In this age of electronic voting machine, elephants and bullock carts are equally relevant for the election commission who can not think of holding elections without their assistance in some of the most inaccessible polling stations of Assam.
In the heart of the state, which also comprises the capital constituency within Kamrup district, more than five elephants will be used to carry polling personnel and poll materials to hilly and inaccessible areas.
According to Kamrup district administration, at least three elephants would be used to carry poll materials to a remote polling station along the Assam-Meghalaya border, which can be only reached by foot. Nearly 50 porters would be following the pachyderms during their march carrying essentials for the polling personnel in the remote areas.
Similarly the administration will be using motorboats, country boats and over a dozen bullock carts to carry the polling materials to various remote polling stations. There are 274 polling stations which can only be accessed through boats.
Meanwhile Election Commission of India has identified 2975 polling stations as ‘very sensitive’, 6635 ‘sensitive’ and 440 ‘hyper sensitive’ out of the total 18,829 polling stations that will go to poll in two phases on April 16 and April 23 in Assam. Disclosing that they have sought 120 companies of paramilitary forces to conduct the elections in 14 parliamentary constituencies, the chief electoral officer Hemanta Narazary told reporters that election commission of India has assured to provide 75
companies of paramilitary forces to conduct the elections.
He also informed that some companies of the paramilitary force have already arrived and deployed in the three constituencies -- Autonomous districts, Silchar and Karimganj - where election is being held on March 16 next.
Apart from hiring vehicles, the elections commission was also requisitioning boats and elephants to conduct polling in some of most interior polling stations of the state. In
case of emergency, helicopters will also be on the stand by to help the elections officials if necessity arises during the election in the state.
Altogether 1,74,68,958 electorates are eligible to exercise their franchise which includes 90,25,516 males and 8443442 females voters. The Election Commission has assigned 42 central
election observers for Assam. Three observers will be deployed in each of the 14 parliamentary constituencies.
(By arrangement with Deccan Chronicle)

CHANDIGARH, Apr 1 : On the eve of All Fools’ Day April 1, noted humorist Jaspal Bhatti Tuesday sought reservation of seats in parliament and other institutions for fools in the country.

‘There should be reservation in all bodies, including parliament, for fools,’ the comedian, who recently floated a ‘Recession Party’ to contest the Lok Sabha elections, told IANS.

Claiming that he was fielding over half a dozen leading comedians from Punjab alone in the parliamentary elections, Bhatti, on a serious note, sought written clarification from the Election Commission of India (ECI) whether the satire his party was going to use during campaigning would constitute violation of the model code of conduct.

Bhatti, who founded the ‘Recession Party’ Tuesday, met Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kusumjit Sidhu and sought the clarification.

‘For example, if our candidate says ‘if we come to power we will spread drugs and alcohol more vigorously or do underhand deals more shamelessly’, will it be a violation of the code of conduct? Our candidates are going to deposit the nomination fee of Rs.20,000 by collecting penny by penny from our well-wishers and fans, so they don’t want to get into any trouble,’ explained Bhatti to the CEO.

Bhatti’s request has been forwarded to the Election Commission for clarification. He said that the CEO sent the request to the poll panel Tuesday itself as sending it on April 1 could have led to it being taken lightly.

Bhatti’s Recession Party had sought to legalise ‘all underhand and illegal deals done by political parties and politicians’ after assuming power ‘through means fair and foul’.

Why does urban middle-class India hate Mayawati so much? In a recent poll, over 70 per cent of the respondents said that they would be horrified if she were to become India's next prime minister, which not a few political observers feel could be a distinct possibility in the post-poll scenario of forming what almost certainly will have to be another coalition government.

Why does the urban elite find the thought of Prime Minister Mayawati so repugnant? The fact that she is a Dalit should, if anything, be in her favour instead of against her.

Post-Obama, among those who like to consider themselves to be India's liberalgentsia casteism is as out of fashion as racism is in the US: it's not just politically incorrect but also socially uncool openly to discriminate against an individual because of her caste, particularly if the caste in question is that of a Dalit.

In any case, many years ago didn't we have a respected Dalit defence minister (who almost became prime minister) in Jagjivan Ram?

No, it's not caste that accounts for the urban liberal's aversion to Mayawati. So if it's not caste, is it class? As her nickname suggests, is Mayawati the archetypal 'Behenji', crass and vulgar in her manner of dress and general social deportment?

With her 350-kg birthday cakes and diamond jewellery, Mayawati is obviously not a believer in the efficacy of social and sartorial understatement.

But then neither is Jayalalithaa, another would-be PM, who is renowned for her larger-than-life cut-outs and a fanatical following which includes supporters who have had her image tattooed on the insides of their eyelids so that they may be able to gaze upon their revered Puratchi Thalaivi even when their eyes are shut.

Yet Amma does not invite the same scorn and loathing that Behenji does.

The most common accusation made against Mayawati is that she is corrupt, the so-called 'Taj corridor' case being cited as the most visible example of her venality.

But to say that an Indian politician particularly a politician such as Mayawati who has to sustain a large support base is corrupt is to state the obvious. It is like saying that an egg has shell, or a banana a peel.

