Faridabad, March 31
Placed at the second spot after Gurgaon in terms of number of voters in the 10 Parliamentary constituencies of Haryana, Faridabad is not only a leading industrial township with large number of migrant workers, but also has rural vote bank in Palwal district.

Palwal was carved out of this district in 2008 and has been an integral part of this seat, making Faridabad an important seat of the state and the NCR. The constituency has 17,40,352 voters, while Gurgaon has 18.44 lakh.

Faridabad came into existence in 1977 and has mostly been with the Congress, which emerged victorious six times out of the 10 elections held here so far.

The BJP has managed to win the seat thrice. The first candidate who won the seat belonged to a regional party. With all leading political parties fielding their best bets, the constituency is likely to witness an interesting battle with the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party. Around 54 per cent of the total voters here age between 18 and 39 years.

The polling percentage in the constituency has, however, been a cause for concern as it has declined consistently since the first election. According to statistics, the first election held in 1977 had recorded 70.8 per cent polling. It fell to 60.6 per cent in 1996, but rose to 65.72 per cent in 1998, but since then, it has slipped to 56.81 per cent in the last polls of 2009. The lowest turnout was in 2004 when only 55 per cent of the voters exercised their right to franchise. The total number of voters also slipped to 10,98,466 in 2009 from 14,54,735 after the constituency underwent delimitation. "But interestingly, the number of voters this time (2014) has surged to 17,40,352, recording a rise of around seven lakh new voters. It is expected to have a considerable impact on the results," a political expert says.

Experts say due to increased awareness, large number of young voters is expected to cast vote this time. Surprisingly, there is a huge difference in the percentage of rise in number of voters and the population in the past few years. Against a rise of 32 per cent in the population between 2001 and 2011, the voters' percentage has risen by 58 per cent in the past five years.

"The track record suggests that the Congress is likely to remain at the helm this time as well," says former legislator Yogesh Sharma.

Claiming that the Congress candidate may find it tough to fight the anti-incumbency factor, he said the BJP and the AAP were likely to make the election battle interesting, as a huge chunk of the electorate was young and aware of the recent political developments in Delhi, which would surely cast its spell on the Lok Sabha polls in Faridabad.

In view of the recent alliances, an INLD activist said: "Had it been the BJP-INLD alliance, things would have been different." He said fielding separate BJP and INLD candidates has perhaps made the contest multi-cornered.

BJP candidate Krishan Pal Gujjar is asking people to vote for the national parties instead of regional ones, which would give a clear majority to one party and avoid a coalition government at the Centre.

The Congress has fielded its sitting incumbent Avtar Singh Bhadana for the third time, Gujjar is the BJP-HJC candidate. The AAP has fielded Purshottam Dagar (32), who is youngest of all candidates. Rajender Sharma of the BSP and RK Anand, a prominent lawyer, is representing the INLD.

"Total number of candidates in the fray is 32 and it is likely to reduce further as some of them will probably withdraw from the contest before the polling day," says Devender Singh, a social activist.

Though development is Bhadana's main poll plank, his opponents are trying to ground him alleging poor civic development, corruption, unemployment and biased treatment in terms of projects.

"Though the prime challenge for the candidates is to ensure high turnout of voters in urban areas, the authorities are finding it difficult to curb use of money, liquor and other items to bribe voters," says Ram Kumar, a retired government official.

Faridabad will have 1,645 polling stations of which 328 and 417 polling booths will be placed in the hyper-sensitive and sensitive areas, respectively. The caste-wise breakup of the voters suggests that Jats (3.25 lakh) are placed at the top of the chart, followed by Gujjars (2.5 lakh) and Schduled Castes (2.25 lakh) at the second and the third spot, respectively. Muslims (1.25 lakh) have been placed at the fourth spot.

At present, Faridabad comprises nine Legislative Assembly constituencies.

