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BJP plans grand party for Modi
Sonia likely to take the blame if Congress loses
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Cong keeps fingers crossed
RSS top brass in Delhi
AP verdict will show impact of bifurcation
BJP certain of clean sweep in Modi’s Gujarat
In WB, Didi eyes lion’s share of LS pie
Gogoi says no impact of ‘Modi wave’
BJP hopes for revival in Karnataka
Land grab near Chandigarh
Centre extends LTTE ban by 5 yrs
Justice Khehar opts out of Sahara cases
hate speeches
Great-grandson clarifies on Gandhi’s letter
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BJP plans grand party for Modi
New Delhi, May 15 The BJP is gung-ho about most states, except Punjab. Exit polls have not predicted a very good going for the BJP-Akali Dal alliance in Punjab. It is hoping that the exit poll predictions for Punjab will go wrong. This was admitted by none other than Modi’s key aide Amit Shah. Speaking on predictions for Punjab, Shah recently said: “The exit polls have gone wrong twice. Hopefully, we will prove them wrong again.” The party has planned grand victory celebrations for its poster boy for “leading a successful election campaign”. Its headquarters, 11 Ashoka Road, and the adjoining bungalow, 9 Ashoka Road, in New Delhi are being readied for festivities tomorrow and an impressive reception for Modi after a parliamentary board meeting on May 17. Fireworks have been arranged and ladoos (some put the number at one lakh) are being prepared for distribution after the results are declared. When Modi arrives in the Capital on Saturday, he will be welcomed with a victory procession from the IGIA to the party headquarters with hoardings at prominent places. These elections will go down in history as the most fiercely fought elections with all sorts of things said, mostly about Modi, some good, some bad and some downright ugly. Campaigning in presidential style, Modi played different cards—development, good governance, caste, religion, etc.—depending upon the place and time. He drove home his underprivileged upbringing as a humble tea seller by repeatedly referring to Rahul Gandhi as “shehzada”. Other coinages by him included “namuna” and “ma-bete ki sarkar” Rivals reciprocated by raising questions about his marital status, his “Gujarat success story”, snoopgate and 2002 Gujarat riots. Women will not be safe, Priyanka Gandhi warned. Mamata Banerjee called him “butcher of Gujarat and a donkey”. Beni Prasad Verma called him a “monster”, Salman Khushid called him a “napunsak” (impotent).
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Sonia likely to take the blame if Congress loses
New Delhi, May 15 Though daggers would be out for both the PM, who led the government, and Rahul, who led the party campaign, Sonia, being chairperson of the UPA coalition and chairman of the Lok Sabha Campaign Committee of the Congress, could take responsibility in the case of defeat, sources said. Sonia is also likely to offer her resignation as UPA chairperson in the event of the Congress-led coalition failing to get enough numbers. If exit polls are proved wrong, as the Congress is hoping, the strategy would change towards government formation depending on the /”pressure secular parties bring on the Congress to form a government./” But if the surveys come true (unlike in 2004 and 2009), Sonia-taking-the-blame strategy would help the Congress deflect responsibility of loss from Rahul and strike a balance in the ongoing blame game where PM is at the receiving end. Though Congress spokespersons have been saying that defeat would be a collective responsibility, questions would naturally be raised why Rahul, having played an active role in restructuring the Congress and ticket distributing, should not take the blame. Getting Sonia to talk in the event of loss would spare both Rahul and the PM of direct attacks. In any case though Rahul at the January 17 AICC session was given the responsibility to lead Congress campaign for the 16th Lok Sabha elections, he was designated co-chairperson in the 50-member Congress Campaign Committee later. Sonia retained the position of chairperson well aware of the high stakes for herself and Rahul in this tough electoral battle. As for Rahul, he is likely to be projected as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha if the Congress fails to form the government. A decision on the matter would, however, depend on tomorrow’s results and Congress’ numbers.
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Cong keeps fingers crossed New Delhi, May 15 This time out of the 543 LS seats, the party is in the fray in 457. But it is hoping to reap electoral gains from 162 parliamentary constituencies on which the party’s election control room strategists kept a formidable watch. The new Congress war room on Humayun road today saw hectic activity with preparations being made to monitor election trends tomorrow in the potentially winnable seats. If the Congress can wrest these 162, it can prevent BJP’s PM nominee from marching to the Centre. Top sources admitted that the energies of war room strategists were focused mainly on these 162 seats, among them 13 in Punjab where the Congress holds eight and hopes to improve its tally. The Congress is hoping it gets respectable numbers with general secretary in charge of Punjab Shakeel Ahmed still maintaining: “We will do much better than expected.”
