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Key Constituency Amethi (Uttar
Pradesh)
Key Constituency Hamirpur (Himachal
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70% vote for LS,
Assembly elections in Telangana
Constituency Profile Tehri Garhwal
(UTTARAKHAND)
campaign trail:
Prem Kumar Dhumal
Kolkata, April 30 In the 2009 General Election, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee fielded her one-time political guru and the former Kolkata Mayor veteran Subrata Mukherjee against the CPM’s eight-time MP and party stalwart Basudeb Acharya from Bankura constituency. But Mukherjee failed to live up to Mamata’s expectations. TMC candidate Moon Moon Sen with party leaders during an election meeting in Purulia. PTI
Parties tread tech path to woo voters in Andhra
Cong has lost right to return to power, says Mulayam
Lalu does it again; calls Modi executioner Modi not good PM candidate: Sen
Rahul failing, so Priyanka in campaign trail: Uma
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Key Constituency Amethi (Uttar
Pradesh) Amethi hots up for triangular contest; BJP’s Smriti Irani, AAP’s Kumar Vishwas challenge Congress Shahira Naim Tribune News Service
Both the BJP and AAP have intensified the campaign in the constituency going to polls on May 7. Days after AAP’s victory in Delhi, Kumar Vishwas announced his candidature from Amethi against Rahul. Kumar has been camping in Amethi since his first rally in the constituency on January 12. Although a late starter, BJP’s Smriti Irani is actively campaigning and addressing 12-15 meetings in a day. “I have covered 1,200 villages in the constituency. The BJP candidate is far behind in campaigning. Even if she tries, she cannot cover so many villages. Even the Congress is nervous,” Kumar points out. Kumar said for the first time in the past 10 years, Congress president Sonia Gandhi felt the need to address a rally in Amethi seeking support for her son. Although a bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, the party managed to retain only two of the five Assembly seats in the 2012 elections, despite extensive campaigning by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra The BSP has fielded a local Thakur, Dharmendra Pratap Singh. Projecting himself as the son of the soil, Dharmendra Pratap terms his rivals as ‘seasonal’ birds that are visible only during elections. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly explained that bad roads, lack of potable drinking water, non functional primary schools and health centres as well irregular power supply in rural areas are matters which come under the state government for which, as a local MP, he can put pressure only. He says he has been instrumental in setting up self-help groups for women in the constituency under the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna. More than 10 lakh women have been linked to banks. Rahul Gandhi has already blamed the state government for bad roads, lack of potable water, non-functional primary schools and health centres in the constituency. He said the MP can only exert pressure on the state government to provide amenities to residents, but cannot force it. President of the ‘Ma-Bachra Samooh’ Tarwati shares how Rahul has changed their lives “Pahle hum jaisan ki pahunch bank mein kahan thi? Aaj hum shaan se jaate hain,” (Earlier, women like us could not approach a bank. Today, we go there with pride). Several Central government development projects were started in Amethi during Rahul’s tenure. Projects such as the Central Institute of Hotel Management, Rajiv Gandhi Petroleum Institute, CRPF Admission Centre and the Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) are coming up in the constituency. Owner of New Wear Well Tailor Suresh Kumar says people know Amethi because of Rahul bhaiyya.
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Key Constituency Hamirpur (Himachal
Pradesh) Prestige at stake for Dhumal as his son Anurag, a two-time MP, is facing challenge from Congress’ Rajinder Rana Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Hamirpur, April 30 Hamirpur is a BJP bastion and remained with it since 1989, barring once in 1996 when Vikram Singh managed to trounce PK Dhumal. It is for this reason that the Congress is more than keen to wrest the seat from the BJP and prove that it has made inroads into the BJP's citadel where the Dhumal family reigns supreme.
Rana, who had won as an Independent from Sujanpur in the 2012 Assembly polls after being denied a BJP ticket, is out to settle score with his mentor for ignoring and humiliating him. Having won the complete faith and trust of Virbhadra Singh, he resigned from his Assembly seat to contest the parliamentary poll and also managed to secure a Congress ticket for his wife for the Assembly by-poll being held simultaneously on May 7. Infact, Vikramaditya Singh, Sate Youth Congress president and Virbhadra's son, has been camping in Hamirpur and working zealously to brighten Rana's victory chances. AAP evokes patriotic sentiment
If the battle between the Congress and the BJP has turned out to be more personal than political, the presence of Kamal Kanta Batra, mother of Kargil hero Capt Vikram Batra as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate has spiced up the fight. A retired teacher, 69-year-old Batra, whose father hailed from Hamirpur, has lived all her life in Palampur and is eyeing the sizeable chunk of serving and retired soldiers' votes under the Hamirpur seat by invoking the patriotic sentiment.
