Bhiwani, April 2
Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, one of the biggest constituencies of Haryana in terms of area, is all set to witness a tough triangular contest among the Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are trying to turn it into a multi-corner battle.

The Congress has fielded its outgoing MP Shruti Choudhry, daughter of Haryana Public Health Minister Kiran Choudhry, and the INLD has given ticket to Nangal Choudhry MLA Rao Bahadur Singh, while the BJP is relying on Congress turncoat Dharamvir Singh, who managed to get the ticket within 24 hours of quitting the Congress. AAP's Lalit Agarwal, farmers' leader Master Sher Singh of the CPI and BSP's Ved Pal Tanwar are also trying their luck.

Shruti may get an edge over her rivals in Bhiwani due to the development works she undertook during her debut term as an MP and the clout of her grandfather Choudhry Bansi Lal, but she will have to sweat it out in Mahendragarh.

However, water supply to 118 drought-hit villages of Nangal Chaudhary and Narnaul may help her woo voters of Mahendragarh. Besides, her last-moment announcement of constructing a Central sports university and a medical college in Bhiwani is boosting her campaign, but factionalism among local Congress leaders may go against her.

As far as past poll results are concerned, the Bansi Lal clan has so far contested nine Lok Sabha elections ever since Haryana came into existence and emerged victorious six times.

BJP's Dharamvir Singh, who is an arch-political rival of the Bansi Lal clan, is banking upon his political base in Bhiwani and "Modi wave" in Mahendragarh. He is seeking votes by slamming the Congress for rising inflation and corruption.

INLD's Rao Bahadur Singh is banking on caste equations. Being an Ahir himself, he is confident of winning the trust of nearly 2.8 lakh Ahir voters who dominate Mahendragarh. Being the lone Ahir candidate in the fray, he is leaving no stone unturned to polarise caste votes in his favour. Besides, the Jat vote bank of the INLD is helping him give a tough fight. But, the majority of total 3.6 lakh Jats in the constituency may support either Shruti or Dharamvir, as they are prominent Jat leaders.

CPI's Master Sher Singh, who is also the president of Haryana Kisan Sabha, may get significant votes of farmers and employees as he had been a popular leader of the Sarva Karamchari Sangh before his superannuation. AAP's Lalit Agarwal entirely depends upon the clout of party convener Arvind Kejriwal.

I believe in working instead of criticising anyone for political gains. I gave my best during my tenure as an MP and people are aware of it. I am seeking re-election on the basis of my performance and my ancestors’ contribution in developing this region.

Shruti Choudhry, Congress

People have accepted iron man Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister to make the nation powerful and corruption-free. I am confident of getting the benefit of Modi wave in the region as people have made up their mind to defeat Congress candidates everywhere.

Dharamvir Singh, bjp

People have realised that the INLD is the only party in Haryana that can ensure overall development of the state. The Congress has ruined the lives of everyone, so they are set to vote it out this time.

Rao Bahadur Singh, inld

Besides corruption and rising inflation, we are highlighting the issues pertaining to farmers’ plight, food security, Public Distribution System, security of women and other weaker sections, as no other party is discussing these vital issues.

Master Sher Singh, cpi

We are contesting elections to make the country corruption-free and restore the dignity of the common man, who is the worst-hit by the corrupt political system. We need people’s support to make the country a better place.

Lalit Agarwal, aap

Ambala, April 2
It is 7 am and the election convoy has already arrived at the Panchkula residence of BJP Ambala candidate Rattan Lal Kataria. He has just finished his prayers and is having breakfast served by his wife Banto Devi.

Dressed up in a safari suit, chosen carefully to help him connect with voters, Kataria had his food with a cup of tea. Wiping off his hands, he briefs his staff about the day-long activities and steps out to reach out to his voters.

The day’s plan had been strategically drawn the previous night after Kataria conducted public meetings in more than 47 villages of the constituency.

Talking to The Tribune, a party worker says: “Kataria will visit more than 20 villages in and around Ambala where his supporters have already made arrangements for small meetings.”