They want an affordable fee structure, health and transport facilities and security for women. a file photo

Jind, March 31
They have been feeling empowered, but a majority of first-time voters of Jind district are uncertain whether their participation in elections will bring a change. They want to bring a positive change in the country's politics, but the lack of deserving leaders always haunts them.

"If we want to increase our polling percentage, all parties must keep changing their candidates at least after 10 years. But in our country, it's family connections that work more to enter politics. The genuine workers do not even get a chance to contest elections," feels Harish Malik, a student and a first-time voter.

A majority of young voters do not hate politics, as is general perception, but they hate corrupt politicians.

"Criminals are entering politics. They should be banned from contesting elections. Criminals have hijacked our democracy. The common man is scared to enter politics," said Amit, another young voter. Some college students say that politics of caste is a major hindrance for deserving candidates as those under the reserved category are selected without having the required marks, while the general candidates fail to get jobs even with high percentage of marks.

"Now, Jats have got reservation, which is totally wrong. There are many Jats who have more than 100 acres and they do not need reservation. If the government wants to give reservation, it must do it on economic basis," said Sumit, a college student.

The first-timers want affordable fee structure in educational institutions, health and transport facilities, security for women, overall development of the state, clean leaders, end of caste, religion-based and dynastic politics.

"Women in Haryana are not getting their rights in the male-dominated state. The government should take steps to ensure security to women," said Savina, who enrolled as a voter despite crossing the eligible age of 18 eight years ago.

Although a majority are not interested to cast their votes as they have lost all hopes of any change, but there are still many who believe that they can bring a change in the political system.

"The country needs a change. This can be achieved with the power of vote. We will exercise our franchise for a better India," said Bhupinder, a student.

Jhajjar, March 31
In Haryana, wrestlers and politicians go hand in hand and it's no secret. The state's politicians have been known for hiring wrestlers for security as well as allegedly garnering votes through arm-twisting.

But thanks to Haryana wrestlers for bringing glory and fame to the nation as well as the profession by winning medals at the national and international events, which has had an impact on the mindset of budding wrestlers. This time, not many are coming forward to shield politicians.

Also, the state government's job-oriented sport policy, strict vigil of the Election Commission and internet services used by politicians against their rival candidates are other reasons that have forced the wrestlers to stay away from politicians.

As such, politicians have now started hiring bouncers or body builders from urban areas. It was reported that a few 'akaharas' were allegedly providing musclemen to politicians for the Lok Sabha elections. Once the electoral process gets over, these very youths are seen roaming unemployed after leaving wrestling profession midway to make a fast buck.

Rajbir Singh, wrestling trainer at Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, said the focus of wrestlers has shifted from seeking petty gains from politicians to toiling hard for grabbing medals at the national and international level. Also, the state government's policy of attractive cash prizes along with government jobs has changed the mindset of wrestlers.

"Time has changed. Budding wrestlers go to 'akaharas' to hone their skills in the sport. They avoid politicians' tag or controversy that can take a toll on their career," said Jaiveer Singh, owner of Jaiveer Akhara in Bupania village. He admitted that a few politicians had approached him during the Delhi Assembly polls to hire his wrestlers, but he rejected the proposal.

"The politicians had offered me an attractive deal but I categorically refused to accept it, as I groom my wrestlers for national and international championships and not for petty gains. My students, too, toil hard to achieve their goals," said Jaiveer.

Vijender Singh, a trainer in Rohtak, said since wrestlers had been adopting a career-oriented approach due to rising glamour and money in the sport, body builders and bouncers were now playing the role of wrestlers in the elections.

"There are various groups of body builders and bouncers in different parts of the state, who are always ready to join electoral slugfest. A wrestler is normally given Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per day with a rich diet and a comfortable stay. The earning depends on electoral experience of the person hired," he added.

Devender Gulia, a wrestling coach with Hanuman Akhara, said, "Wrestlers who get patronage from politicians provide their services to them during polls. Politicians also lure them with jobs. Akharas registered with state and national-level associations usually do not undertake such assignments. There is always a fear that their registration will be cancelled and their reputation is also at stake."

