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CAMPAIGN
TRAIL
Candidates with Punjabi roots looking for fresh ground
In Sohna, heavyweights slug it out
Cong failed to give relief to drought-hit, says Jaitley
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Congress anti-farmers, says Sukhbir
Gurjar counting on community support
12 govt employees
suspended for skipping poll rehearsal
Independents will be rejected: CM
Villagers look to sweet temptation
Court allows plea against disaffiliation
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TRAIL Young faces dot Ajay rallies Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service
Pundri/Narwana, October 7 General secretary of the INLD and member of Parliament Ajay Chautala exudes confidence as he alights from his chopper for a rally in Narwana. “The Congress says the Opposition is in a disarray. I invite them to our rallies. Every face here constitutes the Opposition. As the elections draw closer, people are returning to our fold. During our regime, people could reach us with their demands and grievances. “Under the Congress rule, they don’t know whom to turn to and are tired of this uncertainty,” he claims, seeking votes for party candidate Pirthi Singh. To the crowd at the venue, he says: “On the election day, you must choose the symbol of the spectacles to cast your vote and we will give you everything we have promised in our manifesto. The Congress only pulls dust over your eyes with hollow announcements. Has anybody got the 100 yard plat they announced? Have they kept their promise on one job to every family in their manifesto,” he asks as the crowd shouts back “no, no”. He leaves the venue in an open jeep amid an uproar of “Ajay Chautala zindabad”. His supporters wave flags frantically. At his next meeting in Dhand village of Pundri ,where the party has fielded Sajjan Singh Dhull, he is greeted with garlands and pagris. While he lists out Congress’ broken promises, he tries to strike an emotional chord with the crowd, mentioning his grandfather, the late Devi Lal. “You have to vote us to power. Chaudhry Devi Lal would ask for power and with the ‘sarkari kursi, babu, kagaz aur kalam’ he would waive loans of farmers, give old-age pension and work for your welfare. “He acted on his words unlike the Congress which has failed to bring water into the SYL and give jobs. The common man is suffering. “The Hansi-Bhutana link canal is another problem. It has not got a drop of water and huge funds have gone down the drain,” he explains. The crowd nods in agreement. This done, he hits the road again. Addressing eight to 10 meetings a day, he says he has spent a couple of days in Dabwali from where he is the party candidate. “I will spend two more days there. From the response we are getting from the people, I think the Congress needs to worry for itself,” he signs off, heading for another destination in his chopper as his supporters crane their necks to bid adieu to their neta. The trail of dust does not stop them from running after the chopper.
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AMBALA ELECTS Amrita Dhaliwal Tribune News Service
Ambala, October 7 Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal’s SAD has fielded Charanjeet Kaur, wife of former INLD legislator Jasbir Singh Malaur. She takes on former union minister Venod Sharma, who was elected MLA from Ambala city in 2005 on the Congress ticket. This seat is one of the two seats being contested by the SAD in alliance with the INLD. A large chunk of the erstwhile Naggal constituency, which Malaur once represented, has been merged with Ambala city. Both Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir have been campaigning here in support of Charanjeet Kaur. However, a section of the local Sikhs led by Kartar Singh Takkar has extended support to Sharma. Sharma is confident that the voters will again back him because of development brought by him to the constituency. Moreover, former Haryana Youth Congress president Nirmal Singh, who has been MLA from Naggal several times, has assured support to Sharma. BJP candidate Sanjay Sharma is a first-timer. While the HJC has fielded Puran Prakash Saini, the BSP nominee is Makhan Singh Lubana. The Congress has fielded Nirmal Singh from Ambala Cantt. He is no stranger to the people here. He had his education here and forayed into student and youth politics from here. He lives here. His acquaintance with the people of Ambala Cantt has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. He faces a stiff competition from three-time local MLA Anil Vij of the BJP. After he first entered the assembly on the BJP ticket, Vij fell out with the party and twice won the seat as an Independent. Now he has come back home. He has the reputation of being a clean person. The INLD has fielded a well-known local doctor, KD Sharma, who quit the BJP to join Chautala’s party. Praveen Chauhan of the BSP and Sucha Singh of the HJC are also in the field. Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana faces a strong challenge from BSP’s Prakash Ram Bharti. Giving an equally tough fight is ex-minister Risal Singh’s son Rajbir Singh Barara of the INLD. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BSP had led from this assembly segment, a fact which is worrying Congress sympathisers. The 10 candidates from here include Amar Nath of the HJC and Mange Ram Panjail of the BJP. Naraingarh is set for a multi-cornered contest. Congress’ Ram Kishan Gujjar, INLD’s Ram Singh Korwa, BSP’s Arjun Singh and Independent Rajkumar Saini, a former MLA, all enjoy pockets of influence. The HJC has fielded Bhoom Singh Rana.
