Chandigarh, March 11
The Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) is the only party in Haryana that needs to closely liaison with others to finalise its poll strategy.

Ahead of other political parties in terms of already going to constituents once in the form of a "rath yatra" by party president Kuldeep Bishnoi, yet this political heir of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, is unable to make any political announcements without consulting its pre-poll alliance partner, the BJP.

Despite bravados by Bishnoi saying that no one has a right to interfere in the affairs of the party, his move to induct former Union Minister Venod Sharma has been vetoed by the BJP.

The Parliamentary poll is being considered as a "practice session" by the HJC that will contest only two seats out of the ten, possibly Hissar and Karnal, with BJP.

The real test for the HJC, that has emerged as a regional party will be in the next Vidhan Sabha election where the HJC-BJP alliance are committed to contest 45 seats each in a House of 90.

Just before the parliamentary elections, when the HJC leadership should have been concentrating on the second round of its election campaign, Bishnoi is embroiled in defending his party's position vis-a-vis its relation with the BJP.

The BJP is seen by many HJC leaders as a "big bully" that has threatened to rethink on the alliance if the HJC took any "tainted leaders" on board without its prior approval.

BJP state president Ram Bilas Sharma has made a public statement that Bishnoi has been made to give a written undertaking that it will not induct Venod Sharma.

Contrary to "all is well" theory with the HJC-BJP alliance, there is a tremendous pressure on the BJP from its alliance partner in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to forge an alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) whose supremo Om Parkash Chautala is serving a 10-year sentence following conviction in the JBT teachers scam.

Due to the instance, Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the HJC-BJP alliance appears to remain intact in the parliamentary elections, but the same may not go together in the next assembly election in Haryana due for October this year.

It was after the last Assembly elections, difference cropped up between Bhupinder Singh Hooda led leaders in the Congress and Bhajan Lal, as most of them backed Hooda.

As a result, Hooda became the Chief Minister leaving Bhajan Lal cribbing. Bhajan Lal announced his moving out from the Congress and floated the HJC in March 2007. HJC was officially formed on December 2, 2007.

Initially seen as a one-man party, the HJC has over the period attracted several disgruntled Congressmen and Bhajan Lal loyalists joining it.

To strengthen its base, the HJC joined hands with the Mayawati-led Bhaujan Samaj Party (BSP) in August 2009, but power struggle did not allow the alliance to last long. Bhajan Lal also tried to have a tie-up with the BJP, but could not succeed. Finally, HJC had to fight the 2009 Lok Sabha elections alone.

It still managed to garner 10.01 per cent votes. The party also won the Hisar parliamentary seat contested by Bhajan Lal himself.

In the following Vidhan Sabha elections held in the same year (2009), party emerged a winner on six seats. However, Bhajan Lal's wife Jasma Devi was defeated by Sampat Singh from Nalwa constituency, a stronghold of the Bhajan Lal clan for last 40 years.

In a defection that followed, all five elected MLAs, barring Kuldeep, who won Adampur seat, joined the Congress.

He remained the single HJC legislator in Haryana Vidhan Sabha. After the sudden death of Bhajan Lal, Kuldeep contested the Hissar seat in 2011, vacated by his father's demise. He won. He vacated Adampur seat, which was later retained by his wife Renuka, in a by-election.

The HJC is said be under a lot of pressure from the BJP that is dictating terms, threatening to walk out of the alliance in case Bishnoi does not cooperate.

For instance, after Venod Sharma's entry into HJC was blocked by the BJP leadership, Kuldeep wanted to contest the Hisar seat, while asking that Karnal be given to his wife. But the BJP objected saying the BJP policy does not allow husband and wife to contest together.

Kuldeep has been making public statements that "HJC functioning is no one's business", but he is so far going by the dictates of the BJP putting the alliance under strain. It is believed that both the parties would cut into each others votes since they are considered to have a non-Jat vote bank. SAD has been pressing for a BJP-INLD alliance saying that the BJP has an urban non-Jat vote bank, the same as the HJC, while the INLD has a rural Jat bank, which makes a better political ally.

In organisational terms, too, the HJC is viewed more as a one-man party or a family party. It would, however, be unfair to suggest that the HJC has no political weight.