Narender, a wrestling trainer with Ram Karan Akhara in Rohtak, said, "Akharas now have no significant role to play in elections as most of these are being run to groom talent. Gone are the days when wrestlers would be hired by politicians for security purposes."

Suresh Chander, owner of Suresh Akhara, said, "Politicians sometimes hire wrestlers for their security on the day of voting to avert any attack from their rivals."

Virender Singh, a politician, said, "Now, candidates have started hiring bouncers to impress voters as wrestlers don't prefer to accompany leaders."

Sirsa, March 31
Assigned the charge of his party in Haryana barely a few days before the Parliamentary polls were announced, state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar is confident of his party repeating its performance of the 2004 polls, when it won all 10 seats.

The youngest HPCC chief so far, Tanwar does not think that incumbency in the state will affect the party’s electoral prospects in any way. Rather, he feels that the "people-friendly" policies of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government will give the party an edge over the opponents. The Tribune spoke to Tanwar on various issues. Excerpts:

What are your expectations from the Lok Sabha polls?

The Congress won nine of the 10 seats in 2009, but this time, we will make a clean sweep of the state. In the past 10 years, the UPA government at the Centre and Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana have done a lot for people. The biggest achievement of the UPA government is that it has given some welfare schemes the force of law for people's benefit. RTI, RTE, MNREGA and Food Security Act are some of the schemes that point towards a paradigm shift in the way schemes for the poor are implemented. In Haryana, social security pension is highest in the country. After 1980, it is for the first time that any government in India has given 100-yard plots to the poor in Haryana.

Why are several Congress leaders quitting the party?

Those who have left the party have done so for personal ambitions. When the Congress invited applications for party tickets, we received 50 to 60 requests for each of the 10 seats of Haryana. But only one person could have been accommodated on each seat. When those who enjoyed the benefits of being in power for 10 years desert us at the time of elections for tickets, it clearly means that their stand is not based on principles, but driven by self interests.

Are sitting Congress MPs avoiding polls? Kumari Selja opted for RS route, you were thinking of shifting to Ambala.

In Congress, will of individuals does not matter. It is for the party high command to decide what role a particular leader will play. The party decided to nominate Kumari Selja to Rajya Sabha. As far as I am concerned, my stand was clear from the beginning that it was for the party to decide what role it wants me to play in these elections. About my nomination, CM Hooda made it clear during a rally that I had requested the party to field me from Sirsa, where I have worked hard for five years.

How many seats will the Congress be able to win this time?

We won all 10 seats in 2004, while in 2009 we lost one but won nine. But this time, I am confident that the Congress will emerge victorious in all 10 constituencies of the state.

What is the party's poll plank this time?

The Congress is approaching voters on the basis of the progress our country has achieved in 10 years of the UPA regime. Despite a global slowdown, India's growth rate remained steady. When the BJP released "India Shining" slogan, the BSE stood at 6,000, but today, the Sensex has crossed the 22,000 mark. Rupee has gained strength and farmers are getting bumper crops. All these speak high of the UPA government.

What do you think are the key issues in Haryana?

The Opposition is hoping to cash in on the incumbency of the UPA government, but people in Haryana have seen that both the Central and the state governments have done a lot for them. Two senior leaders of the main Opposition party in Haryana are in jail on corruption charges. Another party is being charged by its own workers with selling tickets for money. People are observing everything.

Is there a strong wave in favour of Narendra Modi?

If there is any wave then why did they give ticket to people discarded by the Congress? Why is Modi scared and contesting from two seats?

How will AAP perform?

The experiment of AAP has already failed in the laboratory of democracy in Delhi. The party raised the expectations of people to such a level that they failed to fulfill them. It will not be able to win even a single seat.

Your reaction to INLD's allegations that the Congress used the CBI to trap Chautalas?

