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Constituency watch
Cong Candidate from
Sujanpur: Anita Rana
BJP’s Gujarat model a farce, says minister
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Deploy para-military forces at every booth in UP, Bihar: Nadda
UPA govt sought Rs 15,500 cr from state, says Shanta
Water crisis stays while govts come and go
Water scarcity hits Kasauli villages
paonta sahib
Sonia’s rally a flop show: BJP
Former MLAs unite against BJP in Nahan
Poll surveillance team assaulted
Rs 1.5 lakh seized
Delay in road repair irks residents
Chamba borders on alert
Spells of hail, rain hit apple crop
3 of family die in road mishap
Chitra murder case: Husband commits suicide
High Court gets two more judges
Rally on SVEEP flagged off in Palampur
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Contest in Mandi tantalisingly poised
Dharam Prakash Gupta Tribune News Service
Mandi, May 5 Pratibha Singh, who had won the last by-election by a margin of over 1.36 lakh votes is once again seeking mandate in the General Election. She was fielded by the Congress in the by-election after her husband Virbhadra Singh resigned from the parliamentary seat after taking over as the Chief Minister of the state. BJP candidate Ram Swaroop was picked by the party, when party’s candidate in the by-election Jai Ram Thakur, Seraj MLA, showed his reluctance to contest the elections and BJP’s overtures to the Himachal Lokhit Party leader Maheshwar Singh, who had won the seat thrice for the BJP, bore no fruits. The Mandi parliamentary constituency has remained a stronghold of the Congress for long and former Union Communication Minister Sukh Ram and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had represented the constituency several times. The constituency also has several areas where voters have invariably been supporting Congress candidates. There are few Assembly segments, which are considered pocketborough of Virbhadra Singh such as the Kinnaur, Ani and Rampur Assembly segments, being erstwhile ruler of these areas, giving huge leads to Congress candidates. In this election, Pratibha Singh has advantage of three years of the remaining period of the Congress government in the state and 10 Congress MLAs and several ministers had been working wholeheartedly to get her lead in their respective Assembly segments. If we go by the results of the past General Election in the state, the ruling party had won majority seats and voters had been giving preference to ruling party candidate. Apart claims of Congress supporters, it would be very difficult to maintain margin of the by-election in the present election due to anti-incumbency against the UPA government and changed situation. BJP candidate Ram Swaroop is making an appeal to voters to change the hold of ‘Raja’ and ‘Rani’ and elect a grassroot worker and a commoner like him. The BJP also tried to turn the tide in favour of Ram Swaroop by holding a well-attended rally of Narendra Modi at Mandi last week which was countered by the Congress by holding similar rally of AICC president Sonia Gandhi at Kullu yesterday. CPM candidate Kushal Bhardwaj is banking on the support of trade unions, Anganwadi workers, youths and students and is trying to present CPM as an alternative before voters. AAP candidate Jai Chand Thakur is also trying to capitalise on the support of AAP and its leader Arvind Kejeriwal. In the fray
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Cong Candidate from
Sujanpur: Anita Rana Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, May 5 Had it not been for the simultaneous holding of the Sujanpur Assembly by-poll with the Lok Sabha elections, Anita (42) would have campaigned for her husband and returned being a content housewife. The announcement by the Election Commission of India (ECI) about simultaneous polls came as a bolt for Rajinder Rana, who had just resigned as an independent MLA to join the Congress and his Assembly seat to contest the Lok Sabha elections. "It was a very difficult decision for me to contest as I was busy with my daughter who took her Class X exams and my son who had just enrolled into a law course in Chandigarh," she says. She admits she was not just unsure but very nervous at starting a political innings. Married at the age of 19, she completed her graduation after marriage. "My children have assured to manage without me and, more importantly, it was not a difficult job, she says while walking up to Chhatrudu village for the first meeting of the day at 9 am. It is for this reason that her son is always by her side, besides some women." "I am not a politician, but if you repose faith in me I will serve you with the feeling of social service, which runs in my family," she appeals to a small gathering with considerable confidence. She expresses gratitude to the people for having supported her husband when he won as an Independent by margin of over 14,000 in the 2012 Assembly polls. The meeting is very brief and she leaves for the next venue at Doohak village. At the next meeting, she is confronted with an unexpected situation. A poor labourer Satish, seeks permission to speak after the speeches, but those accompanying Anita refuse. She immediately asks him to speak and assures him that she will try and help him in building his house. She is already becoming an adept politician, a fact which amazes her too. "In fact, the nervousness is wearing out and I have started enjoying it," she confesses. Though comfortable in the company of women, she makes an honest appeal to all seeking their blessings. Still a politician in the making, her speech is brief which leaves her with ample time to at least hold a dozen of meetings every day. Later in the day, she addresses meetings at Pipal, Kasiri, Chamyola, Ziad, Marana, Mandater, Sapahal, Dahrol, Bhatani, Cahuri and Panoh.
