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Over to the game changer: First-timers
Kejriwal, supporters booked for unlawful assembly in Mumbai
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State of
parties
Congress hijacks BJP's pro-Jammu
agenda
STOCK-TAKING:
Mahabal Mishra (west delhi)
Trouble in alliance with
Cong, TRS turns to BJP
Uddhav Thackeray hits out at BJP
Taken by surprise, BJP plays down Sena’s salvo
Fortune tellers are Lalu’s new guests
Black money in LS polls: 700 IRS officers to be deployed for vigil
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Over to the game changer: First-timers
Chandigarh, March 13
With a close finish expected in all 10 Parliamentary constituencies in Haryana against the backdrop of multi-cornered contest, the role of young voters (from 18 years to 39 years), who constitute over 30 per cent of the 1.55 crore electorate, assumes more importance with major political parties already sharpening their strategies to woo the young brigade. The emergence of Aam Aadmi Party, which seemed to have caught the fancy of the Generation Y, promises to change the political equation in the state where caste has traditionally played a major role in the outcome of the election results. As the youth brigade yearns for a change in a state plagued by nepotism in the government jobs, the mainstream parties are virtually in a state of tizzy. AAP's reliance on social media such as WhatsApp and Facebook, is also set to make the contest more interesting and fierce.
Statistics show that there are 3,49,452 voters in the age group of 18 and 19, including 98,756 women and 2,50,696 men. The total number of voters in the age group of 18 and 19 years in Ambala is 31,670, Kurukshetra 34,236, Sirsa 41,132, Hisar 32,455, Karnal 38,108, Sonepat 29,334; Rohtak 27,213, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh 28,788, Gurgaon 47,161, and Faridabad 39,355. Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat has the most first-time voters (47,161). On the lower side, Rohtak has 27,213 first-time voters. There are 35,84,090 voters in the state in the age group of 20 and 29, including 14,88,926 women and 20,95,164 men. Similarly, there are 37,76,969 voters in the age group of 30 and 39, including 17,35,026 women and 20,42,943 men. The total number of voters in the age group of 20 and 29 in Ambala are 3,54,127, Kurukshetra 3,26,796, Sirsa 3,95,366, Hisar 3,35,731, Karnal 3,91,516, Sonepat 3,18,874, Rohtak 3,02,785, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh 2,96,687, Gurgaon 4,50,030 and Faridabad 4,12,178.
With the Election Commission organising special awareness campaigns for young voters, including female voters, the poll percentage of the younger generation is expected to be much higher which will have an impact on the outcome of the results.
Young Turks speak
Kuldeep Soni, Youth
Congress leader
Dushyant Chautala, youth inld leader Naveen Jaihind, aap leader Gurpreet Gujjar, youth bjp leader
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Kejriwal, supporters booked for unlawful assembly in Mumbai
Mumbai, March 13 "Kejriwal and his supporters had assembled outside the airport just after he landed from Delhi. The assembly was in violation of the order duly promulgated by police that more than five persons cannot assemble in a place without police permission," a police officer said. Kejriwal and his supporters have been booked under Section 188 (Disobedience to order promulgated by public servant) and Section 143 (Unlawful assembly) of the IPC. "We have also registered a case under sections of the Bombay Police Act and the Motor Vehicle Act," a police officer said. Sources said a report on the case registered would be forwarded to the office of the Election Commission as the Model Code of Conduct was in effect for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Yesterday, AAP activists had welcomed the former Delhi Chief Minister as he stepped out of the airport and travelled by an autorickshaw along with two other senior party leaders to suburban Andheri. A contingent of police personnel, mediapersons and party activists present at the airport then trailed the autorickshaw over the entire five-km distance till Kejriwal alighted near Andheri station. The AAP chief then took a suburban train ride to Churchgate station in South Mumbai, which was marked by chaos and vandalism amid complaints of huge inconvenience to commuters. AAP leader blames media
Facing criticism over the chaos and vandalism that marked his local train and auto-rickshaw travel in Mumbai, Arvind Kejriwal today accused the media of blowing up the matter and dismissed the charge that it was a 'symbolic stunt'. Notwithstanding complaints from commuters of having been inconvenienced by the AAP leader's rides yesterday, Kejriwal said the media was to be held responsible for the "whole tamasha (drama)". "The whole
'tamasha' was staged by the media asking leading questions to commuters about inconvenience caused by my local train travel. Our people did not indulge in any vandalism. The common people were happy with my trip," he told a Marathi news channel in response to adverse criticism in some quarters for 'disrupting' the routine of Mumbai's
'aam aadmi' at peak hour on Wednesday. He refuted the allegation that his travel by auto and local train was only 'a symbolic stunt', adding that he always used all modes of transport. Kejriwal repeated his allegation that the media was paid “money” to project BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi and defame him. - PTI
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PDP may emerge dark horse in J&K
Decides to go it alone, fields well-known faces from three Parliamentary constituencies Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service
Srinagar, March 13 The party, founded by the former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, was credited for dethroning the 70-year-old National Conference (NC) in the 2002 Assembly elections, which ruled J&K for most part after 1947. Nearly 15 years down the line, when the bugle for the Lok Sabha elections has been sounded, PDP, the main Opposition in the state, has nominated three of its best known faces, Mehbooba Mufti, Muzzaffar Hussain Beig and Tariq Hamid Karra, for the three parliamentary seats in the Valley.