The CBI registered a case after the Supreme Court intervened and the FIR was registered when Om Prakash Chautala was the Chief Minister and the NDA government was in power at the Centre. Where was the Congress involved?

What can go against Congress?

Some surveys aired just before the elections did try to jeopardise the poll prospects of the Congress, but now, the media is highlighting various surveys, which show our seats are increasing.

Srinagar, March 31
Elections in Kashmir are always debated and vigorously contested. The credit for introducing 'election boycott politics' in Kashmir goes to National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.

It was Abdullah who introduced this element into the body politic of Kashmir by boycotting the 'Praja Sabha' (Legislature Assembly) elections, held by Maharaja Hari Singh, in 1946.

Sheikh Abdullah continued boycotting the elections for 22 years between 1953 and 1975 and ended it only after he entered into a political accord with Indira Gandhi in 1975.

After the militancy broke out in Kashmir in 1989, it was the separatist leadership that kept issuing poll boycott calls, urging people not to vote. Although during the initial years, separatists jointly ran successful poll boycott campaigns even during Parliamentary elections. However, over the years, the people in Kashmir have not supported the poll boycott calls.

High voter turnout

A large number of voters exercised their franchise in the 2008 Assembly and 2009 Parliamentary elections, which were held in the backdrop of the Amarnath land row.

Amid surcharged atmosphere and high-octane boycott calls by Kashmiri separatists, particularly hardline Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Geelani, the total poll percentage figures surprised everyone, even the separatists, who had been banking on their increased support base amid high civilian casualty figures during the agitation.

The state witnessed a turnout of 62.49 per cent in the 2008 Assembly elections, which were held in seven phases. The voter turnout, particularly in the conflict-ridden Valley, was much higher than expected, with even the separatist hotbeds and militancy infested areas witnessing heavy turnout.

The militant hotbed of the Kashmir — Sopore Assembly segment — witnessed 19.96 per cent polling, where out of 90,259 electorate, 18,015 voters exercised their franchise despite a boycott call by the separatists.

In the Baramulla Assembly segment, another separatist stronghold, the voter turnout in the Assembly elections was 33.46 per cent as 24,441 people exercised their franchise out of 73,055 registered voters.

The Tral and Shopian areas of South Kashmir, also known for their separatist leanings, recorded a voter turnout of 48.78 and 52.71 per cent, respectively. The Anantnag and Pulwama Assembly constituencies registered a poll percentage of 41.32 and 40.83 per cent.

In Srinagar district, which has eight Assembly segments, a total of 1,21,515 voters exercised their franchise out of 5,60,668, which corresponds to 21 per cent.

Urban pockets and boycott

"Over a period of time, particularly since 2008, the separatists, at least the moderates, have not been forcefully asking voters to boycott polls. Earlier too, the people have voted despite the boycott call," says political analyst Dr Gul Mohammad Wani, director, Institute of Kashmir Studies at University of Kashmir.

"Issues such as the hanging of Afzal Guru will be in the voters' minds, but in the urban centres of Kashmir, the turnout is traditionally low. The separatists are going to stop people from voting," he said when asked about the influence of separatist boycott call in the upcoming elections.

People vote for development

During the 2008 Assembly and 2009 Parliamentary elections, people reiterated that they were voting for the development of their area. They said voting was not going to have any "bearing" on the Kashmir issue.

"If we look at the 2008 elections, the mainstream leaders of Kashmir were engaged by General Musharraf. That engagement with Pakistan was capitalised both by Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti while canvassing and communicating with the rural electorate in Kashmir. That was one of the reasons for the high voter turnout," said political commentator Dr Shiekh Showkat Hussain, who teaches law at the Central University of Kashmir.

During elections, the mainstream parties in Kashmir also soft-pedal separatist agenda to woo voters, said Hussain, adding that another factor for high voter turnout in 2008 was the receding level of militancy in Kashmir.