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BJP’s Gujarat model a farce, says minister
Una, May 5 Addressing a gathering at Saloh village towards culmination of the poll campaign in his home segment Haroli, he said Narendra Modi had mortgaged the state to capitalists and that if he came to power at the Centre, he would do the same with the country. Agnihotri said the BJP had brought the campaign to a low in the Hamirpur segment by indulging in character assassination attempts against Congress candidate Rajinder Rana. He said these attempts with fabricated and concocted stories only proved that the BJP had clearly seen the writing on the wall for their candidate. The Congress leader said the state's people needed no lessons from Dhumal about Rajinder Rana, who was known for his social image. He said such cheap publicity gimmicks at the fag end of the campaign had only strengthened the image of the Congress candidate and brought disrepute to those who claimed to be statesmen. Taking on former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal for his remarks that the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government would fall after May 16, Agnihotri said this arrogant and vindictive attitude of the former CM was one of the main reasons why the state's people had sent him packing in 2012. He added that these general elections would also be the last for his son Anurag Thakur. The minister told his supporters that during the BJP regimes, the Haroli constituency had been ignored. The then governments had declared that there was no ground water in the Haroli segment and therefore, no new lift irrigation or drinking water schemes could be initiated. He said during the last 15 months, new deep bore tubewells installed in the segment had revealed adequate aquifers, which were now being used to quench the thirst of people and crops. |
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Modi insulting electorate by anointing himself as PM: Anand Sharma
Shimla, May 5 Addressing a press conference here, Anand launched a scathing attack on Narendra Modi by calling him conceited, impatient and loud-mouthed. “The manner in which the BJP has promoted personality cult by projecting Modi, only reflects their desperation and mental bankruptcy, which even questions the wisdom of the people of the country,” he said. He said the Congress on the other hand respected the verdict of the people and did not announce its prime ministerial candidate as it not only had its incumbent government, but believed it would be pre-mature and hypothetical to do so. “I admit that the Congress should not have allowed the negative narrative launched by the BJP to build up, as it is factually incorrect and trying to mislead people through a false propaganda and aggressive campaigning at a cost of over Rs 10,000 crore,” he remarked. He said a man who was aspiring to be the PM of the country should have come out clean on the issue of alleged spying of a woman in Gujarat. “Why is the BJP and Modi acting so flustered on the issue if they have nothing to fear? So far, he has not bothered to clear the air on the controversy which is of a very serious nature,” he said. The minister also questioned the Gujarat model of development being flashed by Modi. “The public debt of Gujarat has shot up from Rs 45,000 crore to Rs 1,76,000 crore. In education it is ranked at number 17, while the school dropout rate is 44 per 1,000. In public amenities sector too it has slid from 14 to 17th position and there is gross malnutrition. The per-capita income too is the lowest in the country at Rs 2,440,” he said. He said the country had made great strides under UPA-I and II, which the BJP was trying to counter through false and misleading propaganda. “Under the UPA regime, the per-capita income has risen from Rs 24,000 to Rs 70,000. Foreign exchange reserves witnessed a threefold increase and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) registered a 15 per cent increase despite the grim global economic scenario,” he said. |
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Deploy para-military forces at every booth in UP, Bihar: Nadda
Shimla, May 5 "As the victory of the BJP and formation of the Modi government has already been scripted clearly on the wall, we have serious apprehensions that some political parties might resort to rigging in the last two phases of polling on May 7 and 12. We urge the Election Commission to make proper security arrangements,” said JP Nadda, national general secretary of the BJP, in a press conference here. “We have handed over the video recording to the Chief Election Commission where a single person casts 20 votes in Uttar Pradesh on April 30," Nadda said. The BJP also brought to its notice the transfers of officials ordered by the government during the poll and misuse of official machinery,” he said, adding that the EC was casual in its approach and no videography of voting in sensitive booths in evening hours had been done in these areas. Appealing the electorates of last two