Anurag on a sticky wicket
Anurag, who made his successful debut in the 2008 Lok Sabha poll, repeated the feat in 2009. Having had a meteoric rise in politics, he has undoubtedly carved a niche for himself at the national level. Notwithstanding his contribution to the game of cricket and credit for creating an international class cricket stadium at Dharamsala, he faces severe criticism not just from the electorate but even his own party men for the disconnect from those very people who escalated him to such heights. The Congress on the other hand is raking up his disconnect with the electorate to the hilt and also playing up his socialite image to evoke public antipathy. In sharp contrast, they are projecting Rana as a humble and down-to-earth man who has been with the people of the area through thick and thin. Rana, has maintained a close contact with people through his NGO, something which is coming in handy.
Faujis’ votes matter
The BJP is deeply entrenched in Hamirpur, which it has won on nine occasions as compared to five times by the Congress since 1967. Out of the 17 Assembly segments, the BJP has an upper hand with 10 Assembly constituencies being held by its MLAs. The Congress is banking on the electorate supporting it on the ground that it is ruling in the state, a trend specific to Himachal. It is also trying to play up the page-three image of Anurag to its advantage along with the HPCA controversy. BJP is hoping to ride high on the Modi wave and by projecting Anurag as a minister in the BJP government at the Centre. However, his victory will largely depend on his father, Dhumal who has a good hold among the people, considering his down-to-earth approach, which makes him very accessible.
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70% vote for LS,
Assembly elections in Telangana
Hyderabad, April 30 There was a carnival atmosphere across the region as people, brimming with enthusiasm, turned up at polling booths in large numbers for a tryst with history. Simultaneous polling was held for 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats in the region that is set to become 29th state of India, fulfilling a six-decade-long dream. As many as 1,669 candidates are in the fray for Assembly seats while 265 aspirants are testing their luck at the parliamentary seats. Over 1 lakh policemen were deployed to ensure smooth polling in 30,574 polling stations. The polling was by and large peaceful, Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Banwarlal told reporters. Telugu film star and Union minister K Chiranjeevi had to beat a hasty retreat, along with his family members, and join the queue in a polling booth in the posh Jubilee Hills area in Hyderabad after voters objected to his attempt to jump the queue. Later, the Congress star campaigner denied that he tried to bypass the queue and clarified that he went inside the booth only to check whether his name was on the electoral rolls. The main Opposition Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu found himself in a tight spot after disclosing to the media near a polling booth in the city that he had voted for BJP candidates in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in tune with his party’s alliance with the saffron party. The Chief Electoral Officer later told reporters that such a vote would become invalid according to rules. Telangana stats
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Constituency Profile Tehri Garhwal
(UTTARAKHAND) Had lost to BJP’s Rajya Laxshmi Shah in 2012 Assembly bypoll Neena Sharma Tribune News Service
Now, looking to avenge the 2012 defeat, Saket Bahuguna of the Congress is again in the fray against BJP's Rajya Laxmi Shah, but minus the power and support of his CM father, who at that time had pulled out all stops for his son. In all, a total of 20 candidates have filed nominations from the Tehri seat, including Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Anoop Nautiyal, who is the former head of 108 emergency services. The BSP has fielded Choudhary Sheeshpal while the CPI (M) has fielded Shiv Prasad Deoli.
Lessons not learnt
After receiving a severe blow to his ambitions, one will think that a chastised Saket Bahuguna and his Congress party will be alert. But, precious time was lost in squabbling between the satraps leading to the late announcement of candidates.