As his convoy heads towards Dhankor village —the first village mentioned in the day’s list — Kataria is seen discussing issues to be highlighted by him in his speech at the village. In between, he makes a few calls to his supporters to ensure that everything was put in place.

As he reaches the outskirts of Ambala Cantonment, BJP MLA Anil Vij joins him.

As the convoy is guided to a halt on one of the dusty roads of Dhanokar village, Kataria is greeted by his supporters who garland and escort him to the meeting venue.

First, Anil Vij addresses a decent gathering of villagers and criticises the long rule of the Congress. Striking a chord with locals, he asks them a few questions about the development of their area.

Having set the tone and tenor for Kataria’s speech to follow, he then hands over the mike to the BJP candidate. Kataria starts his speech on a mild note. After assuring the audience that his aim is not to secure power, but to serve them as a representative at the union level, he then launches an obvious attack on the Opposition.

In his speech, which appears to have been carefully rehearsed, he makes it a point to highlight local issues, including failures of the previous MPs in creating employment opportunities and the lack of development due to friction between Kumari Selja and Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

He then calls upon people to vote for the BJP as it is not just any other election, but a time for Yug Parivartan (the change of an era).

Convinced that he has been able to leave a mark on the gathering and hoping that more votes will be in his favour during the April 10 polling, Kataria then moves to Barnala village.

At Barnala, he reiterates his promises. This time, he brings in some deviations to meet the expectations of his audience. He then quickly covers Mandor, Ghasitpur, Kardan, Khatoli and Khojkipur before halting at a dhaba for lunch near Panjokhera village. During lunch, Kataria maintains his calmness, perceivably to conserve energy for the rest of the meetings scheduled for the day.

At Janetpur village, he again takes a dig at the Congress government before reaching Tundla and Tundli villages where sudden showers play a spoilsport. His supporters swiftly grab the equipment as a local worker takes them to a nearby house. Promptly, the shade outside the house is converted into a meeting spot. Kataria and his team wait for the arrangements to be again put in place and soon after it is done, he delivers another speech to woo voters.

Chandigarh, April 2
With less than a week to go to the polls, the armed forces personnel are still waiting for the implementation of the promised one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme.

A section of ex-servicemen have raised questions on the veracity of the government's intention to keep its word, which some veterans feel was the last-ditch effort to woo the service community in the run-up to the elections and checkmate the Opposition that had made a similar promise if voted to power.

If the government is unable to implement the OROP, it could have political ramifications.

The non-implementation of the OROP before the present ruling faction demits the office implies that the issue would then come up before the new government as and when it is formed. Some veterans fear that with the political hullabaloo over by then, the issue could once again be put on the backburner.

The announcement in Parliament that the government had "accepted" the OROP had been hailed and there had been high expectations among veterans that the issue would finally be settled. The OROP implies equal pension for personnel retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service, regardless of the year of retirement. At present, there is a disparity in pensions due to the formula adopted in pension fixation on the recommendations of central pay commissions.

As announced by Finance Minister P Chidambram in his interim Budget speech in Parliament on February 17, the OROP decision was to be implemented prospectively for the armed forces from 2014-2015, with the government transferring Rs 500 crore to the defence pension account.

However, the much vaunted announcement and reports that the work by the agencies concerned on revising the pensions is underway, no notification has been issued.

Following the announcement, Defence Minister AK Antony had convened a meeting and directed all concerned to expedite the process of working out the OROP scheme so that it can be implemented from April 1, 2014. Sources said the Controller General of Defence Accounts prepared a draft and forwarded it to the three service chiefs for their comments.

During an interaction with ex-servicemen in Chandigarh in February, before the poll code came into force, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had said that the OROP notification would be issued at the earliest. The question whether the implementation orders can be issued after the enforcement of the election code as the announcement was made prior to it, is a subject of debate.

Will govt keep its word?

Ex-servicemen have raised questions on the veracity of the government's intention to keep its word, which some veterans feel was the last-ditch effort to woo the service community in the run-up to the elections and checkmate the Opposition that had made a similar promise if voted to power.