Like the shell of an egg, or the skin of a banana, for an Indian politician with a mass base which has to be sustained through patronage, corruption is a necessary condition for existence.

Barring a few exceptions such as Manmohan Singh who has no grassroots base which supports him and which he in turn is obliged to look after corruption seems to be an occupational moral hazard for Indian politicians.

What with the Nagarwal case in Indira Gandhi's time, and Bofors during Rajiv's regime, even what is often called the first political family of the land has not escaped the taint of corruption.

So why single out Mayawati for being corrupt? Why such singular animosity towards her? Perhaps the reason is that, more than any other politician today, she represents a full frontal assault on our ingrained social and political hypocrisy, the odour of sanctity with which we seek to surround ourselves.

We like to showcase in our public figures the virtues of conspicuous austerity (see how Gandhiji travelled third-class on trains) and holier-than-thou renunciation (see how Soniaji renounced prime ministership).

With her over-the-top style and her unabashed ambition to become prime minister indeed, her party manifesto has that as its single-point agenda Mayawati offends our sense of sanctimoniousness.

Instead of mouthing platitudes about aam aadmi and the downtrodden, she has the honesty to be upfront about what she is: a Dalit, and a doubly disadvantaged woman at that, who is hungry for power to reverse the tide of thousands of years of oppression.

Mayawati represents a revenge against our righteousness, our hypocritical belief in our moral superiority. Maybe that's why Behenji is our real Bane-ji.

PANAJI - Congress Goa’s unit Tuesday clarified a man, who interacted with the Goan media earlier in the day after introducing himself as the ‘political advisor’ to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was an impostor.

Party spokesperson Ramakant Khalap, who hurriedly organised a press conference Tuesday evening, after local cable television telecast a news story quoting N.K. Sharma, who claimed to be the political advisor to Sonia Gandhi, on a visit to Goa.

‘The Congress does not have a post of a political advisor. We have a post of a political secretary and that is held by Ahmed Patel,’ Khalap told reporters.

‘The person who claims to be N. K.Sharma is an impostor. The party has taken a serious view of the matter and we have initiated an enquiry into the incident,’ Khalap said.

Earlier in the day, Sharma told an informal press briefing at the Dabholim airport that he was in Goa in his personal capacity, as a friend of Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao, whose daughter Valanka has been vying for a Congress ticket for the South Goa seat.

The individual, who claimed he was on his way back to Delhi, also said that the race for the South Goa seat was on as no candidate had been finalised yet.

This was after the Congress had confirmed sitting MP Francisco Sardinha’s name for the seat on March 28, a fact which had not gone well with Alemao. After Sardinha’s name was announced, the disgruntled PWD minister went on record saying two state Congress leaders had sabotaged his daughter’s chances.

Speaking to reporters, Khalap refused to comment as to whether Alemao was behind the episode. ‘It is too early to come to a conclusion. The party will investigate the matter,’ he said, adding that the Congress could also file a police complaint after the internal enquiry was over.

NEW DELHI - A majority of people in Tamil Nadu want the government to support the outlawed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, according to an opinion poll.

Asked if the government should support the LTTE in Sri Lanka, 66 percent respondents said yes, the NDTV said in a release Tuesday, revealing the findings of the opinion survey.

On the political front, the survey showed that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of DMK and Leader of Opposition J. Jayalalitha of AIADMK are in a neck-to-neck race to be the next chief minister, with 41 percent and 40 percent respondents backing them respectively.

The poll was part of an all-India, state-wise NDTV-GFK Mode poll to understand the key concerns of the voters.

KOLKATA- Power supply was snapped in parts of central and south Kolkata, including to the West Bengal chief minister’s residence and two leading hospitals, and Metro railway services were disrupted following a major power breakdown in the city Tuesday.

The chief minister’s residence at Palm Avenue in the southern part of the city remained without city power supply for half an hour after three transformers of West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB) tripped simultaneously around 4.30 p.m.

A spokesman of city’s power utility said the supply was affected as its receiving station at Kasba in South Kolkata, which receives power from the WBSEB, became inoperative.

Supply was also disrupted at the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan for half an hour, while Metro railway services were briefly stalled for five to seven minutes.

The disruption spilled over to central Kolkata where the state-run Calcutta Medical College and Hospital was also without power for about 10 minutes.

‘We normally get 190 MW of power from the WBSEB. Now we are getting 90 MW. So, there is a shortfall of 100 MW,’ the spokesman told IANS.

Mumbai, Apr 1 : On the eve of parliamentary elections, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) launched a nationwide voter awareness campaign with Aamir Khan. The campaign's theme “Sacche ko chune, Acche ko chune” means “vote for integrity, vote for good people” urges citizens to make an informed choice.

The thought provoking campaign consists of 3 ad films, print ads, internet and mobile communication. Not only has Aamir Khan not charged for appearing in the ads but his production company Aamir Khan Production has also borne the cost of producing the ad films.

Aamir has also roped in Prasoon Joshi of McCann Erickson as the creative head, Rakyesh Mehra as the director, Avinash Gowarikar as the still photographer and Shashi Sinha of Lodestar Media as the media planner for the campaign, who are also doing it for no charges as they all believe in this campaign.