Issues that matter
The Tehri constituency has 14 Assembly segments out of which seven are in Dehradun, four in
Tehri and three in Uttarkashi districts. The areas falling under Tehri and Uttarkashi were severely affected by the mid-June disaster last year, but the problem in Uttarkashi aggravated as it had also faced a similar deluge in 2012. The indifference of the local administration and the apathy of the political leadership aggravated the matter. Though some ground was covered in pacifying people by disbursing compensation in 2013, the people continue to seethe in anger. To drive attention away from the tardy relief work, the then Bahuguna government had issued a government order conferring the OBC status to the people of the entire district of Uttarkashi. Earlier, only people of a few blocks in Uttarkashi and Tehri were categorised as OBC. The issue has bitterly divided people as similar demands are also emanating from the remaining blocks in Tehri and it is not easy to hazard a guess, if the Congress and Saket Bahuguna will gain from the issue. In Tehri district, the issue of lack of development and problems faced by people, who
live around the Tehri reservoir continue to haunt politicians. In Dehradun district
uninterrupted power supply, water and a cleaner city are some of the demands that await fulfilment and continue to be on the wish list of voters. In Dehradun urban
voters had turned away from the Congress due to the withdrawal of subsidised cylinders.
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campaign trail:
Prem Kumar Dhumal Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service
Sujanpur (Hamirpur), April 30 While the villagers wait for him to arrive at an interior rural pocket of Gawardu, a magician enthrals them with mesmerising tricks to send the message "Abki bar Modi sarkar" across. The crowd cheers as he transforms an empty hat into a BJP flag and turns a blank slate into Modi's poster with slogans. Having made an impression, he duly appeals to the gathering to vote for the BJP and not to be lured by the promises being made by the Congress. Even before he finishes, there is a commotion in the crowd and supporters wearing Modi caps, BJP scarf and badges turn towards the welcome arch, signalling the arrival of Dhumal, who is accompanied by Narinder Thakur, the BJP candidate from Sujanpur Assembly seat. Clad in white kurta payjama, a Nehru jacket and a red Kullu cap, Dhumal greets people in local dialect. Before this, he halted at the house of a worker to condole the death of his mother. Untiring at the age of 70, Dhumal credited with spearheading party's campaign in his area in 10 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls since 1996, is familiar with people and his campaign is well-crafted. Campaigning 16 to 18 hours a day, covering six to 10 panchayats and sweating it out in the heat and dust of villages, Dhumal is leaving no stone unturned to script a hat-trick of victory for his son Anurag Thakur. Batting for Anurag, a woman pradhan says: "Villagers rue that the MP does not visit them. But I would like to ask them what their priorities are? They want development or a leader to cook for them in their kitchen?" It was interesting to see Narinder Thakur, who contested the last Assembly election against Dhumal and 2009 Lok Sabha poll against Anurag, seeking votes for his "foe-turned-friend" and flashing his report card of achievements as an MP. "Anurag gave Rs 1.27 crore to the Sujanpur Assembly constituency from his MPLADS fund," he points out, appealing voters to vote for Anurag to make Modi the Prime Minister. He then seeks votes for himself from Sujanpur to make Dhumal the Chief Minister. Dhumal said: "Pure desh mein ek kamal khilna hai par yahan par do kamal khilne hai." He doesn't forget to tell voters that the Sujanpur Assembly by-election has given them an opportunity to rectify the mistake and vote for the BJP. "Go to every home to seek votes for Anurag and Narinder," he tells workers. Appealing people to ensure 100 per cent voting, Dhumal cautions that there is a spurt of marriages on May 7, but the first mahurat is of Narendra Modi. Driving past the hilly roads, his vehicle stops at Chouri village where youth greets him with garlands. Dhumal, who hails from a family with an Army background, strikes an emotional chord with people asserting that the country needs a strong leadership which only Modi can provide. The next destination is Rangar, a panchayats of 11 villages, where the former CM is encountered with villagers' demand of a road, to which he promptly replies: "The road to development is through land. Give land and get the road." Jagdish Singh, a village postman, says: "PK Dhumal is old, whereas Congress candidate Rajinder Rana is new. Old is gold. Rana sought votes for the Assembly polls 16 months ago by underestimating the potential of two other women candidates and now, after vacating the seat, he has got a ticket for his wife." Dhumal, who had his lunch at Patlandar village, says he has no preference for food and eats whatever workers offer with love. He addresses his last meeting at Lakhdevi village late night en route Jandru, Charin Dhar, Banilik and Kadiyar. With no time for his family, Dhumal works till past midnight. All activities such as coordinating with workers and leaders, getting feedback, interviews and planning are done through his mobile phone while travelling from one venue to other.
