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key Constituency:
Hoshiarpur
SAD-BJP alliance banks on development issues
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campaign trail:
bhagwant mann Witty comedian takes up ‘broom’ to clean the system Sangrur, April 22 
It's a warm and sunny morning that turns cloudy for some time before the sun reclaims its position. But weather is the last thing on Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) candidate Bhagwant Mann's mind.Aam Aadmi Party candidate Bhagwant Mann addresses a gathering at a village in the Sangrur constituency. Photo: Inderjeet Verma
Raj warns about dangers posed by ‘outsiders’
key Constituency:
Srinagar Tough fight ahead for Sanjay Nirupam
It is more of Modi than BJP in Karauli-Dholpur
To be PM, Modi misleading people: Sonia
Will reach out to all, Muslims
brothers included: Modi
Ilmi sparks row, says Muslims should become communal
Rahul’s press meet in Alwar cancelled
Sena disowns MLA’s threat to attack Pak
Mulayam files papers from Azamgarh
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Factionalism may affect principal players
Sitting MP from Jalandhar Mohinder Singh Kaypee takes on Vijay Sampla of BJP in Congress stronghold Umesh Dewan & Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi Tribune News Service
Hoshiarpur, April 22 Seventeen candidates are in the fray, but the main contest is between Mohinder Singh Kaypee of the Congress and Vijay Sampla of the BJP. Interestingly, both the candidates are outsiders. Sensing anti-incumbency wave against its sitting MP from the Jalandhar (reserve) segment, Kaypee has been shifted to Hoshiarpur. Sampla, who is the chairman of the Punjab Forest Development Corporation, also hails from Jalandhar. However, he recently shifted his base to Hoshiarpur with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections. Many political stalwarts have represented the constituency in Parliament. These include the first Defence Minister, Baldev Singh, former Punjab CM Darbara Singh, former President Giani Zail Singh and BSP founder Kanshi Ram. Interestingly, all of them were outsiders. BSP chief Mayawati contested elections from this constituency in 1991 but lost. Kamal Chaudhry won the elections from this constituency four times - thrice on a Congress ticket and once on as a BJP candidate. Giani Zail Singh holds the record of winning the Lok Sabha elections by the highest margin of 1,25,186 votes in 1980. The literacy rate in Hoshiarpur is 84.59 per cent, which is higher than the state average (75.8 per cent). Sex ratio in Hoshiarpur stands at 961 females per 1,000 male - the highest in any district of Punjab. However, Hoshiarpur is one of the most backward districts in Punjab despite being represented by political bigwigs Unemployment is the major issue concerning people here. Since 1952, Hoshiarpur had always been a Congress stronghold with party winning it 11 times. While Sampla is trying to cash in on 'Modi wave', Kaypee is listing achievements of the Congress-led UPA government and anti-incumbency against the SAD-BJP government in the state. The contest is evenly poised as both the BJP and Congress are fighting factionalism. Upset over being denied ticket, sitting Congress MP Santosh Chowdhary and her supporters have not extended their support to Kaypee. In the BJP, senior party leader Tikshan Sud's close aides expressed resentment over allotting the ticket to Sampla. However, after the intervention of the party high command, Sud's supporters joined Sampla's campaign. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Parkash, who was in the race for the ticket, has not come out in support of Sampla. BSP candidate Bhagwan Singh Chauhan, a retired radio officer of the Indian Navy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Yamini Gomar and SAD (A) candidate and Shamsher Singh Maloya, who is a retired judicial officer and elder brother of Indira Gandhi's assassin Beant Singh, are also there in the fray. Key Issues
Poor Industrial growth, no incentives on lines of special industrial package in HP, poor medical facilities, poor road network, unemployment, power cuts and wild animals destroying crops
HIGHS AND LOWS Mohinder Singh Kaypee (Cong)
STRENGTHS: Enjoys clean image, experience in electoral politics and gets along well with all the communities. WEAKNESSES:
Sitting MP Santosh Chowdhary and her supporters not extending any help, new to the Hoshiarpur constituency. Vijay Sampla (BJP)
STRENGTHS: Started campaign in advance, riding 'Modi wave', six out of nine Assembly segments in Hoshiarpur are represented by SAD-BJP candidates. WEAKNESSES:
New to electoral politics,
factionalism in the party unit.