Since 2004, the PDP has sent a member each to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. It was also part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) until 2008 when the party withdrew support from the Congress-led coalition government following differences over land allotment to the Amarnath Shrine Board. In the 2002 Assembly elections, the PDP had improved its tally from 16 to 21. Its previous coalition partner, the Congress, however, chose NC as its ally and the two continue to be in coalition even today. In 2009, the Congress-NC coalition was able to win all the three Parliamentary seats from the Valley and the PDP even lost the south Kashmir's Anantnag constituency, which is considered its stronghold. The ruling coalition of the Congress and NC, however, did not stop here as they were able to win all seats for the upper house of the state Assembly in panchayat quota. Now, as the two parties are likely "to go united to polls again", the PDP says "it's not bothered". "We were very clear from day one that we will go alone in the polls and that is why we had announced candidates for the Parliamentary polls almost six months ago. We will go with the party agenda to the people that seek peaceful resolution of Kashmir issues through dialogue. We have a roadmap for it. The voters will ultimately decide," said Akhtar. The party's support is limited to the Valley, although it has of late tried to spread its wings in the Jammu region. The party has fielded Yashpal Sharma from the Jammu-Poonch seat and Arshad Malik from Doda-Udhampur. Over the years, the PDP has largely mirrored the agenda of separatists on Kashmir resolution. The party claims that "their effort is to make Kashmir a bridge between India and Pakistan". The party has also made serious dents into the separatist bastion in the Valley. However, its detractors call the party as "opportunist". "The PDP has failed to raise public issues at a proper forum, which is the Legislative Assembly. Be it Afzal Guru, the 2010 civilian killings, developmental or governance related, they did not do justice to the mandate. This paved the way for the ruling government to go ahead with its plans and they have never been a constructive Opposition," said an analyst. However, the PDP's chances in the upcoming polls would be directly linked to the poll percentage. The observers say the high voter turnout may benefit the PDP. Muftis matter here
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Congress hijacks BJP's pro-Jammu
agenda
Jammu, March 13 The party leadership is trying to give an impression that only Congress can protect the interests and aspirations of people of the region. As par agreement with the National Conference, the Congress is contesting two Lok Sabha seats
-Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda - of the Jammu province and lone seat of the mountainous region of
Ladakh. "We are always there for the people of Jammu. We even confronted our coalition partners to protect the rights of the people," Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee
(JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz told The Tribune. Soz, who arrived in Jammu this afternoon to devise the poll strategy, is confident that people of Jammu would repose their faith in the Congress. "Be it the controversial Women Disqualification Bill, creation of administrative units, extension of 73rd amendment of the Indian Constitution or the issue of Dogra certificate, the Congress has staunchly protected the interests of the people," he added. The Congress leadership has realised that without hijacking the pro-Jammu agenda from the
BJP, it was not possible to counter the "Modi wave" in this region where the saffron party has emerged as a formidable competitor, especially after Modi's successful Lalkaar Rally on December 1. Sources say the Congress has decided to release a separate manifesto for the Jammu region
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STOCK-TAKING:
Mahabal Mishra (west delhi) He says one can write a book on his work, but area continues to reel under water shortage Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 13 Congress MP Mahabal Mishra has represented the constituency in the past five years. He was sanctioned Rs 19 crore under the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), but the records state that he has spent only Rs 9.48 crore.