Srinagar, April 2
Having remained a National Conference (NC) stronghold for long, north Kashmir's Baramulla parliamentary constituency will throw up a formidable challenge to the J&K's ruling party this time.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fielded former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Beigh against sitting MP Sharifuddin Shariq of the National Conference. The main contenders are facing stiff challenge from Langate MLA Engineer Rasheed of the Awami Ettihaad and the Sajad Lone-led People's Conference candidate Salamuddin Bajad.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded GM Mir, who lost the 2008 Assembly elections from the Handwara constituency on the PDP ticket.

Rasheed is considered a firebrand leader and is known for his knack for remaining in news. Bajad's party may eat into the votes of the NC or the PDP.

Political analyst Gul Mohammad Wani, professor of political science and director of the Institute of Kashmir Studies, said Rasheed had carved a space for himself with his inimitable style of politics and would get his share of votes from his segment just like Lone. He said they would, however, not make a substantial difference and the main contest would be between Shariq and Beigh.

When asked about NC's prospects this time, Shariq said the party saw "no challenge" from any outfit and was confident of another victory. "I do not see any challenge and I will win hands down. I have served people of the area for 40 years and I will continue to do so," he said as the NC has been consecutively winning the Baramulla parliamentary constituency since 1999.

NC leader Abdul Rashid Shaheen had won from Baramulla in 1999 and 2004. In 2009, Shariq defeated PDP's Dilawar Mir by a margin of 64,814 votes. Separatist leader-turned-mainstream politician Sajad Lone had also contested from Baramulla in 2009, but his security deposit was forfeited.

The other contenders are trying to corner the ruling party on its failures, especially the promises it made to the people vis-à-vis the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

When PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed recently unveiled the party's "Mission Document" for the Lok Sabha elections, he alleged that all previous endeavours towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue had been left halfway. He also accused the NC-Congress alliance of all the ills faced by the people of Kashmir. He said if voted to power, the party would seek a special session in Parliament to discuss the Kashmir issue and also demand a separate ministry for J&K affairs.

Beigh is highlighting the NC's "dual policy" at the Centre. Addressing party workers recently, Beigh said: "The NC leaders pursued one policy in the state and followed another in Delhi where they struck close relationships to seek favours and enjoy personal luxury."

The Opposition would also try to cash in on the NC's 'failure' to prevent the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who hailed from Baramulla district. Mufti has termed Guru's hanging as NC's "biggest betrayal".

On the other hand, Rasheed has blamed the NC and PDP for failing to prevent Guru's execution. "Let Kashmiris seek answers to basic questions which the NC and PDP have never answered. The Assembly record of six years is enough evidence to judge who betrayed Kashmiris," he said.

Polls in Baramulla are scheduled for May 7. The constituency has 11.52 lakh voters.

National Conference
Sharifuddin Shariq

Peoples Democratic Party
Muzaffar Beigh

Peoples Conference
Salamuddin Bajad

Awami Ettihaad
Engineer Rasheed

Bharatiya Janata Party
GM Mir

Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara, Langate, Uri, Rafiabad, Sopore, Gurez, Bandipora, Sonawari, Sangrama, Baramulla, Gulmarg and Pattan.

Polling May 7

Number of voters 11.52 lakh

Lucknow, April 2
Depending on the tested formula of caste and religion-based incentives, the Samajwadi party manifesto today tried to woo the Brahmins feeling let down by the BJP and the Muslims still keeping their cards close to their chest.

The 24-page manifesto released by party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav promises to constitute an Upper Caste Commission for overseeing cases of injustice to the poor among the upper castes if the party comes to power at the Centre.

Widening its base from the Yadav-Muslim combination, the SP is virtually replicating the BSP’s social engineering sarvjan hitai, sarvjan sukhai formula. In the manifesto, the SP has reiterated its decision to include 17 most backward castes among the OBC to the list of Scheduled Castes, a step which it has attempted to do in UP.