Candidatespeak Mohinder Singh Kaypee (Congress) Vijay Sampla (BJP)
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SAD-BJP alliance banks on development issues
Bathinda, April 22 Last summer Bathinda residents had the "privilege" of having uninterrupted power supply, while the rest of Punjab reeled under scheduled and unscheduled power cuts, which especially pained the industry. The Budget for the upgrade of road infrastructure in and around Bathinda has been largely spent on Bathinda, while the industrial hubs such as Ludhiana and Jalandhar have poor road infrastructure. The Jalandhar-Panipat highway has been left in the limbo and its deadline has surpassed owing to several issues. Despite repeated assurances, the freight corridor extended to Amritsar has failed to take off. SAD-BJP leaders are brow beating, claiming private investments in the state such as thermal power plants and Guru Gobind Singh Refinery as their achievements. In these projects, the only investment the state government has made is by contributing land given on concession to big industrial houses. These projects have failed to generate jobs for the local unemployed youth of the state, who largely are under-qualified and poorly skilled to meet the requirements of these sectors. Despite tall claims of establishing plastic industry hub as an ancillary unit of the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, not even a single penny's investment has been made on it. With much pomp and show, the state government established an airport at Virk Kalan village in Bathinda district. The work is complete, but the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has not been able to convince even a single aviation player to start flights from here. The SAD-BJP government, that claims to have heralded a new era of development in the past two years, is seeking votes for its Lok Sabha candidates. With BJP's senior leader Narendra Modi already being projected as the prime ministerial candidate, SAD has been emphasising on Modi's proximity to CM Parkash Singh Badal, terming the duo's combination a progressive potion for Punjab. The ambitious government aims at adding 13,380 MW generation capacity with an investment of approximately Rs 90,000 crore by 2020. It inaugurated 1,980 MW Talwandi Sabo thermal project, 1,400 MW Rajpura thermal plant and 540 MW Goindwal Sahib thermal project. While both Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo power projects are commissioned, it is yet to see its contribution in terms of power supply to those residing in Punjab. Interestingly, large investments have been made in raising infrastructure, while little has been done to fund the existing projects or raise human development indices. Government model schools are facing closure, there is overstaffing in the school education sector and no new government college or medical education institutes have been opened. SAD-BJP is heavily banking on the projects it claims to have initiated mainly in the past two years. These include setting up of thermal power projects in the private sector, a string of Sikh memorials such as Chappar Chiri at Mohali, Kup Ruhira at Malerkotla and Chhamb Kahnuwan at Gurdaspur constructed to commemorate the victory of Sirhind by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and in the memory of Chhota and Wadda Ghallughara martyrs, respectively. Interestingly, using Sikh memorials to whip up religious sentiments and secure votes, the government has ended up creating a gap between information and reality. For instance, instead of presenting Banda Singh Bahadur as the first known Sikh to have introduced land reforms making cultivator the owner of land, the Chappar Chiri memorial has been bedecked with photos of famous couples of Punjab's history. Though the ruling leaders deny not having taken initiative against the government or private industrial units flouting pollution norms, there are reports of government's Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) being lenient to the industrial units, which fall under the wings of the first family of Punjab - largely in the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency.