phases to vote overwhelmingly for the “consolidation” of the government, Nadda took a dig at the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress government in the state and said both the governments were ridden with universally known mega scams in the UPA and development had come to a standstill in Himachal in the past 16 months. He said it was intriguing that EC took prompt action against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for showing BJP symbol, 150 m away from the polling booth, but remained silent on baseless remarks of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. He said that proposed national mission for hill states, Himalayan sustainability fund, Central university dedicated to Himalayan studies, development of state of the art tourist circuits to generate employment, starting special courses in tourism, developing the state as IT hub would be on the top of agenda of the new government. AIIMS like institute will be opened in the state
to provide better medical facilities and sustain farm economy. |
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Youth to play crucial role in LS poll
Shimla, May 5 There are 84,460 voters in the age group of 18-19 years, 10.54 lakh in 20-29 years group and 11.67 lakh in the age group of 30-39 years, but squeezing employment opportunities is a major concern of youth as they have completed their education and are waiting for jobs. The employment situation is so grave that the government has raised the upper age limit for the entry in government jobs to 45 years, but even then jobs are not available. The number of unemployed youth registered in employment exchanges had crossed 10 lakh, said Gaurav, a law graduate, adding that it was unfortunate that real issues had been lost in the election din due to aggressive media campaigns in support of NaMo and RaGa. “The jobs are very few and even the government has started contractual appointments and process, selection is not transparent and meritorious persons suffer in comparison to those who have political influence or hail from rich background, said Arzoo Sharma, who is pursuing her MPhil from HPU, and feels politics should be above caste and religion. The privatisation of education has widened the wedge between rich and poor and students from rich families and poor merit get access to education by their money power and block opportunities for meritorious students, who neither get admissions in good institutions nor jobs, says Sandeep Kumar, who is sitting at home after completing his MA in Visual Arts. Comments such as “Let’s see might vote, depends on mood, much depends on the weather, I wish to vote but can’t stand in queue for hours, Candidates are not worth, will press the None-of-the-above (NOTA) button, it does not make any difference -- voting and NOTA -- are the same, will definitely vote else my brother who owes his loyalty to a political party will kill me -- are the part of general interaction among educated urban voters falling between 24 and 30 years. But the silver lining is that great enthusiasm prevails among 84,460 first-timers, including 49,127 men voters and 35,333 women voters, who are excited and eagerly waiting for May 7 to become a part of the government formation process. Campaign through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Orkut and mobile applications such as Whatsapp is only confined to the urban areas in the state. Most of the rural folks catch the activity through word of mouth, television and newspaper, said Randeep Chauhan, a youth mobilising support for a political party. A general feeling prevails among the youth that election is just a ritual and real problem is livelihood. |
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Shanta-Virbhadra bonhomie ends in run-up to LS polls
Dharamsala, May 5 Earlier, both leaders were seen showering praises on each other even on public forums despite belonging to rival parties. But for the first time, both leaders were seen trading charges against each other. Virbhadra Singh, who addressed a public rally in Palampur today, attacked Shanta Kumar asking him to come clean on charges levelled against him by Rajan Sushant, AAP candidate and former BJP MP, on the issue of the Vivekanand Medical Research Trust (VMRT). Virbhadra said he had no relation with Sushant, as was being alleged by Shanta, but the latter should answer the allegations. The CM said Shanta had done nothing for the state or Kangra district. “I got the school in Shanta Kumar’s village repaired,” said Virbhadra. The CM said the state government would act on a complaint of Sushant on the issue of VMRT. Shanta Kumar on the other hand, while responding to the CM’s allegations, said: “I do not understand what Virbhadra Singh means by development.” He said on the one hand Virbhadra was describing him as a ‘saint’ and on the other he was levelling allegations against him. “I thank Virbhadra Singh for describing me as a saint, but I am rather a straight-forward person,” Shanta said. Countering the charges levelled