Additionally, the SP has recommended giving SC status to Dalit Christians and Dalits Muslims as well.

In an attempt to consolidate its Muslim support, the SP manifesto today supported reservation for Muslims in jobs in proportion to their population. On coming to power the party would make requisite amendments to the Constitution, the manifesto claimed.

For Muslims, Yadav promised to open Urdu medium schools in the community-dominated areas, ensure 15 per cent reservation in police services, free coaching for students. He again assured to make efforts to ensure the release of innocent Muslim youth booked in terror cases which would apparently help him connect to his voter in Azamgarh.

Promising to implement the Sachchar Committee recommendations which had pointed out that the socio-economic condition of Muslims was worse than that of Dalits, Yadav charged the UPA government of not doing enough to implement it.

Following another Mayawati formula, the SP has also recommended reservation in jobs to be introduced in the private sector.

The manifesto claims that small and cottage industries would be set up for creating job opportunities. It also repeats the need for unemployment allowance to the jobless youth till they find jobs.

The touch of the old socialists was visible in the promise of free education if the Samajwadi party-led Third Front coalition came to power in the Centre.

The SP has also attempted to win over the government employees, High Court and lower court judges, teachers and employees of educational institutions by promising to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65.

Sultanpur/Rae Bareli, April 2
In rare remarks, BJP’s Varun Gandhi praised estranged cousin Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leader quickly lapped up the praise, leaving the BJP embarrassed after which he changed tack and said it should not be seen as an endorsement of any political party or candidate.

Varun, who is the BJP’s youth face in Uttar Pradesh, created a flutter when he said Rahul was doing good work through his self-help groups for ameliorating the status of women in his parliamentary constituency Amethi and added that he would like to do the same in Sultanpur district. He had also stated that there was a need to work like Rahul through self-help groups for amelioration of women. Varun's appreciation of Rahul came while he was addressing a group of teachers in Sultanpur last night. He is the BJP candidate from Sultanpur.

Caught on a sticky wicket, Varun took to Twitter to issue a clarification to say his comments should not be seen as an endorsement of any political party or candidate. - PTI

New Delhi, April 2
Coming down heavily on the misuse of social media during electioneering, the Election Commission of India today directed the internet and mobile operators that all material used for campaigning in form of advertisements or opinions on websites, blogs and social media must comply with the guidelines of the Model Code of Conduct for the General Elections.

“The Commission would expect that unlawful content whenever comes to your notice must be removed at the earliest,” a letter issued by the EC to Internet and Mobile Association of India said today.

The EC has said the companies must ensure that all political parties and candidates follow the do’s and don’ts of the code when using social media and websites for giving their opinions. The code has a strict rulebook on misuse of religion and caste, besides advises that no derogatory language can be used and no personal comments can be made.

The relative anonymity of users of social media allows people to spread venom. The Election Commission in March had directed content managers of social networking sites to make sure that candidates do not post anything in violate of the model code of conduct. The Association of service providers had raised certain points to which the EC replied today.

The guidelines will be applicable to a range of Internet-based social media including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia besides individual blogs. Political parties are increasingly using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook in a big way for campaigning in Lok Sabha polls, Election Commission has issued detailed guidelines for political advertisements on such platforms that include obtaining certification for contents before putting them in public domain.

New Delhi, April 2
The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on a PIL against Central and state governments’ publicity campaigns through advertisements in the media along with photos of ministers and political leaders at the cost of the exchequer.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said it would issue guidelines to curb such practices using tax payers’ money to the disadvantage of opposition parties. It asked the petitioner, NGO Common Cause, and the government to give their suggestions within a week to enable the court to deliver the verdict.

The Centre defended the need for such campaigns as the ruling parties had to inform people on the implementation of their election manifestos. “No motive can be attributed to this and doing so will amount to criticising the way the institutions function,” senior advocate K Radhakrishnan, who argued for the Centre, contended.