Interestingly, the ad campaign will be in most languages like Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telegu, Kannad, Malayalam, Bengali, Assami and Oriya to reach out to more people.

The television, print and radio campaign focuses on providing voters detailed information about candidates.

The Lok Sabha elections are being held in five phases, with polling dates being 16, 23, 30 April and 7, 13 May. Affidavit information is compiled totally roughly ten days before poll dates and is not easily accessible to voters.

About Association of Democratic Reforms Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) is a Non-Political, Non-Partisan and a Non-Governmental Organization. It was founded in August 1, 1999 by a group of Professors from the Indian Institute of
Management (IIM), Ahmedabad and National Institute of Design and some alumni of IIM to work towards strengthening democracy and governance in India by focusing on fair and transparent electoral processes.

ADR is part of the 1200 strong NGO network called National Election Watch. It was instrumental in securing voters' right to know about their candidates, through a public interest lawsuit in 1999, which culminated in the landmark Supreme Court judgment in 2003. The law now requires candidates to furnish details about their finances, education and criminal cases (if any) through a sworn affidavit. In the past seven years, ADR and its partners have conducted election watch activities in more than 25 states, in assembly as well as parliamentary elections. The affidavits of candidates become available barely ten days before polling, and are not easily accessible to voters. ADR and NEW have sought to fill this gap by widely disseminating this detailed information through a toll free number, sms and website. This is an entirely citizens' initiative.

Guwahati, Apr 1 : An Assam minister refused to wear helmet while riding a motorcycle, saying he has full faith in God.

"I have full faith in God to be protected. That is why I did not wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle during my rally," Assam Health Minister and Congress Spokesman Himanta Biswa Sarma today said.

To queries at a press meet here why he did not wear a helmet while leading a party election rally yesterday while driving a bike, Sarma said,"I know God will protect me".

On being pointed out that he was setting a negative example to the bikers by not wearing the helmet, Sarma in his defence said,"riding 20 km is not harmful without a helmet. The procession was moving slowly, so there was no risk involved.

New Delhi, Apr 1 : Congress today dismissed the demand by BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani that the government take steps to bring back money reportedly stashed in foreign banks by Indians as"gimmickry and melodrama".

"Is this gimmickry or rhetoric, melodrama or real . Mr Advani suffers from a convenient amnesia. For 11 years, six years of the NDA and five years of the UPA, he did not raise the issue,"party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told media.

He said the issue was being raised when the term of the UPA government was about to end."We have never objected to consider the merits of a good proposal,"he said.

Attacking the saffron party, the Congress leader said that it had admitted a woman IAS officer ( Neera Yadav) into its fold who was removed by the Supreme Court.

" This is their level of sincerity. This exposes the double face of the BJP," Singhvi said, adding,"We (Congress) believe in even handed enforcement of laws on corruption".

The spokesman also hailed the achievements of the Congress-led UPA government on various fronts, terming the BJP as the' Bhartiya Jhagdalu (quarrelsome) Party'.

" They only want to create a jhagda (quarrel) in the country, nothing else..." Singhvi said. Asked if the Congress was not falling into a trap similar to the" Shining India" which the had BJP projected in the 2004 elections, the spokesman said the party did not believe in stereotypes which have been rejected and defeated.

New Delhi, Apr 1 : In the wake of senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh being charged with violation of model code of conduct while campaigning for his son in Barmer district in Rajasthan, BJP today wondered if the EC guidelines apply to the parents of the candidates.

"I wonder whether the model code of conduct applies to the parents of the candidates as well because Jaswant Singh is not a candidate,"BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj told PTI.

Singh was allegedly giving money to a woman in Barmer, from where his son Manvendra is in the fray to retain his seat.

Punj said he would be able to give a more clear picture once he discusses the issue with Singh.

"We have not been able to contact Jaswant Singh so far since he seems to be in some remote part between Barmer and Jaisalmer," Punj said.

Singh is the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

No case has been filed against Singh or Manvendra in the matter though unconfirmed reports said some parties opposed to BJP may pursue the issue.

Ahmedabad, Mar 31 : BJP’s prime ministerial nominee L K Advani is seeking re-election for the fifth time from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar constituency, which has been impacted in recent delimitation exercise.
Besides Gandhinagar, most of the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state had been affected due to the delimitation.

Union Textiles Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, whose Kapadwanj seat got deleted, has been declared a Congress candidate from the newly created constituency, Panchmahals.

Ahmedabad city’s Ellisbridge assembly segment, which was a part of Gandhinagar, has now been included in the new constituency Ahmedabad West (SC).

While addressing a function in the city’s Navrangpura locality recently, Mr Advani expressed his disappointment over deletion of Ellisbridge, saying that the constituency had always given him highest lead in Gandhinagar, from where he was elected first in 1991, and then in 1998, 1999 and 2004.

However, Mr Advani, who did not contest in the 1996 election after his name figured in the Jain hawala case, was happy that Sanand, the new home of Tata’s Nano plant, and Kalol were added to his Gandhinagar constituency, from which Gandhinagar South was deleted.