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Witty comedian takes up ‘broom’ to clean the system
Minna Zutshi Tribune News Service
Sangrur, April 22 Mann, who is contesting from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, has more than 200 villages to cover for his campaign. He has already visited 300 villages, a no mean feat. His vocal cords are giving way. They need rest, he has been told. But his priority is elections. And the comedian-turned-politician is taking his new role seriously. After his switch from the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) to AAP, he has had to answer uneasy questions like why he quit the PPP to join AAP. By now, he has become adept in tackling these questions. Mann's public meetings start around 6 am. But his day starts at 4.30 am. He is a 'net' person. He checks e-mails, posts messages on his Facebook page, talks on Skype and reads e-papers even before the sun is up. "This is my routine. It is not poll-centric. I have been doing it for years. The only difference is that now most of my supporters from abroad discuss elections and our talk veers around the polls." At least one hour is devoted to meetings with party workers and supporters to discuss the day's schedule. By 1 pm, Mann has covered around eight villages adjoining Sangrur city. Next is a meeting with members of the District Bar Association. Even as he speaks like a consummate politician, his perfect comic timing is hard to miss. Man(n) on a mission
Before addressing the gathering of advocates, he asks them to switch off their mobile phones. "The mobiles were meant for emergency. We are now living in a perpetual state of emergency," he says, poker-faced. The next moment, he looks solemn. There is a rather strident note in his voice. The Akali Dal-BJP government is interested in keeping the masses uneducated, he alleges, while trashing the "pro-poor" schemes of the government. Mann says: "The bridges (in Punjab) are desperate for their inauguration. The bridges are ready. Their inauguration awaits politicians' nod." He addresses the issue of brain drain, blaming the political leaders for having failed to provide jobs to the youth. "The youth are leaving their motherland for foreign shores. Instead of making the economic and political conditions in the state conducive for the youth to stay back, the Badal government was seen reassuring the people that they will take up the visa issue with the British government," he says in a voice laced with sarcasm. Training his guns on Congress candidate Vijay Inder Singla, he claims that 95 per cent villagers in the constituency say they have never seen Singla (who is the Sangrur MP) visit their village. A brief interaction with the advocates follows. Mann is asked why he quit the PPP to join AAP. His argument goes: "The Congress is the root cause of corruption and Manpreet Singh Badal forged an alliance with it. The Congress also approached me and offered me the Rajya Sabha ticket from Maharashtra. But I declined. I told them that I am on a mission, not on a commission. I joined AAP unconditionally." Broom talk
At a meeting at Bhindran village, Mann's speech is shorter. His gestures are louder and more emphatic. "Drugs are ruining our children," he thunders. He narrates a tale from the animal kingdom to draw a comparison between the BJP and the Congress. The bottom-line: "For those who want to rid the country of corruption, here is a chance. Clean the morass with a broom." The next stop is at the nearby Ghabdan village. Here, Mann makes fun of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's penchant to have his photo affixed on various things that are doled out to the underprivileged as part of the state government's welfare schemes. He takes a dig at Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal's promise to make Punjab a California of India: "There is no need to turn Punjab into California. Let's make it a rangla (colourful and happy) Punjab." Criticising the Badal government's "publicity overdrive" vis-à-vis kabaddi tourneys, he again delves into his repertoire of witty tales. Raising the pitch for a change in governance, he says, "A broom is used to clean the house. It is also 'used' when a woman desires to teach a lesson to her drunkard husband." As the day's campaign in rural areas draws to a close, Mann has covered close to 20 villages. He's ready for the road show in the city. He wants to visit each and every village and also reach out to the electorate in urban areas.
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Raj warns about dangers posed by ‘outsiders’
Mumbai, April 22 Campaigning in Maharashtra ended today for elections to be held on Thursday. At public meetings held in Kalyan and Thane, Thackeray warned the audience about the dangers posed by “outsiders”. “Kalyan has seen a large number of people from outside living here and indulging in illegal activities,” Thackeray said at a meeting held for party's candidate Pramod Patil. At another meeting in Kalyan, Thackeray blamed the MPs from Congress and NCP for failing to protect the “swabhimaan” of locals. Referring to TV interviews aired in the past one week where attacks on migrants by the MNS were the main focus, Thackeray accused the national media of being biased against him. The Thane district has seen illegal constructions mushrooming. Many people have died in building collapses in the past two years. He, however, chose to blame the "outsiders" for the state of affairs. "Migrants who are new to Mumbai manage to find jobs as security guards in just two days. One person was hired as a guard at a Bollywood personality's society in only six days. How can security be guaranteed when people are hired off the streets?" Thackeray asked. He was, however, careful that his speech did not appear to incite violence against anyone.
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Farooq Abdullah braces for battle of prestige
Veteran NC leader tests his popularity against first-timer Tariq Hameed Karra of PDP in April 30 elections Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service
Srinagar, April 22
There are 12 other candidates in the fray, but the main fight will be between National Conference president and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah and PDP leader former MLA and Finance Minister Tariq Hameed Karra. It is the home turf for both leaders, but the PDP leader will contest the Lok Sabha elections for the first time.