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RSS top brass in Delhi
New Delhi, May 15 Indications of unrest in a section of top leadership are emerging. Senior leaders LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj are believed to be upset over the way control of the party has been cornered by Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley et al. Coming ahead of the parliamentary board meeting on May 17, this is not good news for the saffron outfit. Sources insist everything will fall in place once the BJP-led NDA get a clear mandate tomorrow. However, the RSS is not taking any chances. Therefore a day after BJP’s top brass assembled in Gandhinagar to finalise post-poll strategy, party president Rajnath Singh today met Suresh Soni, a senior Sangathan leader, to discuss matters related to the party, possible allies and formation of the probable government. Though the BJP has made its position on Modi clear — that there is no “plan B or C” and that the party will only form a government under its designated PM candidate — it seems to be battling on several fronts. For one, if the BJP wins and Modi becomes the PM he would prefer a small and crisp Cabinet, or so the sources say, but there are a whole lot of leaders within the party and allies who would have to be adjusted and satisfied.
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AP verdict will show impact of bifurcation
The Congress is widely expected to suffer its worst drubbing in Seemandhra following widespread public anger against division of the state. Ironically, the ruling party does not appear to be gaining much in Telangana region despite its bold decision to carve out a separate state. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is seen as a major player in the region, having led the statehood movement for over 13 years. It has been an irreversible plummet for the state Congress since the 2009 elections when it had bagged 33 Lok Sabha seats, the highest contribution by any state to the UPA-II kitty. The citadel now appears to be crumbling as the ruling party faces the prospect of total rout in Seemandhra, which accounts for 25 LS seats, while in Telangana, which has 17 LS seats, it is up against a formidable challenger. Though the elections were held in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh, the voter verdict will be for two states — Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh, which will come into existence on June 2. With the bifurcation transforming the dynamics, different set of factors were at play in Telangana and Seemandhra, comprising Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. While the campaign in Telangana was focused on who should get the credit for fulfilling the statehood dream, the primary concern in Seemandhra was industrialisation, infrastructure development and building of new capital city. The pollsters have predicted a nail-biting finish in Seemandhra where the main fight is between the TDP, headed by ex-CM N Chandrababu Naidu, and the YSRCP headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Naidu positioned himself as an ideal candidate to develop the resource-rich state. Jagan harped on the goodwill that his father late YS Rajasekhar Reddy enjoys.
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BJP certain of clean sweep in Modi’s Gujarat
Ahmedabad, May 15 While Modi, who is also contesting from Varanasi in UP, is almost certain to clinch the Vadodara seat, Advani is also expected to sail through in Gandhinagar, the seat he had been winning for the past five parliamentary elections. The Congress is pinning hopes on Vaghela's Sabarkantha seat to stump the BJP from making a clean sweep of all 26 seats, but some of the exit poll predictions are not in favour of the former chief minister. Riding the "Modi wave", the BJP is still confident of winning all 26 seats, while a few exit polls predicted that the Congress could win two to four seats with Vaghela's Sabarkantha being the number one prospect for the party.
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In Maharashtra, it may be curtains for Prithviraj
Mumbai, May 15 The fledging Aam Aadmi Party hopes to emerge as a dark horse in the race. If exit polls are to be believed, it appears to be curtains for Prithviraj who was brought in to head the state because of his clean image. Now, he is seen by many as a leader who refuses to take decisions. Waiting in the wings is Ashok Chavan, whom Prithviraj had replaced at the top job. Despite the taint of the Adarsh scam and assorted other allegations, Ashok’s base in the Maratha community is intact and he could be chosen to head the state ahead of the Assembly elections later this year. The survival of the UPA government in the state will depend on how Sharad and his NCP swing at the national level after the results. Should a prospective National Democratic Alliance government fall short of a majority, the NCP could break away from the UPA to join the government. But if both the Congress and the NCP are mauled as predicted by the exit polls, both outfits may fight the Assembly elections together, say observers. For the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena, a clean sweep of most of the 48 seats, as predicted, could be a way to regain
power in the state after 15 years. However, much will depend on whether the two parties stay together. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray does not get along
with BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who has drawn close to Modi. Gopinath Munde who crafted the alliance in Maharashtra with Uddhav and his father Bal Thackeray, is fighting for his own place in the BJP. The mood in the BJP camp is upbeat, while leaders of the Congress and NCP
are keeping their cards close to their chest.
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In WB, Didi eyes lion’s share of LS pie
Kolkata, May 15 Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee decided to go it alone unlike the last elections (when it contested 28 seats, leaving the rest for the Congress and the SUCI as per the alliance agreement) as she wanted to be an important part of the country’s future government at the Centre. Predicting no clear majority for the Congress and the BJP, Mamata personally campaigned extensively throughout the state and talked to several leaders of regional parties to form an alternative secular united federal front government. The Congress came down to four MPs in the LS in 1989, though it staged a comeback in 1984. Afterwards, the CPM became the leading party in the LS from 1989 to 2004.
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Gogoi says no impact of ‘Modi wave’
Guwahati, May 15 The BJP won four seats in Assam - Guwahati, Nowgong, Mangaldoi and Silchar - in 2009, while the Congress won seven - Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Kaliabor, Barpeta, Karimganj and Autonomous District. Regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won only Tezpur seat and the All India United Democratic Front won Dhubri. While CM Tarun Gogoi is confident to improve the tally in this election by one seat, saying that the so-called Modi wave would peter out in Assam, BJP's state party leaders hope to win six seats. The key battles in Assam will be Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Guwahati, Lakhimpur and Silchar, while eyes will be on Kaliabor where the Congress has fielded Tarun’s son Gourav.