Majority of his projects are related to drain construction, development of parks, community centres, roads, graveyards, crematoriums, installation of streetlights and construction of designer gates. Though West Delhi reels under acute water shortage, the MP just got one tubewell bored in Naglee Sakrawati village. Jagdish Mukhi, who unsuccessfully contested the Parliamentary elections in 2009 as the BJP candidate from West Delhi, said: "Five years have passed but Najafgarh continues to grapple with water shortage and traffic jam. The Congress had assured to construct a stadium, but no ground work has been done so far. The constituency immediately needs a hospital, but nobody cares. The government has done nothing in the past five years." He said: "The government claims that it has regularised all unauthorised colonies, but in reality not even a single colony has been regularised, which means that building plans of such colonies have not been approved by the MC. Property holders do not get loans against their properties." "The issue of ownership rights in refugee colonies Tilak Vihar and Ashok Nagar is yet to be addressed even though five years have passed," he said. Naresh Agarwal, member of resident ward committee, said metro line connection to Palam area was the only good work that the Congress MP had done during his entire tenure. In Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri, Dwarka and Matiala, unauthorised colonies with no water supply continue to exist. People depend on water tankers supplied by the Delhi Jal Board and private suppliers. Sewerage and drain system have also not been constructed. People have septic tanks in houses. To get a tank cleared, people have to pay between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000. In DDA colonies, sewerage and drainage system has been properly developed, but they also lack proper water supply. Admitting water shortage in the area, member of Social Confederation of Janakpuri Association, Narendra Chawla said West Delhi was huge, but the MP failed to open a single hospital. Where he stands Party Congress Current profile MP from West Delhi Entered Lok Sabha in 2009 Number of voters 19.22 lakh Constituency break-up MPLADS funds In Parliament OPPOSITIONSPEAK
Jagdish Mukhi, BJP
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Trouble in alliance with
Cong, TRS turns to BJP
New Delhi, March 13 The talks between the TRS and the Congress have got into difficulties over the number of seats they will contest in the newly-formed Telangana state, particularly for the 119-member Assembly, sources said. The TRS is demanding a bigger chunk of seats than the Congress, an issue that has led to sharp differences between them, sources say, but did not specify how many the regional party wants. "As of now, we are not holding any formal talks with the Congress or bargaining over seat sharing. We would need the adequate number of seats from the Congress that would help us to form the government," a TRS leader stated. Meanwhile, the TRS has opened a channel of communication with the BJP for an alliance. "Our informal talks began after we rejected the demand for a merger with the Congress," the party leader said. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi is of the view that it might require the BJP support if the party comes to power at the Centre. To justify its reaching out to the BJP, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders point out that the party had helped the passage of the Telangana Bill in Parliament. "We are of the view that the BJP is likely to form the next government in Delhi. Under such circumstances, we would need their support for the development of Telangana," a source said. The development comes as a huge blow to the Congress, which was hoping for the merger of the TRS with it, though the regional outfit had refused the demand due to stiff opposition from party leaders. Interestingly, AICC
general secretary, in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, Digvijay Singh reached Hyderabad today on a three-day visit to launch an exercise to select party candidates for the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly. — PTI
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Uddhav Thackeray hits out at BJP
Mumbai, March 13 In a write-up in party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray warned the BJP that it would come to grief for taking its allies for granted. "The BJP is a national party because of allies such as the Shiv Sena. Even when there was a major Hindutva wave in the country, the BJP's top leaders, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, could not help it form the government," Thackeray wrote. "Only Pramod Mahajan could bring together a coalition of 30-32 parties and help the BJP form the government. If only Pramod Mahajan was alive, the situation would have been managed better," the Shiv Sena chief said. Thackeray said the BJP had made it a habit of betraying its allies. "The BJP seems to have adopted a policy of allying with one party and making secret deals with another. In Maharashtra, the BJP has an alliance with the Shiv Sena but it talks secretly with the MNS. In Haryana, the party has kept aside Kuldip Bishnoi and is talking to the RLD. In Andhra Pradesh, the party take NT Ramarao's daughter in the party and even talks of an alliance with Chandrababu Naidu. In Bihar, some of the BJP's members are unhappy because it embraced Ram Vilas Paswan and dumped Nitish Kumar," Thackeray's write-up said. The Saamna piece went on to wonder whether the BJP could be trusted by anyone as a reliable ally. "With so many bumps in its head, who will support your leader Narendra Modi for the post of the Prime Minister? The BJP should make use of the Domestic Violence Act to get some balm applied on these bumps," Thackeray said. While admitting that senior BJP leaders like Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh and Rajiv Pratap Rudy have helped iron out differences between the two parties, Thackeray was not sure if the truce would endure. "Who knows if these bumps will not come up again," Thackeray wrote. "If the BJP wants to come to power and wants to make Modi the Prime Minister, it will have to keep the trust of its allies. If you humiliate old friends like this, voters will teach you a lesson," Thackeray wrote.