Campaigning has gained momentum here with the Abdullahs and other senior party leaders holding a series of election rallies across the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, comprising this central Kashmir constituency. Senior Congress leaders are also seen campaigning, though inconveniently, for Farooq Abdullah. The two parties entered into an alliance with three seats each. The NC is contesting on three Valleys seats of Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla, while the Congress is contesting Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh seats out of the total six Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The campaigning ranges from development issues to the resolution of Kashmir problem. Leaders of all political parties contesting here and even the separatists have been caught in a debate over relations with the BJP. The latest was hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani's disclosure where he said Modi's men approached him and sought help in resolving Kashmir issues. Other issues included BJP's stand on Article 370, which grants special status to J&K. The performance of the NC-Congress coalition government is also being debated. PDP top aleader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is also campaigning for his party candidate in Srinagar. The PDP, which had a coalition with the Congress from 2002 to 2008, blames the NC for its failure in bringing an end to the miseries of people who had been suffering for want of basic facilities. In the backdrop of the PDP's "peace process and healing touch policies" during the PDP-Congress regime from 2002 to 2005, the PDP criticises the present coalition government for its 'failures'. It has its main thrust on unemployment, power supply, water, roads and human rights violations. The ruling National Conference takes credit for development works in and around Srinagar during the past five years. While the PDP has been criticising the NC government for neglecting Srinagar city, the NC has been claiming that it had taken several measures, including the master plan and preservation of heritage structures. Preparations in place
Farooq Ahmad Shah, Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, said: "Preparations are in place to ensure free, fair and smooth polls." Arrangements for the transportation of EVMs and polling staff have been made. Security has also been tightened, he added. The DC said Srinagar is a sensitive constituency. It has 1,546 polling stations, including 804 in Srinagar, 540 in Budgam and 202 in Ganderbal. These include 1,021 hyper-sensitive, 470 sensitive and 55 normal polling stations.
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Tough fight ahead for Sanjay Nirupam
Mumbai, April 22 Nirupam, who appears on television debates on behalf of his party, is facing two-time BJP MLA Gopal Shetty in a high-voltage contest. The third horse in the race, Aam Aadmi Party's Satish Jain, is still struggling to make an impact. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Nirupam defeated veteran BJP leader Ram Naik by a slender margin of 5,779 votes due to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's Shirish Parkar, who bagged 1,47,502 votes. This time, the MNS has not fielded any candidate and Nirupam and Shetty are going head-to-head. Nirupam is finding the going tough in this constituency which has a large number of Gujarati voters who are swayed by the Narendra Modi wave. The Congress has a support base in the slums of Malvani, Dahisar and Charkop dominated by migrants from north India, besides from neighbourhoods of Borivali and Poisar, which are home to minority Catholic Christians and Muslims. Acting through a network of local leaders, the Congress MP has helped residents with school admissions, water supply and provision of official documents such as ration cards and Aadhaar cards. "I have helped people get Aadhaar cards here," Nirupam says during campaigning. Among middle-class housing societies, the easily-accessible Nirupam is known for helping residents of buildings obtained deemed conveyance or land titles for the properties on which the structures stand. "I got the Rajdhani Express to halt at Borivali," he adds alluding to a long-standing demand of the Gujarati community here. The MP is also taking credit for developing the Borivali railway station. Nirupam says his agenda for his next term is to route Konkan Railway trains via Borivali. This, he said, would fulfil the demand of the Goan population living in parts of his constituency. With the Congress facing anti-incumbency, Nirupam is cleverly avoiding all references to the Central government and banking on his own work. Nirupam's high decibel campaign consisting of mobile vans equipped with LED screens play films about his achievements on loop in three languages. For more than a year before the elections, Nirupam's publicity machinery has been at work with posters and banners at street corners announcing the inauguration and completion of civic projects. However, BJP candidate Gopal Shetty is unimpressed by Nirupam's achievement. "What has he done in the past five years?" Shetty booms. All the work was done by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for which he has taken credit, says Shetty. With the local Shiv Sena leadership, including corporator Vinod Ghosalkar, actively campaigning for him, Shetty is confident of retaking the Mumbai North seat which was held by Ram Naik for 25 years till 2004. An associate of Shetty points out that the Samajwadi Party has fielded, Kamlesh Yadav, who is expected to eat into Nirupam's votes. Nirupam, however, puts on a brave front saying he is confident of winning. "This time, I will get the votes which were taken away by the MNS in the last elections," says Nirupam. Both Shetty and Nirupam are pulling out all the stops to make their campaigns work. The children of both leaders have hit the road with their friends in bike rallies. "Vote for my papa, my hero," says Shivani, Nirupam's 18-year-old daughter from an open jeep. While, Nirupam and Shetty slug it out, the campaign of AAP's Satish Jain is low-key. Jain, a former fund manager with a mutual fund house, is hard at work trying to woo members of his Gujarati community apart from hoofing it out in the narrow alleys of the area's slums. An alumnus of IIM, Bangalore, Jain lived in a slum at Malvani before embarking on his electoral mission. "The problems of the slum dwellers are different from those living in buildings and we are trying to solve them," says Jain. AAP aims to legalise slums built on government land.