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BJP hopes for revival in Karnataka
Bangalore, May 15 But the BJP is expected to do much better than what it will have done had it secured the number of votes as it got in the last Assembly elections. In fact, the party tally this time is expected to be just a tad poorer than its stellar performance in 2009. Statisticians say if the votes secured by the KJP and the BSR Congress in the 2013 Assembly elections are added to the vote secured by the BJP in the Assembly elections, the party will win 11 seats, the Congress 15 and the
JD(S) two. Eleven seats should be the bottomline for the BJP – the minimum it is likely to get.
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Land grab near Chandigarh Chandigarh, May 15 The allegation by Gayatri Jain were made as the Bench headed by Justice Hemant Gupta asked senior advocate Manmohan Lal Sarin to re-assist the court in the matter as an amicus curiae or a friend of the court. Sarin was initially appointed as amicus by the Bench headed by Justice MM Kumar, now the Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. But Sarin’s assistance was not available to the court since May 2012, as he was not called. As the Bench asked Sarin to render his assistance in the matter again, the former officer stood up to say that certain orders had been attributed to her. But she had never passed those order and the signatures had been fabricated. Available information suggests the order pertains to consolidation of Jumla Mustarka land. Taking a note of the allegations, the Bench asked her to file an affidavit on the allegation. The Punjab Government too was asked to provide Sarin a copy of all orders and other documents pertaining to the case since May 2012. The Bench made it clear that the senior advocate would coordinate with the government to place the facts before the court. The state counsel, Reeta Kohli, meanwhile, told the court that Punjab Government had issued a public notice for the dwellers of 12 villages to enable them to come out with representations and grievances on land grab issue. The Bench fixed July 15 as the next date of hearing in the case. The development is significant as the public notice will enable villagers in Chandigarh’s periphery to have a direct say in the land grab case. The High Court has already made it clear to the state that it was in favour of appointing a commissioner-level officer with the powers of a collector to look into land grab cases in Chandigarh’s periphery and across Punjab. The Bench has also made it clear to the state that the two interim reports by Justice Kuldip Singh panel would be taken on record.
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Tiwari
weds mother of his biological son Lucknow, May 15 The formal marriage ends weeks of controversy after Tiwari’s acceptance of Rohit as his son and Ujjwala’s repeated attempts to find a place in the Tiwari household. Tiwari’s PRO said the veteran leader suddenly asked his staff to arrange a pundit last evening. Within an hour, the arrangements were made and the couple went ahead with the marriage with full Kumauni rites. Rohit was not present at the time of the marriage. Wearing heavy jewellery and henna adorning her palms, the bride said: “Everything was done in a hurry.”
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Centre extends LTTE ban by 5 yrs
New Delhi, May 15 The Home Ministry said the LTTE, even after its military defeat in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, has not abandoned the concept of ‘Eelam’ and has been clandestinely working towards the ‘Eelam’ cause by undertaking fund raising and propaganda activities. The LTTE, which was behind the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been banned since 1991. The remnant LTTE leaders or cadres have also initiated efforts to regroup the scattered activists and resurrect the outfit locally and internationally, it said in a notification issued on Wednesday.
— PTI
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Justice Khehar opts out of Sahara cases
New Delhi, May 15 Chief Justice RM Lodha has constituted a new Bench to hear Sahara cases following Justice Khehar’s recusal and retirement of Justice KS Radhakrishnan, who had headed the Bench that was handling these cases, apex court spokesman Rakesh Sharma told reporters today. Justice Khehar had sent a communication to the CJI minutes after delivering the verdict on May 6 which was placed before Justice Lodha the next day, upon which the new Bench was formed.
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SC rejects plea to de-recognise parties
R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, May 15 A summer vacation Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and NV Ramana passed a detailed order, holding that election speeches promoting enmity on communal and regional basis “cannot be placed on the pedestal of a real PIL.” The judiciary could not enter into this kind of arena in the name of safeguarding constitutional provisions as there were laws to deal with such situations, the SC said. It noted that initially the SC had allowed the use of PILs as tool to address certain situations involving poor people. Gradually, it widened the PIL concept to cover environment and ecology and atrocities by authorities and others, including people holding high offices without any qualification.
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Great-grandson clarifies on Gandhi’s letter Mumbai, May 15 Gandhi berated Harilal, his estranged son, in this letter for 'rape' of his (Harilal's) sister-in-law, and not his daughter Manu, contrary to media reports, Tushar said in a statement. Three letters written by Gandhi to Harilal are slated to be auctioned by Mullock's in the UK on May 22. Tushar said the original letter was written in Gujarati and the translation was "uneducated". "I read the letters in its original form in Bapu's handwriting and realised how wrong and may be mischievous the assumptions were," he said. He said legality of the auction and whether the rightful legal owners had offered such sensitive and private letters for mere financial gains or whether it was an illicit trade should be ascertained. — PTI
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Hyderabad, May 15