The party captured 10 per cent votes and had six elected MLAs after the assembly poll results were declared. But some of that could be attributed to sympathy for Kuldeep after the death of Bhajan Lal who ruled Haryana for a long time.

Being an opposition MP in the Parliament, he could not bring much development to his constituency. On a personal count, the alleged inaccessibility of Kuldeep has not gone down well with his segment people. A fairer picture on the state of HJC would, however, emerge after all political parties have announced their candidates and the uncertainty over the HJC-BJP alliance clears up.

New Delhi, March 11
North-West Delhi MP Krishna Tirath claims to have worked a lot for women empowerment and child development, but the allegations of skewed growth in her constituency may make things difficult for her in the upcoming Parliamentary elections.

Tirath has contested seven elections and served as a metropolitan councillor, Member of Legislative Assembly and currently holds the portfolio of the Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development. Her popularity as a minister is the result of her special focus on issues related to strengthening of child development services, maternity benefits and empowerment of adolescent girls.

She has to her credit a legislation for women - "Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013". But, people of her constituency allege that their MP has lost connection with them as she did not visit the constituency even once in the past five years.

Tirath was an active member of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's Cabinet from 1998 to 2004 and headed ministries such as Social Welfare, SC and ST and Labour and Employment.

In the 2004 elections, she trounced Anita Arya of the BJP and was elected to the Parliament. In the 2009 elections, she was again elected from North-West Delhi, defeating Meera Kanwaria of the BJP.

A reality check of the works done by the minister in her constituency in the past five years reveals that the list does not go beyond minor projects such as reconstruction of lanes, roads and installation of street lights in parks.

MPLADS funds

According to details of the expenditure under the MP Local Area Development Scheme, Tirath has spent only Rs 5.66 crore of the total Rs 9.99 crore that was sanctioned to her.

What people say

Residents of her constituency have nothing much to speak about her performance.

SK Sharma, president of Federation of more than 150 group housing societies in Rohini, West Delhi, has accused Tirath of not paying attention to development works in group housing societies. "Whatever little work has been carried out in our societies has been done due to our personal collective efforts. Be it installing pump station or underground water tanks, we spent from our pockets," Sharma said.

Sanjay Khattri, president, RWA Narela, said people of the area were angry with the MP as she never paid attention to their issues. "There is severe sewage problem in our colonies, but when we approached the MP, she did not respond," Khattri said.

RN Dutta, president of Senior Citizen Club in Rohini, said: "Holding a good position in the UPA Cabinet, the MP could have done a lot for her segment, but she preferred to remain aloof. The MP has not earmarked any funds for development of our area." "We have not seen the MP releasing money from her MPLADS funds for the development of our constituency. Whatever little work has been done is due to our personal efforts. The MP has failed to deliver in the past five years," he said.

"I don't think the MP deserves credit for any development in our area. People might not even recognise her if she comes here,” said Ramesh Jaggi, president of RWA federations in Rohini.

where she stands
Party Congress

Current profile
Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development

Entered LS in 2004

Constituency break-up

10 Assembly segments

Narela, Badli, Rithala, Bawana, Mundka, Kirari, Sultanpur Majra, Nangloi Jat, Mangol Puri and Rohini

In Parliament

Participated in debates 41

Questions asked Zero

MPLADS funds

Granted Rs 9.99 crore

Utilised Rs 5.66 crore

Unspent Rs 4.33

Oppositionspeak
The Congress government has failed on all fronts in the past 15 years. People of Delhi are bearing the brunt of all scams the government had been embroiled in. Everyone wants to get rid of the current corrupt regime.
Vijay Goel, delhi bjp ex-chief

Voterspeak
The MP did not visit our area even once in the past five years, what to talk about development.
SK Sharma, president, federation of housing societies, rohini

New Delhi, March 11
Information and Broadcasting Minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana Manish Tewari today said he was willing to do whatever the party's central command wanted him to.

"Contesting elections is not the beginning or end of life. I have served the Congress for 34 years and I will do whatever the party wants me to do. I will contest from wherever the party wants me to. As I am the party's national election committee member, I will campaign if the party wants me to," Tewari told The Tribune today amid speculation that he did not want to contest elections.