Gandhinagar LS constituency, spread over Gandhinagar North, Kalol, Sanand, Ghatlodia, Vejalpur, Naranpura and Sabarmati segments, has a total of 15,43,708 electorate, including 7,50,665 female voters.
According to the election office, the total electorate in the state stood at 3,63,74,710, including 1,75,45,383 females.

Following delimitation, Ahmedabad, Kapadwanj, Mandvi and Dhandhuka LS seats stand deleted, while the new ones included Ahmedabad East, Ahmedabad West(SC), Bardoli and Navsari.

With this Gujarat’s total LS seat tally remained at 26 and assembly constituencies reached at 182.

Shillong, Mar 31 : The electioneering in Meghalaya for the 15th Lok Sabha elections has remained a low-key affair with no party launching any major rally in the state so far.

Following imposition of President’s Rule in the state on March 18, most of the front-ranking leaders like Opposition Congress Legislature Party leader D D Lapang, former Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy and NCP leader P A Sangma were busy dealing with the turmoil in the state politics.

However, political observers feel that the main issue of campaigning in the state will be imposition of President’s Rule in the state, which, according to them, would be the main weapon both for the MPA and Congress.

Political parties, contesting for the two Lok Sabha seats, had started campaigning in favour of their respective party candidates, though the electioneering was low-key so far. The campaigning is likely to pick up within the next few days.

Barring the MPA’s big public meeting here on Saturday, there was no other major rally in the state capital, though the Congress arranged a number of street corner meetings at different areas highlighting the party’s development activities at the Centre as well as in the state.

Meanwhile, the MPA was trying to woo voters, saying that President’s Rule was imposed in the state, suspending the MPA government even though they won the trust vote on March 17, and termed it as ”unjustified and undemocratic”.

On the other hand, the opposition Congress spoke in support of imposition of President’s Rule and alleged that the MPA had failed on all fronts.

Eleven persons have filed nomination papers till yesterday which was the last day of filing of nomination papers.

Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda has clarified that he was not an aspirant for the post of prime minister, but he was trying to strengthen the Third Front to give a new turn to the politics of the country.

Addressing the media here on Monday, he said that the prime minister’s post was imposed on him last time and as the prime minister he was able to witness and understand the injustice being meted out to the State at the Central level.

Polarisation in politics was bound to take place, as UPA and NDA were trying to destroy the regional forces gradually. The era of one party rule was over, and political parties had not created an atmosphere to discuss national issues, he regretted.

JD(S) would demand a thorough review of the People’s Representation Act. Lacunae in the act should be plugged, and the act should not be misused as per the wish of the political parties.

The issue would be included in the manifesto of the party to be released shortly, he stated. JD(S) would field its candidates in 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State, and two constituencies would be left for the Left parties.

The complete list of candidates would be finalised in a couple of days, Deve Gowda added.

The Election Commission Tuesday said it is not taking any action against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose activists were filmed distributing money to potential voters.

“We have decided not to proceed into the matter,” Deputy Election Commissioner R. Balakrishnan told reporters here.

On March 12, the poll panel slapped a notice on Mulayam Singh Yadav for violating the model code of conduct for the April-May Lok Sabha elections as his activists were found distributing cash during a function at his native place in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister admitted it was a “mistake” though not a bribe. He said he gave gifts to people on Holi every year, terming it as a tradition and not an attempt to bribe anyone.

The commission took cognizance of TV channel clips that showed Mulayam Singh Yadav holding a public gathering at his Saifai village in Etawah district.

According to the clips, his supporters were seen distributing Rs.100 currency notes among a large number of people at the gathering, in his presence.

“It is apparent that the distribution of money in your presence has been made with a view to soliciting votes and support for yourself and your party,” the poll panel said, pulling up the SP leader in its notice.

Mulayam Singh Yadav is contesting the Lok Sabha election from the neighbouring district of Mainpuri.

New Delhi, March 31: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key ally of the Congress, said Tuesday that it would approach the Third Front if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) did not get a majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

NCP general secretary D.P. Tripathi told reporters that the party would go to the Third Front because the Congress had “unfortunately disbanded” the UPA by not having a national alliance and stitching up regional tie-ups instead.


Tripathi, who announced the party’s 38 candidates from different states, said: “The Congress gave such illogical arguments that we can form the government at the national level but we will have alliances at the state-level.”

The NCP’s candidates declared Tuesday include its chief Sharad Pawar from Madha and his daughter Supriya Sule from Baramati in Maharashtra and party general secretary Tariq Anwar from Katihar in Bihar.
Tripathi said: “Nowhere in the world you will find such a situation. The UPA is intact as government, but in a dismantled state outside the government.”

He cited the instances of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which are part of the UPA government but are not the Congress allies in the elections.

But the NCP leader also said his party was in talks with the Congress over sharing two seats in Goa and a tie-up in Gujarat.

Asked about the dichotomy of his NCP having an alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra but not in many other states, he said: “Our suggestion for a national alliance was not adopted by the Congress and so we were forced to adopt our (own) electoral policies for different states.”

Accordingly, he cited the NCP’s seat-sharing agreements with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa, regional parties in Meghalaya and the Left parties in Assam.