by Virbhadra that he had not carried out any development in the state, Shanta said: “The Congress government remained in power in the state continuously from 1947 to 1977. During these three decades, people in the state did not have potable water supply even. They were forced to drink water from dirty village ponds. The state government did not have an independent public health department.” “After becoming the CM in 1977, I created a separate Public Health Department in the state to provide clean, drinking water to people,” Shanta claimed. He said the hill areas of Punjab were merged with Himachal in 1966. “However, the then Congress government in the state did not seek a share of merged areas and irrigation projects of Punjab despite the fact that these were located in Himachal. In 1977, when Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister, Himachal got 15-MW share from the Sutlej project after my perusal. Now, Himachal gets free power worth Rs 36 crore per annum from the Sutlej project.” Shanta claimed that it was he who got 12 per cent royalty from power projects for the state. |
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UPA govt sought Rs 15,500 cr from state, says Shanta
Dharamsala, May 5 Shanta said a survey for developing the Pathankot-Leh railway line was got conducted by the UPA government. However, its report was not made public. "After I took up the matter in Parliament, the UPA government admitted to the survey and maintained that ~31,000 crore was required for the development of the railway line," he said. He said despite meagre resources available with the Himachal Government, the UPA sought 50 per cent of the total cost of developing the railway line from it. This clearly meant that the UPA government was never serious about developing it. The state government could never have contributed ~15,500 crore for developing the said railway line, he alleged. Shanta said the Pathankot-Leh railway line was very important from the defence point of view and the Indian Army had also endorsed it. The insensitivity shown by the UPA government over the project was not only injustice to Himachal, but to the country as well, he said. Shanta said he was the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on commerce as a Rajya Sabha member. The committee had recommended that a regulatory authority should be formed in the country to check the cartelisation of cement companies. In case the suggestion of the committee had been accepted, the prices of cements would have gone down by about 25 per cent. The UPA government should explain as to why it did not take any steps to implement the suggestions of committee that had 31 members from almost all political parties, he said. He said the panel also studied that in a majority of the western countries, concrete roads were preferred over tar roads. They observed that India could save a fortune in terms of foreign currency in case just 40 per cent of the roads were converted from tar to cement. However, the UPA government failed to act on it, Shanta alleged. He said the panel recommended that government doctors should be bound to recommend generic drugs that could have helped the poor in the country get cheap drugs. But, that too was ignored by the UPA, he alleged. |
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Water crisis stays while govts come and go
Shimla, May 5 About 45 per cent habitations in the state have yet to get a regular potable water supply, charged Himachal Kisan Sabha (HKS), a CPM outfit. It is like living “nearer to the church, farther away from God” for a majority of the villagers in surrounding villages, most of these in the Kasumpati constituency that straddles the border with the capital city. Water as a poll issue has takers among voters not only in the Shimla Lok Sabha constituency, but also in all three constituencies -- Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur. The villagers face water problem both for drinking and the over 52 lakh cattle and livestock, the mainstay of animal husbandry and shepherding in villages. “The IPH supplies dry up here in the summer and winter months and we don’t get enough water for drinking these days,” said Rama Nand and Mohal Singh, residents of Dharech in Kasumpati segment, which was earlier part of Theog, and has now been renamed as the Kumarsain constituency represented by IPH Minister Vidya Stokes. Most of the water-deficient areas are populated by Dalits and those from backward castes, claimed Dr Kuldip Tanvar, state president, HKS. He cited the government data on water problems in the state. In fact, there were 53,604 habitations in the state of which 23,693 had no regular water supply and most of the IPH schemes ran dry due to the contractor-IPH staff nexus, Dr Tanvar charged. Not only this, as many as 7 lakh families in the state had switched over to growing off-season vegetables. But till today, 81.5 per cent farmers depended on rain for irrigation, added Satender Chauhan, a member of the HKS. The HKS blamed the Congress for its failure to put in place a water policy in the state despite being in power for decades together. "The Chief Minister is talking about zero-tolerance to corruption and we expect that the deep-rooted nexus of thekedars and IPH staff should be removed," Dr Tanvar alleged. Denying the HKS’s charges, Congressmen claimed the government had planned to provide regular water supply in about 2,500 habitations this year alone. The gravity water schemes and water lifting schemes for both drinking and irrigation were formulated before the model code of conduct came into force in the state, said Harish Janartha, a Congress leader. |