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In Sohna, heavyweights slug it out
Gurgaon, October 7 A curious aspect of the electoral battle here is that as many as three sitting MLAs, besides a former one, are in the fray. Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria, sitting MLA from Sohna, is contesting as an Independent once again. Sahida Khan, sitting MLA from the erstwhile Tawdu constituency, which has now been merged with the Sohna constituency, is also in the fray as the INLD nominee. Dharambir Singh, sitting Congress MLA from the Badhra constituency in Bhiwani, who could not get the party ticket from there due to factionalism, has been fielded from Sohna. Last but not the least, Meo heavyweight and former MLA Zakir Husain, who gave a tough fight to the sitting Congress MP Rao Inderjeet Singh during the recent parliamentary elections, is the BSP candidate from the constituency. The BJP has fielded Tejpal Tanwar and the HJC Rohtas Khatana. Though all candidates are making an effort to woo voters, the main contest seems to be among Jaunapuria, Husain and Dharambir. However, the predominance of Meo and Gujjar voters and the presence of another Jat contestant, Nihal Singh, as an Independent, may affect the poll prospects of Dharambir in the seemingly close contest. There is a mixed trend in all four assembly segments in the district. While sitting Gurgaon MLA Dharambir Gauba (Cong) is pitted against INLD rebel Sukhbir Kataria (Independent) and Umesh Agarwal (BJP); Bhim Singh Rathee (BSP), Kanhaiya Lal Gop (HJC) and MR Sharma (INLD) are also in the fray. RS Rathee, who was denied the ticket by the Congress, is contesting as an Independent. Former Haryana minister Rao Dharmapal is the Congress nominee from the newly carved Badshahpur constituency. He is locked in a triangular contest with Begh Raj Yadav of the HJC and Gopi Chand Gehlot of the INLD. BSP’s Shiksha Yadav, BJP’s Mukesh Pehalwan and Independents Biru sarpanch and Rakesh Janghu are also in the fray.From Pataudi, Bhupinder Chaudhary of the Congress is facing his uncle Ganga Ram of the INLD. Advocate Net Ram is contesting on the BSP ticket and former ADGP Resham Singh is the BJP candidate. Veteran politician and former bureaucrat Kirpa Ram Punia is also in the fray.
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Cong failed to give relief to drought-hit, says Jaitley
Hisar, October 7 Addressing an election meeting here in support of BJP candidates
from various constituencies of the district here today, he said this showed that the Congress was neither bothered about farmers nor the general public. He said regional parties had no future and the people of states like Haryana had by now realised the pitfalls of electing regional party governments. Jaitley said terrorism in the country was the direct outcome of vote bank politics played by the Congress. He said the party had always put its own political interests before the national interests. BJP nominees Pawan Kharia from Adampur, Ravi Saini from Hisar, Maman Ram from Hansi and Jitender Jog from Barwala were present at the meeting. |
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Congress anti-farmers, says Sukhbir
Kalanwali (Sirsa), October 7 Badal, who campaigned for his party candidate Charanjit Singh, maintained that was the reason why UPA was not announcing minimum support price for cotton and asking Cotton Corporation of India to effectively enter mandis for procurement, though all mandis in cotton producing areas of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan were facing the glut of cotton crop. He cautioned the Congress to desist from playing petty vote politics at the cost of farmers. |
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Gurjar counting on community support
Tigaon (Faridabad), October 7 Before his annointment to the top post of the party in Haryana, his influence was confined to Faridabad district. The announcement of elections soon after his assuming the charge placed him in a bigger responsibility even as he was working on rebuilding the organisation. Gurjar has been fielded from the Tigaon assembly seat in Faridabad, his home district. He has been elected to the asembly twice earlier in 1996 and 2000. His house these days is a hub of activity with leaders from all over the state working on election strategies.He has not had a full night’s sleep. He goes to bed in the wee hours and is woken up before the break of dawn. He entertains visitors at home and then heads for the caravan of vehicles waiting for him outside. No time for breakfast, he gets into his car putting on his kurta on the way. While canvassing support for party nominees, his speech is pan-Haryana. When it comes to campaigning in his own consituency, he switches gear. At election meetings in Bhatola, he reminds the Gurjars that it it’s for the first time that a national party has chosen someone among them as its head. To drive home the point, he tells the people that Bhupinder Singh Hooda could become CM as he had the backing of the people of his constituency ( Rohtak). Ditto for other leaders like the late Devi Lal. He says he expects the same kind of loyalty from them. His appeal seems to work on a section of the audience. It is the same refrain in Faridpur, Dhakola, Madhaouli, Lendoha, Gharaunda, Raipur Kalan, Atlipur, Gudasan and Bailla villages