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Taken by surprise, BJP plays down Sena’s salvo
New Delhi, March 13 "I read the article (in Saamana). It is in the nature of a friendly advice and not anything against the BJP. The matter has already been sorted out and now there are no issues. We are a permanent ally and will fight for victory in Maharashtra," Prakash Javadekar said. However, as BJP allies with the Shiv Sena and does "backdoor business" with Raj Thackaray-led MNS, analysts say the NDA's Maharashtra ally's distrust in the saffron party is not misplaced. The genesis of the problem lies in what may happen after the General Elections and also when the state goes to polls in October-November. BJP sources admit that in comparison to the "more robust MNS", the Shiv Sena is a spent force in Maharashtra. Narendra Modi was keen to get Raj Thackeray on board but cousin Uddhav refused to play along. Now that the MNS has decided to field candidates against the Shiv Sena, Maharashtra this time will see four-cornered contest in some places. It will be a close fight between the Congress-NCP, BJP-Shiv Sena, MNS and AAP. The Shiv Sena is worried that if it does not get enough seats, the BJP may find a reason for getting in the MNS post-poll and tie-up with the younger Thackeray in the Assembly elections. To placate the Shiv Sena, BJP president Rajnath Singh sent an emissary in the form of Rajiv Pratap Rudy, while Modi talked to Uddhav on phone. However, the trust deficit remains. The fact is despite Uddhav's objections to former BJP president Nitin Gadkari's overtures to Raj, the BJP still sought the MNS's support for the upcoming elections to the Maharashtra legislative council.
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Fortune tellers are Lalu’s new guests
Patna, March 13 Sources said the RJD chief had not invited them to his house at 10 Circular Road, but the saffron-robed tribe came being aware that Lalu and his wife Rabri Devi have faith in astrology.
The RJD chief is known for believing in fortune and frequently visits 'Augarh Baba' and 'Pagla Baba' to seek their blessings. Meet one such astrologer, a 74-year-old priest, clad in faded saffron robes and over a dozen necklaces of 'rudraksha' beads dangling down his chest, was waiting patiently on a chair. He has come all the way from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. "I can see past, present and future. I have come here to bless Lalu Prasad and tell him what he should do in the elections to win," said the priest, who goes by his adopted name Awadhoot Bhagwan. Another one, Mati Gadi, 70, from West Champaran district, around 200 km northwest from Patna, claims himself to be a specialist in warding off an evil-eye. "Bad people have cast an evil-eye on Lalu ji. I will meet him and remove it in a moment," said Gadi, who also claims to be a staunch supporter of the political leader. The security personnel belonging to the Special Branch of the Bihar Police and posted at Prasad's residence have a difficult time dealing with them. "The number of such people increases around election time. They may foretell something about past and future, but their intention is to seek money or other things from Prasad or his family members," Uma Shankar Singh of the Special Branch said. — PTI
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Black money in LS polls: 700 IRS officers to be deployed for vigil
New Delhi, March 13 The EC has asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs to finalise the names of suitable officials and send to it for final deployment. The final briefing of these officials will take place this week in Delhi where they will be told about their authority and role in the elections, both for countrywide Lok Sabha seats and for the state Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha. Sources said the officers would be posted as "Election Expenditure Observers" in various constituencies and Assembly segments who would supervise anti-black money procedures being conducted by the EC-appointed flying squads and monitoring teams. The EC has formulated a number of measures to curb the use of illegal money power and luring of voters in the run-up to the polls, the first voting day of the polls being on April 7. The EC, sources said, would formally allot the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers their respective constituencies in the next few days and observers for all these seats would start touring their respective areas soon. The I-T department has pooled in and compiled a list of its officers from its various wings of tax collection, TDS, investigations and others to be sent on deputation to the EC for this task, while the customs will also depute a team of senior officials from its various formations. "The officials will remain with the EC for some more time after the results are announced on May 16 after the final expenditure reports would be finalised," a senior official said. — PTI
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CPI declates candidates EC gets a month to reply to PIL on political parties GJM to support BJP’s Ahluwalia
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Nearly 3.5 lakh first-time voters (18-19 years) will call the shots in Haryana in the April 10 Lok Sabha elections.