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Water scarcity hits Kasauli villages
Solan, May 5 The scarcity of drinking water right from the last week of April has come as a surprise as the state had frequent wet spells till April. Residents of affected areas such as Dharampur, Garkhal, Tickethatti, Kimughat, Kasauli Gaon, Deori and Khamari, said the water management had always remained poor despite several schemes and they had never received water daily. Though the state government had been asserting that it had made available 150 litres per person in rural areas and 250 litres in urban areas, people of this area received water only on alternate days throughout the year even in the rainy season, they said. Sunil Kumar, a resident of Dharampur, said the summer season had
barely set in and if water was available twice a week, now it would not be available at all after a few weeks. With several palatial constructions, including at least 10 small and big resorts, coming up on the Dharampur-Kasauli and Garkhal-Jagjitnagar roads, one wondered how they managed to get water supply. It is known that several commercial users are drawing water from natural sources close to potable and lift irrigation schemes and officials of the IPH Department remain mute spectators to such incidents. The issue was snowballing into a major poll issue and despite tall promises of the area being fed by the multi-crore Giri water scheme, nothing had been done to solve
the problem. The area has failed to get any new scheme for potable water and the existing schemes have either become overloaded or old machinery often break down. People are fed up with the apathetic attitude of successive governments, which have failed to
augment the water supply to the area and the issue can impact the prospects of candidates in the Lok Sabha elections, opines Kimughat resident Ram Kumar. |
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Insecurity, unemployment, illegal mining poll issues
Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service
Paonta Sahib, May 5 Officials admit this fact and, according to an estimate, there are hundreds of families which thrive on this illegal trade along the Yamuna bridge in areas like Rampur Ghat and Devi Nagar. Though the area has traditionally been a Congress bastion, the BJP made inroads here in the last parliamentary polls by attaining a lead of more than 8,000 votes. In this belt, a group of youth are enthusiastic about voting for the “Janta” and though they cannot decipher which party it means, on being questioned further, they say their choice is Modi though their family members are traditionally Congress voters, opines Jeet Singh, who works as a driver. While insecurity marks the bordering villages dotting the Uttarakhand border where frequent cases of looting and other heinous crimes have been surfacing from time to time, the presence of a police post at Singhpura and lack of security are their key concerns, explains Daljeet Kumar, a young voter from a village nearby. The constituency has a large number of Sikh voters who have ambivalent views about the Lok Sabha polls. The presence of Manmohan Singh at the helm has always goaded them to vote for the Congress. Their sentiments are, however, different this time with the entry of the Prime Minister’s brother into the BJP. Even the local issue of inept handling of the revered Hola Mohalla fair at Paonta Sahib has left a bitter taste in people's mouth. “Being traditionally Congress voters, people here have the reputation of voting for the Congress even if they have remained critical of its policies,” opines Jagat Ram, an elderly villager, adding that people have a lot of respect for Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. People in the Aanj Bhoj area, comprising 13 panchayats, have their own tale of woes as despite petitioning their cause repeatedly with various politicians about declaring the trans-Giri region as a tribal area, little has been done, opines Kamlesh Devi. Residents of other panchayats like Poka, Kotja, Kotga and Nageta, which are bereft of proper roads, rue the Public Works Department has erected several boards stating that repair of roads is underway and this has become a permanent feature. Both the BJP and the Congress are banking on attaining a lead from this area and though no senior Central leader has campaigned here till now, both parties consider it their secure bastion.