Tewari denied being reluctant to contest from his sitting Ludhiana seat. He, however, indicated his willingness to campaign for the party. Tewari is learnt to be eager to shift his seat to Chandigarh, which is represented in the Lok Sabha by former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal.

Bansal today took strong exception to Tewari's yesterday's remarks that the tainted should not be fielded, saying: "These remarks, which indirectly hint at me, have serious repercussions. Will anyone with the slightest knowledge of the law have the temerity to say such a thing except to press his own case to shift to someone else's Parliamentary seat?" Bansal asked.

Tewari, however, insisted that he did not have Bansal in mind when making such a comment. "The Congress had acted firmly on corruption. I was only saying that it was a natural trajectory for the party to not field the tainted leaders. I was not hinting at anyone," he said.

Asked if he was confident of winning elections in Ludhiana considering all parties had fielded Jat Sikh candidates there, Tewari said: "Winning is not an issue at all. Those decisions will be taken by the party's central election committee. As things stand today, lots of seats still need a face in Punjab, including the seat of state Congress president in Gurdaspur. As far as I am concerned, I have said my aspirations and ambitions are circumscribed by the decision of the party high command."

Jagmeet Brar for Ludhiana seat?
Former MP Jagmeet Brar could be considered from Ludhiana if Tewari did not contest by any chance. Brar's name is also doing the rounds for the Amritsar seat. He is said to have offered to contest from any of these two seats. On the Congress-PPP alliance, Brar said: "Since the alliance has been cleared by Congress president and vice-president, I respect it."

Lucknow, March 11
In an effort to keep a lid on factionalism within Uttar Pradesh BJP over seat distribution, BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai today requested senior leaders not to publicly declare their seats on their own.

In Varanasi to "gauge the mood of the city's grassroots cadre", Bajpai today made it clear that there was a possibility of change in the BJP Lok Sabha candidates of Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur.

The BJP Parliamentary board meeting will finalise the candidates on March 13.

While Varanasi and Lucknow are represented by BJP MPs Murli Manohar Joshi and Lalji Tandon respectively, the Kanpur seat is represented by Union Minister of Coal Sriprakash Jaiswal.

Recently, there has been a spree of senior BJP leaders using the media to make their seat preferences known.

It started with speculations about BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's likelihood of contesting from somewhere in Uttar Pradesh, preferably Varanasi. Sitting Varanasi MP Murli Manohar Joshi first conveyed his displeasure but quickly came around expressing full faith in the decision of the party's Parliamentary board.

After that Lucknow sitting MP Lalji Tandon made it clear that he was ready to vacate his Lucknow seat for none else but Modi.

Virtually losing his temper with reporters seeking his response to the speculation of BJP president Rajnath Singh's name doing the rounds for the Lucknow seat, Tandon reluctantly conceded that he was a disciplined soldier of the party and would abide by its decision. — TNS

Bathinda, March 11
The role of religious sects or 'deras' assume importance for political parties that seek the support of religious leaders to bolster their electoral fortunes. The powerful deras have played an active role in the elections by influencing their followers to support parties or candidates.

While the Sikhs profess the egalitarian teachings of the Gurus, there are various sects and sub-sects that claim to adopt the basics of Sikhism but follow their own 'maryada' (code of conduct). These sects have a huge following in Punjab.

Always on the lookout to attract voters, politicians find it convenient to pander to the wishes of dera heads, whose writ is gospel for their followers, largely Dalits who comprise 35 to 40 per cent of the population of the state. While some deras have played it safe and have never been in the eye of any controversy for directing their followers to vote for a particular party, others have thrived on it for securing concessions for their personal gains.

It is hard to estimate the number of deras in the state, but social scientists believe that there are over 9,000 such places in the state.

Dalit votes

Since Independence, the voting trend has been that the Dalits in the Malwa region, having 69 Assembly seats, followed their employers or landed gentry, who were staunch SAD followers.

The Dalits in the Majha region, with 25 Assembly seats, usually supported either the SAD or the Congress, while the Dalits in the Doaba region were considered the Congress' vote bank. However, the Dalit engineering by major political parties has changed and appeasing the deras became the norm since the 90s.