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key Constituency Bankura (west
bengal) Subhrangshu Gupta Tribune News Service
In the 2011 Assembly elections, soon after the TMC’s landslide victory, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took up the initiative to improve the living standards of the people living in the backward district of Bankura (mainly Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes). The steps had helped upgrade the lifestyle of the area residents. However, the state government’s three years’ toil did not turn to the party’s advantage as they still failed to find a suitable candidate from there against Acharya. At last, Mamata resorted to field Bollywood actor Moon Moon Sen (alias Srimati Debbarma) anticipating that the popularity of the star’s mother -Suchitra Sen-would work for them. Four in the fray
Besides Sen and Acharyya, others in the fray are Dr Subhas Sarker from Bharatiya Janata Party and Nilmadham Gupta from the Congress. In the last election, there were 11 candidates, including Acharyya and Mukherjee, from this seat. In that election, the BJP candidate Rahul Sinha obtained 42,000 votes, Paresh Mandi (JMM) bagged 19,440 while BSP leader Ganesh Ray got 11,083 votes. This poll, these votes will be divided among the four contesting candidates. Seven Assembly segments
Bankura segment consists of seven Assembly seats, including Ragunathpur (SC), Saltora (SC), Chhatna, Ranibandh (ST), Raipur (ST), Taldanga and Banukra. Total votes As many as 1,268,563 electorates will exercise their franchise on May 7 from the segment. A peep into history
Congress leader Jagannath Koley and Pasupati Mondal were the first elected MPs from the district in 1951. In 1967, CPI leader JM Biswas defeated the Congress stalwart Atulya Ghosh, who was elected twice to the Lok Sabha from this seat. After that Ghosh never fought any elections, he instead engaged himself in re- organising and re-vamping the Congress. In 1977, CPI (M) candidate Bijoy Mondal was first elected from the seat and afterwards from 1980 onwards till 2004 Acharya became the MP. In the following election, Acharya won again by defeating the TMC stalwart Subrata Mukherjee. Actor fails to attract voters Moon Moon Sen along with her two actor daughters, Ria and Raima, once took part in the campaign in the area along with Moon Moon’s husband, the industrialist Bharat Deb Barman. But the political response to their meetings and roadshows had been little. There is a huge gathering of people to see these film stars every time, but it needs to be seen how much of it will convert to votes. Acharya has been much engaged in organising door-to-door campaign. But this time some voters who are not politically committed want to see a new face in place of Acharya and may cast their votes in favour of the BJP or the Congress.
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Parties tread tech path to woo voters in Andhra
For the first time, the 2014 electioneering saw extensive use of 3D hologram technology by some of the key leaders to reach out to a large number of people. Apparently taking a cue from BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao have used their 3D hologram images to send across their message to the people. Hyderabad-based MIC Electronics, a pioneer in LEDs in the country, has developed a new 3D hologram technique that uses LEDs (light emitting diodes) so that they can be used during the day as well. A 3D hologram enables a leader to record his/her speech at a studio, the signal of which could be received at multiple locations, giving voters a feeling that their leader is standing in front of them. The audience does not need special glasses and can view visuals with a naked eye. Both Naidu and KCR used this technology to reach out to voters as their pre-recorded speeches were transmitted to multiple locations, thus saving them time and energy. “Though the audience is aware that it is only a recorded message and a holographic image, they are willing to suspend their disbelief and appreciate the intent and content of the message,” a noted documentary film maker Mani Shankar said. The holographic presence of a leader on a dais with other leaders physically present in different locations can be managed, taking the entire experience closer to reality. A hologram is a 3D image formed by the interference of light beams from a laser or any other coherent light source and the diffracted light from the object. By using this projection and coupling it with audio, the technology can be used successfully for campaigning. The TDP is setting up screens in key locations -Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam - and also at some semi-urban places where Naidu’s messages can be transmitted using this tool. “Naidu feels that time constraints might prevent him from campaigning for candidates in all constituencies. Therefore, he believes that using this technology would bypass this problem and also boost the confidence and prospects of TDP candidates,” said a TDP leader. The party had deployed 20 vehicles fitted with the equipment required for creating a virtual impact. Industry sources said the LED hologram technology costs around Rs 3 lakh per day for a truck-mounted mobile display. Typically, a monthly package is worked out. For big stages in specific locations, the cost comes to Rs 12-15 lakh. “The vehicle itself will act as a mobile stage from where the 3D hologram image of the party president will be beamed in such a way that the audience will feel as if Naidu is directly addressing them,” a member of the TDP’s IT wing said. Univvista Soft Tech, a city-based software company, has developed “Vote Sahakar”, a web-enabled constituency and campaign management software that provides database of all voters in Andhra Pradesh. Data can be searched using voter’s name, age, sex, address, ward, booth and constituency with this software. “The software has been developed to facilitate better election management and help in coordinating,” said director of the Vantipalli Bharathi. Meanwhile, all major parties, including the Congress, TDP, TRS and YSR are using mobile apps extensively to reach out to young voters. They are also using social network platforms in a big way by creating Facebook groups and Youtube videos to propagate their policies and programmes. Known for its tech-savvy image, the TDP had also launched the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) to involve common public in the selection of a candidate of their choice. Under the programme, a recorded message from Naidu was sent to millions of mobile users and the party cadre across the state, with multiple options of four names each for the respective Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.