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It is more of Modi than BJP in Karauli-Dholpur
Karauli-Dholpur, April 22 But unlike the high-profile contest in the neighbouring Dausa, where two brothers are seeking to reach the parliament, the contest here is low profile. While the BJP has fielded Dr Manoj Rajoria, who defeated Congress candidate Khiladi Lal Bairwa last time, the latter has named Lakhi Ram Bairwa as its candidate this time. BSP candidate Gangaram Bairwa could queer the pitch for the Congress, whereas the presence of Ghanshyam Bairwa of AAP, another Bairwa, gives the latter a foothold in the area, where again the caste factor would play a major role. A visit to key areas of this not-so-well-developed region of the state reveals that instead of a contest between the Bairwa's, it is the Narendra Modi wave which is playing a key role in the region which has a very high crime rate. The youth in the region have high expectations from the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and are impressed with his oratory skills so much that they even try to emulate him. They point out that they would not be voting for BJP but for Modi. "He talks of development, of uniting India and more importantly, how to deal with Pakistan," says Lekhram, a 26-year-old unemployed youth. He added that they want a decisive leader, somebody who could take the country forward. The sentiments are the same all over this male-dominated region and people point out that it was due to Modi that the state witnessed such a high turnout in the first phase of the elections held on April 17. Contrary to the expectations, the region where elections have been marred by violence is abreast with political development and also looks at the debutant AAP as a party with a future. They were, however, disappointed in the manner its convener Arvind Kejriwal walked out after 49 days in Delhi. The voters here are determined to come out in large numbers this time to vote for their leader rather than for any party. They point out that BJP without Modi would not garner any votes. Incidentally, the Karauli-Dholpur parliamentary seat had secured the last position on the polling percentage chart in 2009 Lok Sabha polls. The participation of women had hit rock bottom since 28.94% women went out to vote. The grim picture of this Lok Sabha seat doesn't stop here. It also ranked last in voter sex ratio with 831 females per 1,000 males, whereas, the state average is 902. The figures highlight that women are not encouraged to participate in the democratic process, especially in the Lok Sabha polls. On its part, the local Election Commission has taken this up as a challenge and making all-out efforts to encourage women to come out and vote on April 24. According to the reports, the elections in this region were held under the fear of bandits till 2009. They had a nexus with local politicians and enjoyed patronage of influential communities. Elections were marred by violence with booth capturing being a common incident, which made the situation vulnerable for women and discouraged them to participate in the process.