"These are the factors —Indo-Pak relations at a given point of time, including the engagement over Kashmir and the level of militancy — which influence the voting patterns in Kashmir, be it the Assembly or Parliamentary elections," Hussain added.

New Delhi, March 31
The Brahmin-Bania party, as the BJP was once known as, is facing a piquant problem these days. Party circles here are abuzz with the feedback from the ground about growing anger in a prominent upper caste community — Brahmins — over emerging “Thakurvaad” in the saffron party.

While central leaders here pooh-pooh the reports, claiming maximum representation to the community — bulwark of its vote-bank in the cow belt — leaders on the ground talk of perceptible anger at the way senior Brahmin leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalraj Mishra and Lalmuni Choubey were “treated” by the BJP’s new power points — party president Rajnath Singh and PM candidate Narendra Modi.

“There is also the feeling that the BJP under Rajnath Singh is becoming a Thakur party while sidelining the Brahmins,” they say.

Whispers of growing clout of the Thakurs in the party (most new entrants Satpal Maharaj, NK Singh, RK Singh, Sushil Kumar Singh, Jagdampika Pal are from the community) and the RSS-backed “Plan B” are substantiated with talks of how Rajnath Singh “engineered” his candidature from Lucknow — a politically significant constituency that used to send Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the Lok Sabha.

If sources can be believed, then anger against growing “Thakurvaad” also has the potential to give Rajnath Singh sleepless nights in Lucknow which has around 15 per cent Brahmins and 30 per cent Muslims.

Key rivals — Congress’s Rita Bahuguna-Joshi, BSP’s Nakul Dube, SP’s Akhilesh Mishra and AAP’s Braj Bhushan Dubey — are all Brahmins.

However, it is not the question of one odd seat here or there. Sources say that the “widening divide” among two most influential castes -- Brahmins and Thakurs -- in the cow belt has the potential to become a spoiler in the BJP’s Hindutva story across the Hindi heartland of Bihar and UP which together send a major chunk of 120 seats to the Lok Sabha.

“The party seems to be working on the premise that Brahmins, who constitute a substantial number of the population, will always remain loyal to the party,” they add.

Interestingly, the BSP seems to have realised the potential of Brahmin voters. So far, Mayawati has fielded the largest number from the community among all the political parties to replicate the social engineering formula that won her a majority in the Assembly elections in 2007.

For Modi to become the PM, the BJP needs a tally of at least 220 to 230 seats and the UP-Bihar combo forms an essential part of that ambition.

There is also a discourse on how Rajnath Singh will be a more acceptable face than Modi if the BJP were to fall way short of the desired 272-plus mark.

Along with it is the grapevine about a particular group in the party “which is working to ensure that Modi misses the target”.

Growing ‘Thakurvaad’ Party leaders on the ground talk of perceptible anger at the way senior Brahmin leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalraj Mishra and Lalmuni Choubey have been “treated” by Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi Most new entrants -- Satpal Maharaj, NK Singh, RK Singh, Sushil Kumar Singh, Jagdampika Pal -- are from the Thakur community

Sivasagar (Assam), March 31
It is not just a wave but a tsunami that would sweep the “corrupt” Congress off the country in the election, Narendra Modi today said addressing three back-to-back and massively attended rallies in Assam at Sivasagar, Biswanath Chariali and Gogamukh that fall under Jorhat, Tempura and Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituencies respectively.

The unprecedented gathering at the rally venues —comprising people from all communities and religions — apparently reflected that the “Modi wave” has finally reached Assam much to the worry of the Congress.

The Congress is facing stiff challenge from the BJP in at least four — Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tezpur —out of the five constituencies that go to the polls in the first phase in Assam on April 7.

Addressing his third rally of the day at Darbar field located in a Muslim-dominated area in Sivasagar town, Modi said, “Wherever I have gone today, I have seen unprecedentedly large gathering of people. It gives the strong indication about the way the wind is blowing. This is not just wind, but a storm that will become a tsunami after the polls are over,” Modi said.

