emotionally divided on regional lines.

Non-Congress Chief Ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal have so far come from the merged areas. As the regional divide widened the BJP earned the “anti-apple growers” tag and the Congress came to be largely seen as anti-merged areas.

Virbhadra Singh, who had a long stint as the Chief Minister, tried to win over the people of lower hills by taking steps like the “winter move”, holding assembly sessions at Dharamsala, setting up of a Vidhan Sabha Bhawan at Dharamsala and opening a medical college at Tanda.

Solan, December 3
In a bid to woo the agrarian community Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today announced that they would not acquire agricultural land if voted to power.

The announcement assumes significance as a large-scale protest had been witnessed in Baddi-Nalagarh industrial area by the villagers whose agricultural land had been acquired.

Virbhadra, who was addressing mediapersons at Barog today asserted that they were not interested in pursuing industrialisation at the cost of state’s farmers and no farmer would be tendered landless after acquisition of their land.

Allaying fears of the subsidised ration being a poll plank he said this facility would continue even after the elections.

He said they would dwell on the large-scale economic development undertaken in the state as it had brought about an overall development of the state.

Enlisting the developments of his government he said the state had achieved various milestones in the fields of health, education and expansion of road network.

Shimla, December 3
The BJP would order an inquiry into the land use change of the site on Cart Road where Congress Bhawan has come up, MP and chief ministerial candidate P.K. Dhumal said here today.

During the BJP regime there was a proposal to construct a subzi mandi at the site. Dhumal inaugurated the BJP media centre in Middle Bazar.

As Shimla was the state capital and the nerve centre of all political activities, the BJP was keen to win the seat. He criticised the Congress regime for failing to retain the glory and beauty of Shimla.

The Congress regime had failed to provide clean and adequate water to the residents of the capital.

“The Sanjauli bypass and Tutikandi bus stand started by the Congress regime have still not been completed,” he said.

On being voted to power the BJP government would ensure that these projects were completed on a war footing.

Hamirpur, December 3
The election observers appointed by the Election Commission of India for Hamirpur district have issued strict directions to election officers to strictly deal with violators of the model election code of conduct.

Giving this information here today district election officer Nandita Gupta said a meeting in this regard was being organised at Hamirpur in which election observers would give directions to political parties, sector magistrates, election officers and other people related with the election.

The poll preparation would be reviewed and directions would be given about observing the model election code of conduct.

The polling parties for all 414 polling booths of the district have been constituted in the presence of election observers she said.

The election observer can be contacted for any information and clarification on the following numbers:

Rajeev Sinha for Nadaunta and Nadaun assembly constituencies on phone No 01972-203401 and mobile No 98170-76240, Manoj Pant for Hamirpur, Mewa and Bamsan constituencies on phone No 01972- 203402 and mobile No 98162-76855, S. Balsubramaniam expenditure observer on phone No. 01972-203403 and mobile No 98162 -76979.They can also be contacted personally in the NIT guest house she said.

Shimla, December 3
Governor V.S. Kokje said today efforts should be made to bring handicapped persons into the mainstream of society by providing them equal opportunities.

The Governor was speaking at a state-level function organised on the occasion of World Disabled Day here today.

He said Rs 6.4 crore was being spent on providing a disability relief allowance at the rate of Rs 200 per month to 25,416 disabled persons in the state.

“The Himachal Pradesh Minority Corporation is also providing loans on easy instalments to disabled persons for starting self employment ventures,” he said.

A special employment cell had also been set up in employment offices for the convenience of disabled persons.

Kokje said a vocational rehabilitation centre was being run in Una, besides a regional rehabilitation centre in Sundernagar. Besides, district disability rehabilitation centres were being run at Hamirpur, Dharamsala and Shimla.

“The institutions for the hearing and speech handicapped at Dhalli and Sundernagar had been upgraded to the tenth standard,” he said.

Kokje also gave away prizes to the disabled children who had won the gold and bronze medals at the 12th Special Olympics World Summer Sports at Shanghai in China.

Kullu: World Disabled Day was observed here at the Mahila Kalyan Bhawan, Sarwari. Krishan Lal Sood, vice-president of the National Blind Federation of India, said the selfless service to the disabled was the real service towards God. The students of the Chandraabha Memorial School for the Blind, here, presented a cultural programme.

Nahan, December 3
The mortal remains of Lance Naik Rajender Singh Chauhan (28), a brave soldier of the 18 JK Rifles, were consigned to flames on the bank of the Yamuna at Paonta Sahib with full military and state honours this afternoon. Over 5,000 persons were present on the occasion.

He laid his life fighting insurgents at Daddal in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday. He received bullet injury on the head. Jawan Nirmal Singh of Punjab also attained martyrdom in the operation. Rajender Singh Chauhan belonged to Banaur village of Paonta subdivision.