The ‘premi’ factor

In the Malwa belt, where the electoral stakes are the highest it being the largest belt in the state, Dera Sacha Sauda has been in the eye of the political storm. It had been instrumental in the win or loss of both the Congress and the SAD in turns. During the 2007 Assembly elections, the Akalis had blamed that the dera factor or the 'premis' (as its followers are popularly called) had resulted in their rout in this belt. The dera followers are said to vote en bloc and many heavyweights had to bite the dust.

Premis - largely comprising the deprived sections of the society - have the potential to tilt the balance in the favour of the candidates they support in constituencies such as Mansa, Sangrur, Faridkot, Barnala, Moga and even Patiala. The dera, too, was in direct confrontation with the Sikhs for emulating certain traditions and practices revered by the community. Large scale violence was witnessed and the government was literally paralysed. Even ministers were seen braving the elements waiting to have a word with the dera chief for defusing the crises.

The dera authorities maintain that they have no political role to play and the decision for a 'voting call' is the job of their political wing, which is an independent unit. The body is expected to be taken by March 30.

Shift of votes

Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Doaba, with 40 per cent Dalit population, plays a pivotal role in the elections. Traditionally, they have voted for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), but things have changed since 1996 following efforts by the SAD leaders and a split in the dera management.

Curfew was clamped in Jalandhar and its vicinity after a senior religious leader, Sant Ramanand, was shot dead in Vienna in 2009. There was large scale rioting but such was the compulsion of vote politics that the SAD government did not confront the rampaging dera followers.

Former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral won from Jalandhar as a JD (U) candidate with the SAD support. His son Naresh Gujral, too, contested from here but lost.

Similarly, the Noormahal-based dera of Ashutosh Maharaj also enjoys a huge following. The votes of its followers are crucial for winning some Assembly segments in this belt. The dera management denies taking sides in the electoral arena, but observers say they are partial to a particular party. The dera head, now in 'samadhi', still enjoys a Z-plus security cover extended to him after violent clashes with Sikh radicals during the Congress regime.

Over the years, the dera's cult has grown. The model Divya village near the original ashram, which boasts of the state-of-the-art facilities, is a perfect example of political patronage to the dera. The dera followers used to support the ruling party, but things have changed after the Assembly elections.

No role to play in polls

The Radha Soamis, have stayed away from dabbling in politics and as such if any directive for voting for a particular party is ever given, it is not in the public domain. The dera is visited by the top politicians of the state.

The Nanaksar Kaleran Thath, Jagraon, also commands a huge following and like other deras, but there has been no instance where the dear chief has asked the followers to vote for a particular party.

Similarly, the Namdharis - also known as Kukas - with their headquarters at Bhaini Sahib, have also not been directly involved in any political controversy. The only surmise of their political affiliation is that one of their senior leaders HS Hanspal was the PPCC chief some years ago.

The deras in the Majha belt don't have a following to turn the tide in favour of a political party. They are largely confined to religious and social activities.

Turning the fortunes There are over 9,000 deras having a huge following in Punjab. Most of the followers are Dalits Dalits in the Malwa region traditionally followed their employers or landed gentry, who were staunch SAD followers Dalits in the Majha region, with 25 Assembly seats, either go with the SAD or the Congress Dalits in the Doaba region are considered as the Congress' vote bank The Dalit engineering by major political parties changed and appeasing the deras became the norm since 1990s In the Malwa belt, Dera Sacha Sauda has been instrumental in turning the fortunes of the Congress and the SAD

Balasinor (Gujarat), March 11
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today accused the BJP leaders of 'stealing' the Congress-led UPA government's pro-poor schemes to pass them on as their own.

Addressing a rally at Balasinor in Kheda district in central Gujarat, Rahul launched a frontal attack on Narendra Modi saying that the BJP's claim of Gujarat shinning was only on paper. "No benefits have reached the poor. If Gujarat is shinning, it is only for some 10-15 industrialists and not the people of the state," he said.

He said the NDA's campaign of 'India shinning' led to the downfall of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government as such tall claims did not go down well with the people. He said the BJP was again certain to meet the same fate as the false claims of Gujarat shinning would not be acceptable to the people.