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12 govt employees
suspended for skipping poll rehearsal
Rohtak, October 7 The heads of the department concerned have been directed to issue the suspension orders of about 12 of the officials in this connection. These officials had been deputed on the election duty in the Kiloi- Garhi- Sampla and the Meham constituencies. According to AS Maan, the returning officer of the Kiloi- Garhi- Sampla the rehearsal programme for the election for this segment was held at the auditorium of the Jat College here today, where about 40 of the employees and the officials were found absent. He said while the authorities concerned had been asked to issue suspension letters of 12 of them, the department had been directed to take legal proceedings against the rest. At Meham also where a rehearsal programme was held for the Meham constituency a total of 55 officials and employees were found absent. They had been issued a legal notice and an action would be taken against the offenders, said Rajiv Ahlawat, returning officer of the Meham segment.
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Govt must act to deal with ‘hyper inflation’
Chandigarh, October 7 He suggested that the government prepared an integrated action plan to deal with the “hyper inflation” and to neutralise national and international factors responsible for it. Accusing the government of having failed to take care of both external and internal security concerns, he said despite people’s opposition, six BSF companies had been withdrawn from the Poonch-Rajauri area. There were reports that the ISI was sending Taliban, who had surrendered to the Pakistan authorities, to Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP chief said the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), at the behest of Pakistan, was trying to internationalise the J&K issue and had appointed a special envoy for the Indian state. The US aid to Pakistan had tripled. If India considered the US as its strategic partner, it should put pressure on the country to withdraw the aid package to Pakistan. Rajnath Singh said the BJP was not opposed to economic reforms but these should be undertaken in a manner that the autonomy of the Indian economy was not compromised. The BJP leader said the Congress was on the decline in Haryana, which would see a hung assembly after the elections. The BJP had no objection to the Akali-INLD alliance as the Akalis had taken the party into confidence on the issue. The SYL issue should be resolved through negotiations, he maintained. The BJP had no objection to Sukhbir Singh Badal becoming Chief Minister, he added.
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Independents will be rejected: CM
Gohana, October 7 “Instead of indulging in political vendetta against the opposition leaders, I have concentrated on implementation of developmental projects and welfare programmes to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the people during last four-and-a-half year rule of Congress in the state,” he said He cautioned those who were contesting as Independent were not Congress men. He assured that no stone would be left unturned in ensuring progress and development of Gohana region. Hooda appealed the voters to give another chance to the Congress government in Haryana for speedy implementation of the ongoing projects and launching of new ones to make the state number one in the country. Pradhans of Butana-12, Kathura-12 and Murlana- 12 extended their support to congress nominee Sri Krishan.
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Villagers look to sweet temptation
Sirsa, October 7 As a practice, leaders carried coins equivalent to their respective weights and they used to get weighed against the coins and accept currency notes equivalent to the number of coins sufficient to weigh them. Being weighed against coins was considered a matter of prestige and the more number of times a person was weighed, the more popular he was considered. Once, the INLD supremo Om Parkash Chautala was even weighed against currency notes in Sirsa and interestingly the MDLR Airlines Chairman Gopal Kanda, who weighed him, is now contesting from here as Independent and opposing Chautala’s candidate, among others. But, at the same time, the practice became a cause of bringing bad name to certain leaders and political parties.
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Court allows plea against disaffiliation
Chandigarh, October 7 A Division Bench had earlier ordered that all colleges, affiliated to the Kurukshetra university, have to carry out the admissions by December 5 last year before informing the authorities concerned. The colleges were disaffiliated on the ground that the list of BEd students was not submitted by the laid down date of December 5, 2008. Appearing before Justice Permod Kohli, counsel for some of the colleges RK Malik said the entire process of disaffiliation was carried out on technical grounds. It was not the university’s case that the admissions were carried out even after the expiry of the deadline. After hearing arguments, Justice Kohli allowed |
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Pundri/Narwana, October 7