Tripathi announced contestants for 18 seats in Maharashtra, four from Kerala, three from Assam, two each in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as well as one each from Bihar, Daman-Diu, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya and Orissa.

BANGALORE: Bangalore North was a strong Congress bastion in the past with minorities playing the decisive role. After the delimitation, the voter profile has changed drastically with Vokkaligas emerging as a major votebank followed by minorities and other communities.

Even after delimitation, minority votes will play a major role in ensuring victory of any candidate.

In the past, the Congress had lost only on two occasions when C Narayanaswamy (Janata Dal) won in 1996 and in 2004 when retired cop H T Sangliana (BJP) surprised the seasoned C K Jaffer Sharief. Both are unlikely to contest from Bangalore North and are lobbying for a Congress ticket from Bangalore Central which is dominated by minorities – Muslims and Christians.

A BJP stronghold since 1991, the constituency has lost its major votebank areas after the delimitation. The voter profile which earlier comprised an equal mix of both Vokkaligas and Brahmins is now dominated by Vokkaligas and other backward castes, while Brahmins still continue to be a formidable votebank.

Speculation of former chief minister S M Krishna contesting from here has given it a star status and if the Congress decides to field him, then it is likely to witness an intriguing contest between the Congress and the BJP.

The JD(S) is watching the developments before choosing its candidate. The party fielding a dummy candidate or a formidable one will be based on the Congress’ choice. Like other Bangalore Lok Sabha constituencies, infrastructure bottlenecks will be the major poll issue.

Of the seven Assembly seats, BJP holds four while the rest are with the Congress.

Name of the Party Symbol reserved Bahujan Samaj Party Bharatiya Janata Party Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (Marxist) Indian National Congress Nationalist Congress Party Rashtriya Janata Dal

RANCHI: Along with Maoist rebels, rampaging elephants have become a key voter issue in eastern India ahead of the upcoming general election as political parties promise to save villagers from the animals.

Villagers have put up banners saying, "Save us from elephants and get our votes," and "help us and we will help you", in Ranchi city, the capital of eastern Jharkhand state, and other towns.

A shrinking habitat has forced elephants to raid farmlands and villagers have been encroaching upon forest land to build homes, increasing the man-animal conflict in the state, which has also been hit by Maoist militancy.

"We can assure you that we will make serious efforts to end the problem of elephants by chalking out a national policy," said Alok Dubey, a local leader of India's ruling Congress party.

Between 60 to 100 people are trampled to death every year in Jharkhand by elephants, which have also destroyed crops and homes, officials said.

Villagers say they can seek the help of police to tackle Maoist rebels, but elephants are more dangerous.

"This year, our vote will go only to those candidates who will helping in getting rid of elephants," said Gandura Mahato, a villager.

In the last four years, villagers have also killed 40 elephants, officials say, apart from using chillies and fire crackers to keep the animals away. Some have recruited camels, saying the beasts' stink was enough to keep elephants at bay.

"Elephants and Maoists rebels are the two major problems in Jharkhand," said Sukhdeo Singh, a forest department official.

India's main opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists are also going to villages, assuring help from elephants.

"We will give serious thought to find a solution to the problem when we are in power," said Sunil Soren, a BJP candidate from the Dumka parliamentary constituency, as he toured villages.

NEW DELHI: Liberhan Commission, which has been looking into the circumstances leading to the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya on Dec 6, 1992, gets another extension of three months till June 30.

This is the 48th extension of the commission, set up in December 1992. Nearly Rs 9 crore has so far been spent on the commission, making it one of the longest and costliest enquiries. The bulk of the amount was spent on the salaries and perks of the supporting staff.

The country's longest-serving commission of inquiry was set up within 10 days of the demolition of the 16th century mosque on December 6, 1992, which triggered widespread communal violence leading to a heavy loss of lives.

The Commission, mandated to inquire into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Mosque, was to submit its report by March 16, 1993, but sought for extension of the deadline to complete its probe.

Headed by retired Justice M S Liberhan, the Commission got its last extension for six months on September 30, 2008.

During the extended proceedings, spread over around 400 sittings, the Commission recorded the statements of senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalyan Singh. The panel had finished hearing its last witness in 2005.

CHENNAI - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Prakash Karat met All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief J Jayalalithaa at her residence here on Monday.

During the hour-long meet, they discussed issues concerning the seat sharing in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha.

Earlier, Karat released the Tamil version of the party’s manifesto.

Speaking to media persons he said that his party is keen on the formation of a non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and non-Congress secular Government at the Centre.

“As far as my party is concerned when we called for the defeat of the Congress that means we have no understanding with the Congress. Last time, we didn’t call for the defeat of the Congress. Last time, we called for the defeat of the BJP and the formation of a secular government. This time, we are calling for the defeat of the Congress and the formation of an alternative secular government and not Congress led secular government,” said Karat.

As for being a part of the government, he said the party would take a decision if the Third Front reaches a position to form the Government.

Further, he clarified that the CPI (M) stand on joining the Central Government after elections.