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BJP will get 35% vote share: Punj
Shimla, May 5 Addressing an intellectual meet titled “BJP he vikalp hai”, Punj said EVM implied “every vote to Modi” and appealed to each and every person to exercise their franchise in the interest of the nation. Dismissing the idea of formation of the third front as a non-starter, he said even Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had said the Congress would not support any such front and BJP-led government was the only alternative. Taking exception to the efforts made by some political parties, adverse to the BJP to stop Modi from becoming the Prime Minister, Punj said, “Only anti-national elements and those who are involved in scams and have looted the country should be scared of the BJP government and honest and law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear." Referring to Himachal, Punj toed the line of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and said the Congress-led government in Himachal would collapse after May 16 as corruption cases against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would be expedited and taken to logical ends. “The case against Virbhadra Singh is an open and shut case, but investigations have not progressed at a desired pace as the CBI is working under pressure of the UPA government," he said. “The new government will give a free hand to the CBI and direct it to conduct the probe expeditiously in an impartial manner. Virbhadra would be booked and forced to resign as the Chief Minister,” he said, adding that the BJP would work under the framework of the constitution and law and would not wreak political vendetta, which was the hallmark of the Congress-led government at the Centre and the Congress government in the state. All those found guilty in the coalgate, 2G, commonwealth games scams as well as the business model of Robert Vadra would be thoroughly investigated and the guilty would be brought to book, he stated, adding that whistleblowers such as IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who brought the Vadra scandal in the public domain would be given help and security once the BJP was voted to power. Talking about the Gujarat model of development, Punj said, “One size does not fit all and therefore, suitable adjustment with regard to geography and socio-economic conditions of each state will be made. But three things will remain universal - 24x7 power supply, emphasis on agriculture and corruption free system." Castigating the Congress for adopting double standards, Punj said on the one hand, the Congress was creating fear psychosis among minorities against the BJP while on the other, they were joining hands with known anti-national elements and quoted example of Congress candidate from Varanasi Ajay Rai, who was booked for alleged murder of his brother Krishnanand Rai, teaming up with Mukhtar Ansari booked under the MCOCA. |
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Sonia’s rally a flop show: BJP
Kullu, May 5 In a release, he said women and children were made to sit under the scorching heat for over 3 hours without water. He accused the Congress leaders of putting people in all sorts of hassles in a failed attempt to put up a good show before of their leader. He said even Congress VIPs were seen looking for water, but the organising authorities failed to quench their thirst. They later shifted the blame to the SPG saying they did not allowed people to carry water bottles or eatables inside the ground. He said the Sonia Gandhi failed to answer BJP’s queries, wherein they had questioned the attitude of the Congress towards the work on the 8-km Rohtang Tunnel, which was going on at a snail’s pace. He accused the Congress of misleading people by stating that the industrial growth was planned for the state. He said the Congress had failed to develop or expand the rail network, which was not only important for the growth of industry, but also for boosting the existing tourism industry. He said the import duty on fruits was reduced by the Congress, due to which the local fruit growers were not getting fair price for their produce. He said the Congress party was not concerned about the issues of the masses in the hill state. He said senior Congress leaders visited the valley only during elections and had failed to carry out any development in the area. Recalling former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said Vajpayee took steps for the expansion of the Kullu-Manali airport at Bhunter, whereas the Congress party failed to implement any such proposal. He said BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had also stayed in Himachal for a long time and has a special affection for the hill state. Cong challenges BJP
State Congress General Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur has challenged the district BJP unit to conduct a rally equivalent to that of AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. Refuting the allegations made by the local BJP unit that the rally held yesterday was mismanaged and a flop show, he said the BJP leaders should replace their spectacles. He said Sonia Gandhi’s rally was a district-level function and people were not ferried from all parts of the state as was done for Narendra Modi’s rally in Mandi on April 29.