“The tsunami will spare no one who has plundered the resources of the country. The people of India are very angry and fed up with the Congress because it has betrayed them. In our country, people usually forgive mistakes but not those who have betrayed them. The Congress has become a burden on the country,” Modi said adding it was the first election in the country where results were out even before the poll dates were declared.

“The Congress, all along, had been opposed to the efforts to bring back black money deposited in foreign bank by Indians because it was their money. Now in their election manifesto, Congress has promised to bring back black money. It is not their poll manifesto, but a document of betrayal (dhoka patra),” Modi said.

Modi attacked Sonia Gandhi saying it was not the BJP but the Congress that spread hatred and cultivated poison in the country.

“Remember, in the Jaipur AICC special conclave where the coronation of prince (Rahul Gandhi) was organised, Rahul Gandhi said that that morning, his mother (Sonia Gandhi) told him that power was poison. If power is poison, then it is the Congress which possesses the entire poison after being in power for 55 years,” Modi said.

Referring to the “Modi roko” (stop Modi) efforts launched by various political parties, Modi said, “Generally during elections all the political parties come together to oust the ruling party or the alliance from the power. But in this election, different political parties including the Congress are ganging up to stop Modi from reaching Delhi. Why? because they, especially the Congress, know if Modi reaches Delhi, what will be their address after May 16. Those who have looted the country are the most worried,” Modi said.

“The Congress first folds hands during the polls, then shake hands and then put its hand on your back. Finally, it picks your pocket after coming to power,” Modi said.

To substantiate his point, Modi pointed out that when Congress was in power from the block level to New Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi once said that every rupee that was released from New Delhi became only 15 paise when it reached the block level.

“The polls are being held in 2014 and you have 14 seats in Assam. Give all the 14 seats to the BJP this time. This is the 16th Lok Sabha and results will be out on May 16. Allow the ‘kamal’ (lotus) bloom in your land to usher in prosperity,” Modi said.

Slams Sonia on marines’ issue
Raking up the Italian marines case, Narendra Modi on Monday mounted an attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and demanded that she come clean on who helped the two marines get “safe passage” from the country after killing two fishermen off Kerala coast. — PTI

New Delhi, March 31
The BJP has decided to give Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a good fight by fielding its high-profile vice-president Smriti Irani against him in Amethi.

However, in Rae Barelli, the senior leadership decided not to pit Uma Bharti against Sonia Gandhi, settling for Supreme Court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal. Though Amethi is not expected to be an easy assignment for Irani, the party wanted to send a psychological message that it would fight for each and every seat in the state.

With AAP’s maverick-poet Kumar Vishwas already camping there, Amethi can now be expected to join the list of high-voltage constituencies like Varanasi, Amritsar and Chandigarh.

The Rajya Sabha member, who lost the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat to Congress' Kapil Sibal in 2004, is confident of giving Rahul Gandhi a run for his money on the seat where the Samajwadi Party has given him a walkover. Though the general consensus was towards fielding firebrand leader Uma Bharti against the Congress president, a section in the party was not too comfortable with Bharti fighting from Rae Barelli along with Jhansi, where she has already started campaigning.

Thiruvananthapuram, March 31
Receptive to revolutionary ideologies at other times, Keralites turn pragmatic when it comes to voting and usually back the person who has better chance of becoming a minister.

Shashi Tharoor, the high profile Congress candidate seeking re-election from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, had gained from this mentality in 2009. It is now the turn of BJP candidate O Rajagopal to cash in on this.

The buzz about BJP's Narendra Modi possibly becoming the next Prime Minister has not escaped the Kerala capital. "Rajagopal was Minister of State for Railways in the Vajpayee-led government. He did a lot of work for Kerala then, including laying of a parallel railway track for Thiruvananthapuram. If he wins and BJP forms the government at the Centre, Rajagopal is likely to become a minister and that will be good news for his constituency," a government official said.