Interacting with the audience, Rahul said lakhs of acres were taken away from the poor and farmers in Gujarat, but they were given nothing in return. The land was given to industrialists at throwaway prices without generating enough employment.

Ridiculing the government statistics, he said the below poverty line figure was pegged at Rs 11 in Gujarat, but it was being publicised in the other regions that Gujarat was shining. "Gujarat is indeed shining, but not for the poor and women. It is shining only for 10-15 industrialists." he charged.

Without naming him directly, he compared Modi with Adolf Hitler saying that these leaders believed that they were the only persons who know everything and there was no need to go to the people to understand their problems. "Such leaders only believe in delivering speeches. The Congress believes in going to the people and understanding their problems," he said.

"There are two kinds of leaders. The first type belongs to those who go among the people, have some ideology and believe in the knowledge of people. He goes to them, asks them and learns from them. Then there is another kind of leader, whose best example is perhaps Hitler. He thought there was no need to go to the people. He believed entire knowledge of the world was only in his mind, said Rahul.

The "true leader, he said, was the one who goes to the people. "That is what my effort has been. I want to listen to you, understand you. This is what the UPA government did in 10 years. We brought the Land Acquisition Bill when you said that your voice is not being heard in land acquisition," he said, adding, "what people of India want is 'adhikar' (rights) and not "chowkidar" as Modi claimed he would be if voted to power. 

Chennai, March 11
Resolving to demonstrate the strength of DMK in the Lok Sabha polls, party chief M Karunanidhi today expressed confidence of putting up a good show without taking on board a national outfit as an ally and showcased Tamils' cause to win support of the electorate.

The 90-year-old DMK patriarch, who stood a firm ground in spurning revival of ties attempted by its former ally Congress and also overtures by BJP and aligned with local outfits such as VCK, MMK, IUML and Puthiya Tamizhagam, asserted that his party had not suffered a setback in the absence of a national party in the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA).

"No, no. There is no setback,", Karunanidhi asserted when mediapersons asked him whether there was any setback for the DMK as it had no national outfit as part of its alliance.

Releasing the DMK manifesto, which was shorn of freebies to the electorate, unlike the ones promised by AIADMK, it however, pledged to continue its fight for the cause of Tamils the world over, pressurise the Centre to enhance IT exemption limit to Rs 6 lakh to men and Rs 7.2 lakh to women, appointment of Tamil envoys in places where the diaspora lives in sizeable strength, among others.

The DMK also assured voters that it would pursue implementation of its pet Sethusamudram project and influence the next government at the Centre to build 'Samathuvapurams' (an all-caste residential settlement) across the country to promote social harmony and casteless society.

As for marginalised and minorities, the party was for 30 per cent reservation for women in Central government jobs, proper implementation of reservation in PSUs for differently abled, recognition of transgenders as third gender and expand self-respect (inter-caste) marriages across the country.

The party also promised nationalisation and linking of Indian rivers, to grant ST status to fishermen, a separate ministry for fishermen's welfare, redeeming of Katchatheevu, abolition of death sentence, full-fledged statehood for Puducherry and waiving of education and agriculture loans.

Though Karunanidhi's party was keen on accommodating the Left Parties after they parted company with the AIADMK on seat-sharing tangle, the CPI and the CPM did not respond positively.

DMK is contesting 35 of 40 seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry) and has allocated five seats to its allies.

Karunanidhi said he did not see the prospect of the DPA alliance expanding in the coming days under the prevailing political atmosphere. — PTI

New Delhi, March 11
Narendra Modi may be virtually an unquestioned leader in the BJP but the RSS feels that its cadres need not get into the personality-driven campaign of the party during the current election.

"NaMo is not our issue. Our focus is highlighting the issues before the nation.... We have our limits to keep in mind as we are not a political party," RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said addressing its annual session in Bangalore that concluded on Sunday.

RSS Spokesman Ram Madhav while quoting from the RSS Chief's speech said he had stated that the country has been facing serious threats due to "utter misrule" in the last ten years which should be raised among the people by the "social" organisation, insisting that it should not be construed as a comment on BJP's poll strategy of highlighting Modi.