“Let us first reach the position of being able to form a government. If such a situation arises after the Lok Sabha polls, I think my party will seriously discuss the matter and take a decision. We have decided that every time depending on the circumstances, the party should take a decision whether to join the government or not. We have no principle that we should join the government neither there is a principle that we should join every government,” added Karat.

Incidentally, no party or combination of parties has been ever been able to form a government in India sans the support of either Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Amidst all these trends, the Communists are hoping several fence-sitting parties, who in the past have allied themselves either with the Congress or the BJP, will this time join the Third Front.

RAIPUR - Several candidates for the April 16 elections in Chhattisgarh say their campaign has been hit hard by fund shortage.

A few of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates say they have been asked to exercise restraint vis-a-vis expenditure as the party will not be able to provide enough money for a comprehensive campaign.

The crunch has hit the Congress the most because its candidates have received less than 50 percent of the first instalment of money promised by the party.

‘The party has provided enough election material such as pamphlets, banners and posters but made a heavy cut in cash money citing fund crunch and economic slowdown. It has affected the campaign in a big way,’ a Congress state leader told IANS seeking anonymity.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) said that fund constraint was one of the reasons it was contesting from only one constituency, Bastar.

CPI national executive member C.R. Bakshi said: ‘The entire campaign expenditure in the state is based on collections from party members. We have hired just 10-12 vehicles for the whole of Bastar.’

Former BJP Lok Sabha member P.R. Khunte, now president of the Chhattisgarh Vikas Party and a candidate from Raipur, said: ‘I don’t have money even for banners and posters. You can blame it on the economic slowdown.’

CHENNAI, Mar 31 - Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) would welcome creation of a separate ‘Eelam’, a homeland for the Sri Lankan Tamils provided it is created by a democratic process, said M Karunanidhi, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Talking to the reporters here today, Karunanidhi said, “We will be glad if a separate Eelam is created (in Sri Lanka) by people voting for it.”

He accused the opposition parties of spreading rumours that DMK does not support Sri Lankan Tamils.

“Attempts of some opposition parties in Tamil Nadu to paint the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and the DMK government in the state as anti Sri Lankan Tamils would not succeed…The opposition parties are trying to create an illusion among the public that my party is against Sri Lankan Tamils,” said Karunanidhi.

Gopinath in Bangalore on Thursday. (PTI)

London: Varun Gandhi, the young BJP activist aspiring to be MP, was never a student at the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE), a spokesman for the university said on Monday.

“He was never an LSE student and he does not have an LSE degree,” the spokesman said, commenting on reports that Gandhi had a law degree from the LSE.

The spokesman, however, said that Gandhi may have studied under a University of London external students programme, a distance-learning course.

“These are not held in the colleges, but the LSE and other institutions contribute to the curriculum and courses,” the spokesman explained.

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), another prestigious London institution of higher learning, refused to comment on reports that Gandhi had done his Master's from the school.

“For data protection reasons, the School can neither confirm nor deny any information about the person named in your enquiry,” said the school's Mary O'Shea.

When pressed, she said journalists would have to write to the school and formally request information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Meanwhile, the LSE spokesman said an online petition seeking to dissociate the LSE and SOAS faculty, staff, students and alumni “from the values recently expressed by” Varun Gandhi had no official sanction.

“It is up to individuals to sign such petitions,” he added.

New Delhi: Standing firm with Varun Gandhi who may have to contest the Lok Sabha elections from jail after being booked under NSA, the BJP on Monday said senior party leaders including L K Advani and Rajnath Singh will campaign for him in his constituency Pilibhit.

"Varun Gandhi is our candidate from Pilibhit and we cannot leave him all alone to fight this battle. Who in the BJP will refuse to campaign for him? Advani and Rajnath will also visit his constituency," BJP election in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Kalraj Mishra told reporters.

Mishra said the party was yet to decide the future course of action.
"Our first concern is to get Varun out of jail. The BSP government in UP and the Congress have done injustice to him purposely, blatantly and in a well-planned manner," he said.

The BJP is hopeful that he will get bail when the case comes up for hearing. Cases under the NSA are otherwise reviewed every three months.

"Even if he doesn't get bail, Varun will contest from jail," Mishra said. In such a scenario, BJP may appoint a person to run the campaign in the constituency on his behalf.

Mishra alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family did not want another Gandhi to come to prominence and hence were targeting Varun.

India's problems are complex. And unfortunately these are compounded by vote-bank politics. Instead of uniting the different sections of society, many politicians divide it to keep their vote banks intact. If people are united, politicians won't be able to get votes through divisive politics. In such a situation, the only way for them to win votes would be through good performance.

The above is paragraph from shri shri ravi shankar's write up for cnn ibn. He has precisely stated our politics. Our politics runs on divisive policies. Whether it is dalit,brahman equation or hindu-muslim equation or maharathi-bihari equation and lastly the great rich-poor equation.
Indian politics is based on we v/s they concept.

When right wing parties say safe guard hindu rights , secular parties say muslims are not given justice. Right wing parties play on fear of terrorism , jihad and ashmita of hindus where as secular parties play on muslims getting eradicated by majority hindu. Here fear is primary focus , primary emotion used as tool for exploiting and getting vote bank.