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Mamata lashes out at Narendra Modi yet again
Canning (WB), April 30 “Secularism means seeing everyone from the same eyes. The leaders of the country should be like
Ambedkar,” she said. At her rally here, Banerjee accused the BJP prime ministerial hopeful of instigating ‘parochial feelings’ and said people from all parts of the country had been living in Bengal for centuries. “Will you ignite communal riots by coming to
Kolkata? Those who speak Bengali will be packed off to Bangladesh - what courage! Such a thing will not happen in Bengal,” she said without naming
Modi, who at a poll rally in Serampore in neighbouring Hooghly district on April 27 had threatened to deport Bangladeshi immigrants if NDA came to power. “We will not allow any division between Bengalis and non-Bengalis,” she
said. Modi had said Bangladeshi immigrants were being welcomed with red carpets by Banerjee for vote bank politics. She also attacked Congress saying it was responsible for the surge of
BJP. “Congress is responsible for the communalism of BJP,” she said. “BJP had a surge also because of Congress-led UPA government’s failure to check spiralling prices of essential commodities, petrol and diesel and also for selling out the country,” the Trinamool Congress chief said.
— PTI
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Cong has lost right to return to power, says Mulayam
Gonda, April 30 During the Congress-led UPA government's regime, people of the country were crushed under the burden of price rise, he said. Yadav claimed that after the elections, the Third Front would form the government and the SP would emerge as the largest party. He said if a government is formed under the leadership of the SP or with its support, then recommendations of the Sachar Committee would be implemented and Muslims would be given the benefit of reservation. Assuring to give reservation benefit to poor people of upper castes, he said a commission would be constituted in this regard. Mulayam said from July onwards, free education would be provided throughout UP. He said that those betraying the party would not be spared.
— PTI
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People are fed up with Cong, want Modi: Naidu 2 poll staff members die of cardiac arrest Complaint against Ramdev for ‘anti-Dalit remarks’
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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is locked in a triangular contest in Amethi, the traditional seat of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
Gonda, April 30
very popular in some sections. He is very popular
among the business community. That doesn't mean he is my favourite candidate,” Sen told reporters here when asked about his view on the BJP prime ministerial candidate.
“So I would like someone who is more secular and minority communities like Christians and Muslims don’t feel threatened by him. That has to be one characteristic of the leader of the nation,” he said.
Sen was here to cast his vote in Bolpur Lok Sabha seat.
— PTI
Twitterati
BJP and Modi know that they cannot do anything without UP so they are trying to build a hype. But they will not gain anything.
— Akhilesh Yadav, UP CM
Congress is trying to misconstrue his (Ramdev’s) word honeymooning and go beyond a point for a political
edge. — JP Nadda BJP general secretary
Lucknow, April 30
Even as the BJP refers to the Congress candidate Rajinder Singh Rana, a Dhumal protégé and a hardcore BJP man who recently sought refuge under CM Virbhadra Singh as "udhaar ka candidate", the fact is that he is giving a tough fight to Anurag. 
Wearing too many
hats, including being the national BJYM president, HPCA chief and secretary of the BCCI, is proving dear to him.
Even though the seat has a sizeable Rajput electorate but with both Anurag and Rana being Rajputs, caste factor will not matter. The segment has a sizeable percentage of serving and retired soldiers who could play a decisive role. Though the AAP nominee has apparently failed to evoke much response it will be keen to see how much ice she can cut with the faujis. 
Dehradun, April 30
With a few days left for the May 7 polls, the fight is expected to be between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP candidate has been criss-crossing her constituency, but the Congress candidate continues to be unsure as ever. Going by the preparation even AAP, which is making a debut in these elections, has covered enough ground.
Kolkata, April 30
Hyderabad, April 30