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Don’t make ‘irresponsible’ statements, says Modi
New Delhi, April 22 "I disapprove of such irresponsible statements & appeal to those making them to kindly refrain from doing so," Modi tweeted. The leader's reaction comes after VHP leader Pravin Togadia and party leader Giriraj Singh's reported hate speeches. Modi said with great happiness, the entire nation is looking towards the BJP for going to people solely on the issues of good governance and development. "Petty statements by those claiming to be BJP's well-wishers are deviating the campaign from the issues of development & good governance," he wrote without naming the leaders. Togadia, who reportedly said Muslims should be thrown out of Hindu areas, had Monday triggered a controversy. Party leader Giriraj Singh, during an election rally in Deogarh, Jharkhand, had last week said those opposing Modi are looking at Pakistan, and such people will have no place in India but in Pakistan. The BJP on Monday approached the Election Commission seeking "strong action" against Union Ministers Beni Prasad Verma and Kapil Sibal, accusing them of vitiating the election campaign by making "baseless" allegations against its leaders. The BJP delegation also demanded deployment of adequate Central forces in UP districts fearing massive rigging by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. "Yesterday, the way Sibal made allegations in his press conference, it is the violation of the model code of conduct. He made baseless allegations against Modi and Amit Shah. Similarly, Verma has also violated model code of conduct," BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said after meeting EC officials here. "It was an attempt to create fear psychosis in voters' mind. We have drawn EC's attention to it and sought strict action against Verma, Sibal and other leaders who have flouted rules." he said. Accusing senior Congress leaders of "continuously using foul and abusive language" against Modi and targeting him in an organised way, the BJP said: "They are trying to make allegations at a personal level. Someone is trying to cut Modi into pieces, someone is speaking about killing and burying him. Some are even saying he is Hitler and Idi Amin. We complained to the EC". Act against Sibal, Beni: BJP to EC
The BJP on Monday approached the EC seeking "strong action" against Union Ministers Beni Prasad Verma and Kapil Sibal, accusing them of vitiating the campaign by making "baseless" allegations against its leaders. "Yesterday, the way Sibal made allegations in his press conference, it is the violation of the model code of conduct. He made baseless allegations against Modi and Amit Shah. Similarly, Verma has also violated model code of conduct,” said BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
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To be PM, Modi misleading people: Sonia
Islampur (WB), April 22 "Some parties are there whose main agenda is to spread lies against the Congress. Especially, the BJP's leader is crossing all limits to mislead people. To get the Prime Minister's chair, he is creating a craze in the whole country," Sonia Gandhi said here without naming
Modi. "It seems as if they don't have faith in our country's social, political and constitutional system," she told an election rally here in support of party candidate Deepa Dasmunshi who is fighting from Raiganj constituency in North Dinajpur district. Sonia alleged that for the chair they started spreading such a big network of lies that it has become a matter of concern if the country's democracy was safe in the hands of such people. The great leaders of the Congress along with crores of workers toiled hard to build the country, she said. — PTI
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Will reach out to all, Muslims
brothers included: Modi
New Delhi, April 22 The BJP's PM candidate underlined that he saw all Indians as one and it was his "responsibility" to reach out to all sections of society, which includes Muslims. "As CM of Gujarat, I have tried to connect to six crore people of the state as much as possible. Now, I have been entrusted with the national responsibility. I will use all efforts at my command to reach out to 125 crore people. This is part of my responsibility and I must do it. He was responding on a television programme when pointed out that he appeared to have started establishing contact with the Muslim community. Asked specifically whether his effort to reach out to every citizen included Muslims, Modi replied, "I will never go by this terminology of yours. Even if you drag me, I will not. I will meet my countrymen. I understand only one language that they are my countrymen, they are my brothers. You may see with whatever colour you want, Modi will not go into that colour." — PTI
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Ilmi sparks row, says Muslims should become communal
New Delhi, April 22 The Arvind Kejriwal-headed Aam Aadmi party (AAP) ticked Ilmi off and distanced itself from the controversial remarks, saying it does not endorse her views. However, Ilmi stood by her comments, which she said is a "play of words". The AAP response came hours after a video of Ilmi's comments went viral on social media and the footage shown on TV channels, just two days ahead of the crucial sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. In the video, which surfaced today, Ilmi said that Muslims’ votes split as they were “too secular” and they “should become communal” and vote keeping in mind “our own interest”. "Don't be much secular. Muslims are too secular and they should become communal. They are not communal and do not vote for themselves. Arvind Kejriwal is ours. Muslims have remained secular for long...have voted for the Congress and helped them win. Don’t be so secular and look at your house (community) this time. "Other parties have their vote bank intact and Muslim votes split. This is a controversial statement, but we should look at our own interest,” Ilmi, AAP candidate from Ghaziabad, said in the video, in which she is having a conversation with members of the Muslim community. - PTI