"The Swayamsewaks should strive to put an end to this misrule. For the RSS, the issues before the nation are important, not necessarily the individuals. The RSS Swayamsewaks have to go to people highlighting the challenges before the country and need for a change," Madhav said quoting Bhagwat. He was commenting on reports that Bhagwat told the Bangalore meet that it was not the RSS job to chant "NaMo, NaMo", a reference to the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. "The interpretation being given to certain parts of the RSS chief address to karyakartas were misrepresentation of the factual position," he said.

"This should not be construed as a comment on the BJP's poll strategy of highlighting a poll leader," Madhav said. He said there RSS chief told the gathering that these are not the issues of RSS but of the BJP as RSS is a social organisation and not a political entity and its style of functioning is different. Madhav later tweeted, "Wrong interpretation being given to Bhagwatji address 2 RSS workers. He only said Sangh focus will be issues while party can have its own focus". — PTI 

New Delhi, March 11
The Election Commission has created a multi-agency grid of revenue and security intelligence agencies to regularly update it about suspected financial movements as part of measures to check use of black money in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

In a first-of-its-kind measure, the EC has created a board of senior officials drawn from ten financial and security intelligence departments which will meet twice a week at 'Nirvachan Sadan', the EC headquarters here, to generate common leads and flag suspect money instances.

The agencies that have been pooled in for the task include income tax intelligence and investigations, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau and the snoop wings of border guarding forces of SSB and BSF and those of CISF and the Railway Protection Force.

"The officials in charge of intelligence in these respective departments will meet twice a week at the EC headquarters and take stock of all cases reported in view of the measures enforced by the poll body keeping in mind black money instances," a senior official privy to the development said.

This is the first time that these officials will be holding meeting sessions with the EC in comparison to previous times when they would only generate and send reports, the official said.

The Election Commission has also asked these agencies to compile their respective information in a standard format so that the poll panel is updated about the use of illegal money and other inducements in the polls. — PTI 

Lucknow, March 11
Accusing the Kanpur Samajwadi Party unit of non-cooperation, stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava today returned the SP Lok Sabha ticket from Kanpur.

Srivastava emphasised that with elections round the corner, indiscipline in the Kanpur SP unit had disappointed him.

Within hours of Srivastava levelling these allegations, the SP dissolved its Kanpur unit. It also announced Surendra Mohan Aggarwal as the new candidate from the seat. "On several occasions I had informed state president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as well as 'netaji' and Ramgopal ji about the dismal state of affairs in Kanpur. They admitted that they were aware of the problem and would set it right. But nothing improved. I am left with no choice but return the ticket with thanks," he said.

The SP had declared his candidature for the seat on February 13, 2013. "After the 2012 landslide victory, I had decided to seek an SP ticket from Kanpur knowing that it was a difficult seat as the SP had won only two of the 10 Assembly seats," he said.

He said he had worked hard in the past one year to garner support of people.

Mumbai, March 11
Senior BJP leaders are rushing to placate Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray after he threatened to break away from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

On Monday night, the Mumbai and Nashik units of the Sena adopted resolutions calling for the party to quit the NDA to protest against the BJP’s growing closeness to Uddhav’s estranged cousin Raj Thackeray who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. The MNS has begun to field candidates against the Shiv Sena while leaving the BJP largely alone.

“Who runs the affairs of the BJP in Maharashtra? There are many people here speaking in different voices. I do not understand who is really representing the BJP,” Uddhav told reporters this morning. The Shiv Sena called a meeting of its senior leaders. According to sources, many of them who reached the Thackeray residence met with him and expressed their wish that the party go it alone for the Lok Sabha elections.

Shortly after Shiv Sena leaders briefed television channels that the alliance could be called off today, the BJP top brass hit the wires to mollify Uddhav. Sources said BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy was scheduled to meet the Sena leadership this evening. Even earlier, state BJP president Devendra Fadnavis called on Uddhav to sort out matters. “I wanted to tell Uddhav that everything was okay between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Some people were trying to create a misunderstanding between us,” Fadnavis said.

BJP placates Uddhav Senior Shiv Sena leaders want the party go it alone and contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra BJP top brass rushes to placate Uddhav Thackeray to keep Shiv Sena in the NDA fold

Guwahati, March 11
The lack of unity among the Opposition parties in Assam is likely to work in favour of the ruling Congress notwithstanding the anti-incumbency factor working against it and the Modi wave sweeping urban areas of the state.