Even though the BJP has never won a seat in any election in Kerala, octogenarian Rajagopal, a veteran BJP leader of the state, has a couple of impressive performances under his belt.

In 2004, he contested from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat and secured over 2.20 lakh votes. In 2011, he contested the Assembly elections from Nemon but lost by around 6,000 votes.

The BJP has put up candidates in 18 out of the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies of Kerala and is supporting Independent candidates in Alappuzha and Kottayam.

"We are focussing primarily on Thiruvananthapuram. This is our best chance," George Kurian, BJP national executive council member, told The Tribune.

Tharoor's other challenger is Bennet Abraham, a physician, fielded by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) partner CPI. The Communists, caring little for their ideology, are banking on Abraham's caste in a big way.

Abraham is from the Nadar community which has a substantial presence in the constituency. Both Tharoor and Rajagopal being Nairs are expected to cut into each other's votes. On the other hand, the Nadar votes will go en bloc to Abraham, helping him win the seat — this is the electoral arithmetic the LDF is counting on.

"In 2009, Neelalohitadasan Nadar, Independent candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, got 80,000 votes. These are almost all exclusively votes of the Nadar community. Neelalohitadasan is now with the JD(S) which is a member of the LDF. The LDF candidate will be getting these votes," Sajeevan, office secretary of the CPI (M) in Thiruvananthapuram, claimed.

The Left parties also do not want to miss out on the Malayali voters' desire to have a direct link with the government of the day through their elected representative. They are busy doing propaganda that a non-BJP government will take over at the Centre which will depend on the Left parties for support.

"You cannot rule out the possibility," Karyam Ravi, a CPI activist from Thiruvananthapuram said defending the Left ploy.

Tharoor has to overcome these challenges at a time when Congress is perceived to be not really the frontrunner in the elections. His personal tragedy — the suspected suicide of his wife — has also been dragged into political arena by CPM leader VS Achuthanandan. This is expected to affect Tharoor's popularity among the women voters. In the last elections, women had backed the Congress candidate in a big way.

Tharoor, who is the Union Minister of State for Human Resources, took a break from the "road shows" today to meet people individually. "His charm is still intact. He has also fulfilled or tried to fulfil all his major promises", Praveen, Tharoor's campaign manager, said.

Jalna/Moradabad, March 31
Making a no-holds-barred attack on BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said Narendra Modi needs to be "treated in a mental hospital" for talking "rubbish", while a BSP candidate termed the Gujarat Chief Minister as a "barbarian".

With election fever at its peak, the Maratha strongman made the personal attack against Modi at a rally in Ghanswangi in Maharashtra.

"Modi must be deranged as he talks rubbish and he needs to be treated in a mental hospital," the Union Agriculture Minister said yesterday at the rally while campaigning for party candidate Vijay Bhamble.

He said Modi does not know about the sacrifices of Congress leaders in the freedom struggle.

"Modi is talking about Congress-mukt Bharat. Does Modi know about the sacrifice and contribution of the Congress in the freedom struggle? Because of Congress' ideology, we got freedom," Pawar said.

Attacking Modi for the 2002 Gujarat riots, Pawar said, "Members of the minority community and Congress ex-MP Ahsan Jaffari were killed in Gulbarga society, which is only 20 km from Ahmedabad where the carnage happened, but Modi neither visited the victims' family nor bothered about them." He said Modi is "dangerous for the country."

Joining the Modi-bashing, BSP candidate from Moradabad Haji Yakub said, "The country's most-cruel barbarian Narendra Modi has been announced prime ministerial candidate. There cannot be anything more unfortunate for the nation than this.”

At Moradabad yesterday, Yakub alleged that "people of the BJP and RSS during the struggle for independence by Hindus and Muslims had worked as informers of the British". — PTI

Lucknow, March 31
In a bid to give BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi a tough fight in Varanasi, Afzal Ansari, secretary general of the Quami Ekta Dal, today wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati to put up a joint fight.