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Rahul’s press meet in Alwar cancelled
Alwar, April 22
Large number of party supporters as well as people from parts of the constituency lined up along the roadside to greet them. Rahul Gandhi, along with Singh and PCC president Sachin Pilot, greeted people from an open-roof SUV amid tight security arrangements. The show began from Rao Tukaram circle and ended at Ashok circle after covering parts of the city. Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to address a press conference at the Ashok circle but it was cancelled at the last moment, and he left the city in a helicopter. Later, Jitendra Singh held the district administration responsible for the cancellation of the conference. “This place was identified for press conference last night in a meeting with SPG and the district administration but the district administration today denied permission. Rahul Gandhi waited for five minutes outside the venue but he had to leave because of the district administration," Jitendra Singh told reporters. When contacted, District Collector MP Swami rejected the allegation and said that it was the SPG that did not allow the press conference. "He is an SPG protectee and the SPG did not allow him to hold the press conference. They (Congress leaders) did not tell us beforehand that they wanted to hold a press conference. When they said at the last moment today, the SPG raised security concerns and did not allow it," Swami said. — PTI
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Sena disowns MLA’s threat to attack Pak
Mumbai, April 22 Kadam made these statements at a rally by the NDA at Kalyan. Both Uddhav Thackeray and Modi were present when Kadam made his statement in Marathi. "Manmohan Singh and Prithviraj Chavan are shameless. Unlike them, Modi will not spare the Pakistanis. He will take action within six months of becoming Prime Minister," Kadam went on to say. In his speech, the Sena leader also attacked the Maharashtra Government for “inaction” for the riot at Mumbai's Azad Maidan two years ago. Violence broke out after some Muslim bodies in Mumbai called a public meeting to protest the attacks on members of the community in Myanmar.
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Mulayam files papers from Azamgarh
Azamgarh (UP), April 22
Yadav, who has entered the fray from Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency on April 4 where voting will be held tomorrow, submitted his documents for Azamgarh seat to District Election Officer Nina Sharma. "I will not leave Mainpuri seat after victory. I am contesting from Azamgarh due to the pressure of party workers. "As BJP leader Narendra Modi is in fray from Varanasi, party workers wanted me to counter him by contesting from Azamgarh," Yadav said after filing his papers. — PTI
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The use of violence is an acceptance of the weakness of your argument because you know that in the absence of fear people WILL vote — Omar Abdullah Manmohan ji in Govt. & Sonia ji in politics read out their speeches. Why? Because if they speak their mind, they would be speechless. — ShivrajSingh Chouhan
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AAP files complaint against BJP MLA Shinde flays Modi Indian-origin academics in UK 'dread' Modi in power
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Known for witnessing fierce contest among 'high profile' and 'outsider' candidates, the Hoshiarpur (reserve) parliamentary constituency is once again heading towards an interesting poll battle.
Seventeen candidates are in the fray, but the main contest is between Mohinder Singh Kaypee of the Congress and Vijay Sampla of the
BJP.
Bathinda, April 22
It is a direct electoral battle between arch rivals Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Tariq Hameed Karra of the Peoples' Democratic Party
(PDP) in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
It will again be a straight contest between the ruling BJP and the principle Opposition party, the Congress, in this Lok Sabha constituency, which is on the eastern most part of Rajasthan.
Known for witnessing fierce contest among 'high profile' and 'outsider' candidates, the Hoshiarpur (reserve) parliamentary constituency is once again heading towards an interesting poll battle.
I will work for the development of the constituency, particularly the Kandi belt. Special package to attract industries will be my top priority, besides, providing employment to the youth of the
area.
My aim will be to develop all Assembly segments falling in the Hoshiarpur constituency. Setting up industries to provide employment opportunities to the youth will be my priority. If elected, I will get more funds for infrastructure development in the
area.
Srinagar is Farooq Abdullah's home constituency and he will be testing the waters for the third time. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from here in 1980 and 2009. His son and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the working president of the party, represented Srinagar thrice in the past.
The 'sensitive' constituency will go to polls on April 30. 