Taking a dig at JP Nadda’s roadshow held here on Saturday, he said such shows were organised by leaders who could not attract large crowds. He said the number of band troupe members were higher than the participating members in his roadshow. He thanked Sonia Gandhi for her visit to the valley. He offered condolences to the family members of the accident victims, wherein four persons had lost their lives yesterday near Banjar subdivision of the district and two were critically injured. Former state Horticulture Minister Satya Prakash Thakur today expressed gratitude towards Sonia Gandhi for acknowledging the affection of the state people, especially Kullu, by sparing time to visit this part of the country. Addressing mediapersons here, he said yesterday's rally was a grand success and had an impact throughout the country, as Kullu was a major tourist destination on the world tourism map and events here were followed by a large number of people worldwide. He said the Congress was sure to win all four seats in the ensuing elections because the masses were aware of the development being carried out in the state by the state. |
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Former MLAs unite against BJP in Nahan
Nahan, May 5 Not only is a former MLA Shyama Sharma, who is now in the Himachal Lokhit Party, supporting the Congress but also she is critical of the manner in which the former BJP government failed to undertake any work in a potable water scheme after laying its foundations stone at Nahan during its tenure despite a lapse of one-and-a-half years. Having left the BJP to join the HLP in 2012, she is a three-time MLA from the Janata Dal and Janata Party. "Since there is no choice and the HLP is not contesting these polls, I have decided to support the Congress. The BJP had betrayed the people of Nahan on the crucial issue of water and the people will give them a befitting reply in the polls," she asserts. Sadanand Chauhan, a former Lok Janshakti Party MLA, is also supporting the Congress with his party having little presence in the state. Though the two had contested elections opposite each other, their coming together is a shot in the arm for the Congress. While the Congress is hopeful of gaining an upper hand in Nahan, the BJP has roped in the support of Diya Kumari, granddaughter of the local former royal family and a sitting MLA in Rajasthan. She not only addressed the people yesterday in an election rally of BJP's national president Rajnath Singh but also asserted that the district had failed to develop under the Congress. The BJP's campaign is being led by the party's general secretary Dr Rajiv Bindal in Nahan and he is hopeful of attaining a reasonable margin for their candidate Virender Kashyap. Since the BJP had attained a lead of 20,233 votes from the Sirmaur district despite having only one MLA in 2009, the party is hopeful of improving its performance now. |
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Anurag holds roadshow in Una
Una, May 5 Later, addressing party workers in the city, Anurag said his
performance as Member of Parliament had been rated as excellent by various agencies. He assured the shopkeepers that the NDA government under the leadership of Narendra
Modi would formulate pro-trader policies and do away with the Congress policy of promoting
multi-level companies in retail trade.
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Poll surveillance team assaulted
Nurpur, May 5 The surveillance team, led by Naib Tehsildar OP Thakur, had put a naka at Gagwal. Three persons, including a state Congress office-bearer, allegedly gheraoed the team. They allegedly threatened and assaulted a member of the team, Head Constable Mahinder Singh. The team informed local SDM-cum-Returning Officer Ashwani Sood about it. He reached the spot and defused tension. Sood said a detailed report of the incident had been submitted to the DC, SP, Kangra, and the election observer. Meanwhile, the local police have registered a case against three persons. One of the assailants, Gagan Singh, alias Bantu, of Thapkor was arrested. DSP Manoj Joshi said others would be arrested soon. — OC
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Rs 1.5 lakh seized
Paonta Sahib, May 5 The vehicle belonged to a Paonta Sahib resident who was coming
from Khidrabad. As he failed to show any relevant documents pertaining to the cash, it was seized by the team. Since the Lok Sabha elections were a few days away, Static Surveillance Teams were maintaining a strict vigil in the area.
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Delay in road repair irks residents
Kullu, May 5 They shouted slogans against the National Highways Authority of India authorities and halted traffic for around 10 minutes, commuters alleged. Residents rue that repair and tarring work of the road was progressing at a snail’s pace. They alleged there was foul play in delay being caused. They said tourists were a harried lot due to bad roads, adding that the dust was causing major health hazards for them. The protesters said
they would carry out a dharna in case the authorities failed to meet their demands.
— OC
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Chamba borders on alert
Chamba, May 5 The DC, in an official communiqué, said 15 sector magistrates, already deployed to monitor the election process, had been directed to keep a eye on the security sectors along the borders. All the flying squads and static surveillance teams constituted for smooth conduct of elections would also work in coordination with the security forces, he said. Security forces on the border of Chamba district had also been directed to intensify their vigil, the DC stated.
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Election staff reaches Chamba
Chamba, May 5 There are 591 polling stations in the district having 3,31,765 electors which include 1,70,220 males and 1,61,545 females as per the final list of electors, said
the DC. Besides, there are 3,295 service electors in the district, he added.