In his letter to the national presidents of these two parties, Ansari has requested them to start an initiative to field a common secular candidate against Modi so that non-BJP votes are not fragmented, giving Modi an advantage.

In 2009, Afzal Ansari’s younger brother Mukhtar had contested from Varanasi against BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi giving him a tough fight and securing 25 per cent of the votes while Joshi managed to scrape through by getting 31 per cent of the votes.

This time also, the Dal had first proposed to name Mukhtar Ansari against Modi but decided to hold on hoping for a consensus among secular parties for a joint candidate against Modi.

Congress general secretary in charge of UP Madhusudan Mistry said that he was not aware of any move for a joint candidate in Varanasi.

Last week, Samajwadi Party state president and CM Akhilesh Yadav had ruled out the possibility of supporting a common candidate against Modi in Varanasi. “We are ready to accept support from any secular party. (But) I am not making any appeal for their support... and there is no chance of withdrawal for any joint candidate (in Varanasi),” Yadav had said.

New Delhi, March 31
The Congress and the BJP were on the same page in the Supreme Court today on the issue of keeping the Delhi Assembly in suspended animation, pleading with the court to allow Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to wait till the Lok Sabha elections were over in May.

"The LG may be alive to the situation. He himself may take a view after the elections," senior counsel PS Patwalia, who appeared for the BJP, argued. Congress senior counsel K Parasaran also advanced similar arguments.

The BJP, however, indicated that it was keeping the option of forming its government in Delhi as Patwalia said the party's Parliamentary Board was yet to take the call on the issue. "These are political issues that cannot be decided by the court," he said.

A Bench headed by Justice RM Lodha was hearing AAP's plea for immediate dissolution of the Delhi Assembly and holding of fresh elections to avoid horse trading. Appearing for AAP, advocate Fali Nariman pointed out that three of the 32 BJP MLAs, including the Chief Ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan, in the 70-member House were contesting the LS poll.

2014 polls are not about arithmetic but people's chemistry with BJP. In arithmetic 1+1 is 2 but such is our chemistry that 1 & 1 becomes 11!
— Narendra Modi

Mr Jaitley suffers from a persecution complex, which sprouts from his encyclopaedic ignorance about the electoral politics.
— Capt Amarinder Singh

I know the PDP is in complete panic mode but using old videos & trying to mislead the EC about code violations is desperate beyond words. 
—Omar Abdullah

Someone hit me hard on my neck jst now. This kimd of violent reaction is expected of them. It only shows their true character n desperation.
— Arvind Kejriwal

Sharad Pawar attacks Modi. Pawar Saheb understands the mood of the Nation as no one else. Not good news for Modi !
— Digvijaya Singh

snapshots

Vote-verification system in Chhattisgarh
Raipur: Electorate of the Raipur Lok Sabha seat will be able to verify their votes with a new system attached to electronic voting machines during the upcoming polls, an EC official said. For the first time, a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system will be used in Chhattisgarh, which will enable the voters to see the vote cast by them, chief electoral officer Sunil Kujur said. The Raipur Parliamentary constituency is among three Lok Sabha seats where VVPAT will be used in the coming General Elections, he said. — PTI

Sonakshi tweets to campaign for father
Patna: Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha's daughter actress Sonakshi has found a unique way to campaign for her father's re-election to the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat. Though Shatrughan's elder son Luv has been accompanying him during his campaign, daughter Sonakshi is not finding time for it because of her shooting commitments and thus has taken up the social media for the purpose. — PTI

EC launches SMS service in Meghalaya
Shillong: The Election Commission on Monday launched an SMS service to help voters to locate their respective polling stations in Meghalaya. "This mobile service will enable voters to know the details of their polling stations by sending their EPIC number to 98560-66666", chief electoral officer P Naik said after launching 'Your polling station at your finger tip' SMS service here. — PTI