The Congress, which is going to contest 13 out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, has declared candidates for ten constituencies and is yet to decide the contestants for Dhubri, Nagaon and Mangaldai constituencies. The party has decided to remain out of race in the Kokrajhar constituency for its ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

Some senior leaders of the party have stated that it would be a tough election for the Congress as there is resentment within the party over the selection of candidates for constituencies like Tezpur, Kaliabor, Barpeta and Jorhat. Besides, the anti-incumbency factor is at work given that the party has been in power in Assam since 2001.

The main opposition parties - the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) - have failed to forge any kind of understanding so far in the state to prevent the division of anti-Congress votes.

The Congress enjoys the support of over 35 lakh tea tribe voters in the state. The AGP and the BJP over the years have failed to make any dent in the Congress’s tea tribe bastion given that the two parties do not even have committees in tea garden areas in Assam.

The AIUDF, which has managed to make some inroad into the Congress’s base among Muslims in the State, has so far failed to even announce its candidates, though the first phase of the General Election will be held in Assam on April 7. The AIUDF which is the main opposition party in Assam Assembly is going to contest on 13 seats in the state.

The BJP so far has announced names of only five candidates for Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Guwahati and Mangaldai constituencies while the AGP is yet to come up with official announcement of its candidates.

No understanding among parties The main opposition parties - the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) - have failed to forge any kind of understanding so far to prevent the division of anti-Congress votes The AIUDF, which has managed to make some inroad into the Congress's base among Muslims in the State, has so far failed to even announce its candidates for the April 7 elections

Hyderabad, March 11
The BJP today made it clear that it has not yet taken any decision on forging electoral alliance with the Telugu Desam Party led by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

“We are holding discussions at the national level about alliances. We are yet to take a decision with regard to any tie-up in Andhra Pradesh,” BJP president Rajnath Singh said. He was here to attend a public meeting being organised by the party’s city unit to celebrate the creation of Telangana state.

“Several parties are keen to have alliance with the BJP. We are continuing the discussions. No decision has been taken with regard to AP,” Singh told reporters amid speculation in political circles that the TDP and the BJP were on the verge of forging an alliance.

Naidu is said to be keen on forging a tie-up with the saffron party and shore up his party's poll prospects on back of the growing popularity of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and emergence of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as a formidable political force appear to have prompted Naidu to look up to the saffron party to improve his party's prospects in the simultaneous elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha.

Ironically, TDP was among the first alliance partners of NDA to demand dismissal of Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister after the 2002 anti-Muslim riots. After walking out of NDA, it had dubbed BJP as a communal party. Since then, the TDP has been attempting an image maker by abandoning its pro-reforms baggage and embracing populism with gusto to earn a pro-poor tag.

Naidu's eagerness for alliance TDP, which is keen on forging an alliance with the BJP, ironically, was among the first alliance partners of the NDA to demand dismissal of Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister after the 2002 anti-Muslim riots. After walking out of the NDA, it had dubbed BJP as a communal party Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and emergence of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as a formidable political force appear to have prompted N Chandrababu Naidu to look up to the saffron party to improve his party's prospects in the coming simultaneous elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha

New Delhi, March 11
The BJP's NDA clan is growing and if senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley's latest observations are any indication then the next BJP alliance can be expected from a southern state, perhaps in the form of a pre-poll tie-up with Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP in Andhra Pradesh.

A day after the BJP's plans for eastern India received a shot in the arm with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) pledging support in West Bengal, including the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that Bihar politician Ramkripal Yadav would join the party tomorrow. Bringing with him the crucial Yadav support, which the BJP is desperately seeking in Bihar, Yadav is likely to contest against Misa Bharti, RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter, in Pataliputra, a constituency from where he was denied a ticket by Lalu.

Though there is no official confirmation on this, the BJP appears to be going ahead with its plans of a tie-up with the TDP. Jaitley, who called the past 24 hours "extremely eventful in the run-up to the 2014 General Elections", said the next few days would be “extremely important”.

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