The strong anti-incumbency against the Congress governments at the Centre and state and the emergence of the Aam Aadmi
Party(AAP) on country's political horizon is set to underline the role the young voters would play in the upcoming elections.
A day after Arvind Kejriwal kicked off his Lok Sabha campaign in Maharashtra amid chaos, the Mumbai Police today registered a case against the AAP leader.
In 1999 when the People's Democratic Party (PDP) came into being, nobody had imagined the hitherto unknown outfit will capture power in the violence-torn state over the next three years.
West Delhi Parliamentary constituency is a cluster of colonies developed by the Delhi Development Authority, group housing societies, urban and rural villages and unauthorised colonies where water supply is the main issue.
Congress MP Mahabal Mishra has represented the constituency in the past five years. He was sanctioned Rs 19 crore under the MP Local Area Development Scheme
(MPLADS), but the records state that he has spent only Rs 9.48 crore.
The strong anti-incumbency against the Congress governments at the Centre and state and the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) on country's political horizon is set to underline the role the young voters would play in the upcoming elections.
With the Election Commission getting tougher on the traditional style of campaigning, especially the publicity material, the social media would play a significant role in the elections.
The total number of voters in the age group of 30 and 39 years in Ambala are 3,98,468, Kurukshetra 3,43,005, Sirsa 3,83,646, Hisar 3,57,061, Karnal 3,98,063, Sonepat 3,31,114; Rohtak 3,69,064, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh 3,45,144, Gurgaon 4,25,860, and Faridabad 4,25,544.
The youth will play a decisive role in the Parliamentary elections. The Congress has appointed a young face, Ashok Tanwar, as the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president. This has sent right signals to the voters. The policies of the Central and state government for the youth and the need to have secular stable government will go in the Congress' favour.
The nepotism in government jobs and skewed development across the state will lead to imminent anti-incumbency against the Hooda government. The electorate in general and young voters in particular are yearning for a
change.
The current elections are crucial for deciding the future of the country and the youth will play a decisive role in electing the government. The youth want honest candidates who can clean the corrupt political
system.
The major political parties are banking on the youth even for campaigning in the run-up to the polls. The young leaders are capable of taking progressive decisions for the welfare of the
youth.
PDP chief spokesman Naeem Akhtar said, "We are going into the elections with all seriousness and we have put up candidates who do not have a match in contemporary politics." 
West Delhi Parliamentary constituency is a cluster of colonies developed by the Delhi Development Authority, group housing societies, urban and rural villages and unauthorised colonies where water supply is the main issue.
Mahabal said he devoted five years to develop his constituency. "One can write a book on my performance. I started 52 projects with the funds I received. Of these, 26 have been completed and one is under process," he said.
Five years have passed but Najafgarh continues to grapple with water shortage and traffic jam. The Congress had assured to construct a stadium, but no ground work has been done so far. The constituency immediately needs a hospital, but nobody cares. The government has done nothing in the past five years.
As many as 700 IRS officers would be deployed by the Election Commission as observers in "expenditure sensitive" constituencies during the Lok Sabha polls.