Then comes caste funda. Since centuries lower caste people were exploited by upper caste and now this caste concept is used to exploit both upper caste and lower caste for vote.

Regionalization is another factor which is used for vote bank. Amachi mumbai , kick out bhaiya slogans...

Then come great equation which did use to effect Indians psychic and it still does to some extent. Rich are exploiting poor concept . Now it is not so that rich dont exploit , they do to some extent but its also truth that people like tata , birla , godrej work for 18 hours a day. They work hard , take risk and earn lot of money. It good to be rich and you can be as human as any and be rich at same time.

But rich-poor equation too is used to divide society. So indian politics is based of we v/s they and it needs to be matured now.

Education , Medical , Employment , Economy , National Security , Terrorism should be issues and not dalit , brahmin , maharathi , muslim , hindu.

2009 can be most significant year for all of us. Lets vote against division and lets vote for development.

Hyderabad, Mar 31 : Over 300 candidates from different political parties as well as independents have filed their nominations for 22 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, poll officials here said on Tuesday.

These parliamentary constituencies along with 154 assembly segments spread over 14 districts in Telangana and north coastal Andhra Pradesh would go to polls in the first phase on April 16.

The filing of nominations for these seats ended on Monday. State election officials said 334 candidates have filed their nominations for the Lok Sabha seats while 2,699 candidates have filed papers for assembly seats.


The authorities were scrutinising the nomination papers on Tuesday. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 2.

Due to the delay in parties releasing the list of their candidates and also because of confusion among the four-party grand opposition alliance, a majority of candidates filed their papers on the last day. Officials said 271 nominations for Lok Sabha seats and 2,308 nominations for assembly seats were received on Monday.
However, many candidates are likely to withdraw from the contest as the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) late on Monday agreed to pull out its candidates who filed their papers from the constituencies allotted to its ally Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).

The TDP had reportedly issued mandatory "B" form to candidates in 25 assembly segments already allotted to TRS under the seat sharing agreement. This action by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was to pressurise the TRS to withdraw from the few constituencies he wanted for his party or for the two Communist parties in the alliance.
Naidu told reporters late on Monday that the TDP had left 73 assembly and 13 Lok Sabha seats for its allies and is contesting 221 seats assembly and 29 Lok Sabha seats.
The TRS is contesting 45 assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats in the Telangana region while the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have fielded candidates in 28 assembly and four Lok Sabha constituencies.


"This is the first time since the TDP's formation that it has left such a large number of seats for its allies," Naidu said.
The ruling Congress party is contesting all 42 Lok Sabha and 294 assembly seats on its own. Praja Rajyam of the actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi is also contesting all seats. Its emergence as the third major party appears to have changed political equations in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Lok Satta Party of former bureaucrat Jaiprakash Narayan are also contesting all the seats on their own.


Those who have filed their nominations for the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls include central ministers S Jaipal Reddy (Chevella), Renuka Chowdary (Khammam), D Purandareswari (Visakhapatnam), All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Madhu Yashki Goud (Nizamabad), TDP parliamentary party leader K Yerran Naidu (Srikakulam), TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao (Mahabubnagar), TRS leader and actress Vijayshanti (Medak), PRP general secretary and film producer Allu Aravind (Ankapalli), PRP leader T Devender Goud (Malkajgiri) and CPI national secretary S Sudhakar Reddy (Nalgonda).
The second phase of polls on April 23 will cover 20 Lok Sabha and 150 assembly constituencies in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

Lucknow, Mar 31 : A legislator of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and his supporter in Uttar Pradesh have been booked for defying the model code of conduct, police said on Tuesday.

A case has been registered on Monday against legislator Asif Khan 'Babboo' and a former village head Shiv Ratan Mishra at the Pali police station in Hardoi district, 110 km from here, for displaying firearms at an unauthorised public meeting.

"The illegal public meeting was organised last week in Simiria village to solicit support for Ram Kumar Kureel, the BSP nominee for the Hardoi Lok Sabha seat," police inspector Akhilesh Singh said on telephone.

He said the public meeting was organised without prior permission of the district administration. "We will forward our report to the state election commission for further action against the two," he added.

New Delhi, Mar 31 : Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's plea to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was today rejected by the Supreme Court which refused to stay his conviction in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

"We are not inclined to suspend his conviction," a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.

"It is not a fit case to grant stay of conviction," the Bench also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and R M Lodha said.

Dutt had been fielded by the Samajwadi Party as its candidate for Lucknow Lok Sabha seat.

Further details awaited.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been campaigning against Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, saying he doesn’t know the state’s language Oriya - a charge rubbished by the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Ever since Patnaik entered politics in 1997, his rivals in the state have criticised him for not being able to speak Oriya fluently or write in the state’s official language.

Patnaik, who heads the ruling BJD, usually reads out his Oriya speeches from an English script, but he does know how to sign his name in Oriya.

“How can a man rule the state without knowing his mother tongue?” Bhakta Charan Das, one of the working presidents of the Orissa unit of the Congress, told IANS, adding that his party would make it an election issue.