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Spells of hail, rain hit apple crop
Shimla, May 5 "As I walk in my apple orchards, an inch-thick hail stone layer on pruned buds and leaves pains me. The apple bloom was at its peak when the hailstorm hit the orchards here," said Prem Bhagta of Hirhag in Shantha. "The hailstone lasted for four minutes after it arrived from the Riuni and Khagna side. It went across orchards in Shilgrahan, Shantha and higher parts of Dewat panchayats," added Pt Gyani Ram, who was a witness to the hailstorm yesterday. But in Baghi and Kalbog panchayat, the hailstone gave a second blow in a span of two weeks. "The hailstone hit the blooming orchards in the Kotkhai apple belt. The orchardists who have set up anti-hail nets survived the fresh attack, but others suffered a major damage to the fruit set, leaves and blooms which were at a peak in high-altitude orchards," said Ashutosh Chauhan, an orchardist. "The recent series of freak snowfall, sleet and hailstone has marred the chance of a good apple crop this time as the lower-altitude apple orchards have reported a drop of over 30 per cent in the fruit crop as compared with last year," said the orchardists. "In Seri-Bagra-Churag apple belt in Karsog sub-division in Mandi, the farmers have reported lean crop - 50 per cent drop as compared with last year. It has been raining since 4 pm today and fruit set is very lean in lower heights and better in higher orchards," said KR Chaudhary, a grower from Seri. "In the Dalash-Anni-Khanag belt, the hailstone damaged the prospects of a good crop last week. The bloom was lean as we had a bumper crop last year, but the prospects are not good this year in the Kullu district," he said. The orchardists in higher altitude areas such as Kotgarh, Thanedar, Bharairidhar Jarol and Tikkar have reported a good crop as compared with the last year. "Last year, we reaped a poor harvest, but this time, it is good as no hailstone has been reported
in the area so far," said the orchardists. On the other hand, the horticultural officials said they were busy in elections and the clear picture would emerge after a week or so. |
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3 of family die in road mishap
Dharamsala, May 5 Sources said family members of Kartar Singh had hired a vehicle to welcome him at Gaggal. As soon as they boarded a Tata Winger around 9 am today, it started rolling down the steep road along the village. The vehicle fell into a 200-foot-deep gorge, leading to the death of three of his family members, including his wife and father, and left five others seriously injured. It was being suspected that the driver of the vehicle did not apply the hand brake and had put it in neutral that led to its rolling down into a gorge. Local residents took the injured to the Zonal Hospital, where one was declared brought dead, while two others succumbed to their injuries on the way to the Tanda medical college. The police said the victims were identified as Jago Ram (85), father of the soldier, Chhaya Devi (55), wife, and Sumana Devi (34), niece. The injured, including Aman Kumar, Desh Raj, Preetam, Pinki Devi and Kartar Singh, were taken to the Tanda medical college. A case of negligence has been registered against the driver who is absconding. |
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Chitra murder case: Husband commits suicide
Shimla, May 5 The body of Subhash was found hanging from a tree near his in-laws’ house on Saturday. Sources said he was demanding his infant from the in-laws. The police took the body into their possession and sent it for postmortem, the report of which was awaited. The mysterious death of Subhash has triggered a fresh controversy. Deputy Mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) Tikender Singh Panwar has accused the police of abetment to suicide and demanded a high-level probe into the sequence of events from February 20 onwards. The Social Justice Committee of the SMC, headed by Panwar, had conducted its own inquiry into the death of Chitra and expressed serious apprehensions in its report to the High Court Chief Justice that the murder could be part of a flesh trade racket and demanded a high-level probe. Subhash, who was still in a state of shock after her wife’s death, was being harassed by the police, he alleged. Panwar said there were more people at the site of the murder who had not been arrested. However, the police said it was a case of suicide and Subhash had earlier also attempted to commit suicide in March. |
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High Court gets two more judges
Shimla, May 5 High Court judges Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice Rajiv Sharma, Justice VK Sharma, Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary and Justice Tarlok Chauhan were also present on the occasion. The Registrar General conducted the proceedings. He read out the warrants of appointment issued by the President of India appointing Justice Piar Singh Rana and Justice Sureshwar Thakur as additional judges of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. |
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Actor Govinda visits Brajeshwari temple
Kangra, May 5 Govinda arrived here at the temple and performed puja in the sanctum sanctorum. He told reporters that he had a dream recently that the goddess wanted him to visit the temple. He had also visited different shrines in the state, he added. Govinda, who had visited the shrine 15 years ago, was impressed by the temple history. |
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Rally on SVEEP flagged off in Palampur
Palampur, May 5 The rally was flagged off by Dr KK Katoch, Vice-Chancellor, from the university campus to Palampur town. Students participated in the rally by carrying banners on the importance of voting and urging people to exercise their franchise on May 7. Dr Chandresh Varshney, Students’ Welfare Officer, Dr Hirday Paul Singh, Joint Director, Information & Public Relations, and other university officials were present on the occasion. The rally was organised on the directions of the Election Commission of India. |
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