Further, guidelines were in place for the release of such advertisements, the Centre contended. Unconvinced, the bench said the guidelines dealt with the procedure for releasing the advertisements to the media, not with the content.

The bench also did not accept the contention that the Election Commission dealt with such campaigns at the time of elections to prevent any undue advantage to the ruling parties. Elections were held once in five years, while there was no regulation for the rest of the period, it reasoned.

The bench acknowledged the need for carrying the photos of the Prime Minister or the chief ministers in such advertisements.

New Delhi, April 2
Notification was issued today for the seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls to 89 constituencies spread across nine states on April 30 to decide the fate of political heavyweights like Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

The Lucknow seat from where BJP president Rajnath Singh is contesting and Amritsar, from where Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley is pitted against former Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh of the Congress also go to polls on April 30. - PTI

Rae Bareli, April 2
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today filed her nomination from Rae Bareli, for the fourth consecutive time, declaring movable and immovable assets to the tune of Rs 9.28 crore.

Chauffeured to the Rae Bareli court of the collector magistrate by son Rahul Gandhi, Sonia halted briefly to address the media. She said people would repose faith in her and elect her to power once again. Responding to a question if she was contesting for the last time, she asked "arrey kyon?" and moved on.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was more forthcoming when he was asked about his views on cousin Varun Gandhi's praise of the work done by him in Amethi. Expressing satisfaction at Varun's comments, Rahul listed his achievements in Amethi, including turning it into an educational hub, work for farmers, MGNREGA and food security.

Her daughter Priyanka Vadra and son-in-law Robert Vadra were conspicuous by their absence.

After filing her papers, she visited Takia, the birthplace of renowned Islamic scholar Ali Miyan.

According to the 12-page affidavit filed by the Congress president, she continues to be without a vehicle of her own. She has also declared to have lent Rs 9 lakh to son Rahul. She has disclosed total immovable assets to the tune of Rs 2,81,50,387 crore and movable assets to the tune of Rs 6,47,44,900 crore, which includes 3-bigha land at Deramandi village, 12 bighas at Sultanpur village and inherited share in property in Italy.

For Congress all 365 days are April Fools' Day. They mislead people & remember poor only before elections. Such a Party must be punished. — Narendra Modi

Looks like Smiti Irani's campaign has just been shellacked & it didn't even need Rahul to visit Amethi. — Omar Abdullah

UPA has left future generations in debt with govt borrowing at 68 crores per hour. — Rajeev Chandrasekhar

UPA may use dirty tricks to delay Modi Ji's plane but they cannot stop his victory run. EC must enquire into this incident and take action. — Shivraj Singh Chouhan

If policies of a country are driven by crony-capitalism, it increases risk for foreign investors. — Arvind Kejriwal

snapshots

Man seeks public toilet in lieu of his vote, arrested
Allahabad: An AAP worker, who rode a donkey in Allahabad to demand a public toilet in lieu of his vote, was arrested for disturbing peace. Patel Sunil Chaudhary had put candidates in a quandary with his demand that they build a public toilet in lieu of his vote. Local politicians are yet to respond to his demand. — IANS

Modi hate-speech case: Masood gets bail
Saharanpur: Congress Lok Sabha candidate Imran Masood, arrested for a hate speech in which he allegedly threatened to "chop" Narendra Modi "into pieces", was on Wednesday granted bail after the defence argued that he was wrongly charged under sections for hurting religious sentiments. Masood was sent to 14-day custody after a video showing him attacking Modi had gone viral on the web. — PTI

Cong employs ‘bouncers’ to handle ticket-seekers
Hyderabad: The Congress has hired bouncers at its office here to deal with the rush of ticket-aspirants and their supporters. Several bouncers were seen on duty at Gandhi Bhawan, the state Congress headquarters here, on Wednesday. — PTI

EC lodges FIR for Godhra posters
Patna: The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday removed objectionable posters on Godhra riots on the outer premises of Patna airport and lodged an FIR. "The case has been registered because the posters were of objectionable nature. It could have been intended to harm the communal harmony," Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan said. — PTI