But the BJD has brushed aside these allegations. Damodar Rout, secretary general of BJD, asserted that Patnaik speaks Oriya and that he is “able to communicate with people in Oriya although he has an English medium background”.

“He may not be able to write Oriya but that is not important. It is not the expression but the emotion that is important for the people,” Rout told IANS.

The BJP - now estranged from the BJD after an 11-year alliance - also said it would make it an election issue, claiming that some of their leaders from outside Orissa had learnt the language.

“Our leader Sushma Swaraj delivered part of her speech in Oriya at a public meeting here on March 16,” said Nayan Kishor Mohanty, BJP spokesperson in Orissa.

“She learnt the language within a few hours. But Naveen Patnaik failed to learn it even after being chief minister of the state for nine long years,” Mohanty said.

“We will distribute Sushma Swaraj’s Oriya speech to the voters,” he added.

Patnaik, the son of former chief minister Biju Patnaik, was born in Cuttack. After studying in the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun, he graduated from Delhi University in 1967.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday termed as “very unfortunate” the hate remarks attributed to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Varun Gandhi.

“If what has been attributed to him is true, then it is very, very unfortunate,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of the civil investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

“He has a distinguished legacy. Right from the time of (India’s first prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru, his (Nehru-Gandhi) family has devoted their life to the cause of secularism.

“I speak more in sorrow than in anger,” the prime minister said, the second time he has commented on the subject.

Varun Gandhi, the 29-year-old grandson of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, courted controversy after his reported speeches, which he claims were doctored, in March in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh where the BJP has named him its candidate for the Lok Sabha elections.

He is reported to have said: “If somebody lifts a hand against Hindus, or thinks they are weak, (that) there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the (Bhagvad) Gita that I will cut off that hand.”

The Election Commission reprimanded him while the police lodged a criminal case against him for the incendiary remarks.

Varun Gandhi was initially booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of People Act for “promoting enmity” and acts “prejudicial to maintenance of harmony”.

The police later booked him for arson and rioting following the violent incidents preceding his arrest in Pilibhit Saturday.

While Varun Gandhi has been bailed out in the original case, he remains behind bars after the Uttar Pradesh government charged him under the National Security Act (NSA).

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Monday accused the successive governments and the mainstream political parties of neglecting disabled citizens.

“Successive governments and mainstream political parties have utterly failed disabled citizens by ignoring and neglecting their issues,” said CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat, while releasing the party’s pamphlets for women, Dalits, tribals and disabled here.

“The Congress-led government’s slogan of ‘inclusive growth’ rings hollow when seen in relation to the rights, needs and requirements of the disabled or differently abled population in India, even though they constitute at least six percent of the population,” she said.

According to the CPI-M, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s record on providing job opportunities for the disabled had been dismal.

It noted Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had announced a scheme of providing 100,000 jobs per annum to persons with disabilities, with a proposed outlay of Rs.18 billion (Rs.1800 crore) during the 11th Plan in the 2006-07 Budget.

However, Chidambaram himself admitted some time later that “not a single recruitment has been made six months after the scheme was announced,” the CPI-M said.

The CPI-M called for a special employment guarantee scheme to be designed for disabled people in all parts of the country that provides them suitable employment, ensuring at least minimum wages throughout the year.

The Persons With Disabilities (PWD) Act provides three percent reservation in jobs in all government and public sector units for the disabled. The share of the disabled against the total strength in actual terms is barely 0.44 percent as against their estimated population of 5-6 percent, it said.

ITANAGAR - The battle lines for elections to the two parliamentary seats in Arunachal Pradesh are drawn with the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) trying its best to retain both seats, while the Congress party puts up a tough challenge.

The firebrand 38-year-old sitting BJP MP Kiren Rijiju is facing a stiff fight in the Arunachal (West) parliamentary seat from former education minister and student leader Takam Sanjay.

The usually vocal and articulate Rijiju, chosen the Best Young Parliamentarian by India Today magazine, says: ‘I don’t believe in money and muscle power in elections and I don’t have that. All I am banking on is the goodwill of the people and their conscience votes.’

Described as the ‘voice of the Northeast’ by former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Agitok Sangma, Rijiju initiated 91 debates in parliament last year and promises to speak on behalf of the region.

‘My topmost priority would be to develop the state economically and ensure better wages for the state government employees besides working for the overall prosperity of the whole of the northeast,’ Rijiju told IANS.

His main opponent Sanjay is equally vocal and influential.

A former president of the powerful All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union, Sanjay, 45, went on to become the education minister before getting the party’s nod to contest the parliamentary elections.

‘The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government at the centre in collaboration with the state government brought about rapid development, especially after we got a Rs.240 billion package from the prime minister,’ Sanjay said.

Elections to the two parliamentary seats of Arunachal (West) and Arunachal (East) are scheduled April 16.

In the Arunachal (East) parliamentary seat, sitting BJP MP Tapir Gao is facing stiff opposition from Congress candidate Ninong Ering.

‘I am confident of retaining the seat once again, but I am not taking the challenge lightly,’ Gao told IANS.

The issues in the two seats remain the same - development, healthcare, education, roads and other infrastructure, besides jobs.

‘There are still many places from which you have to trek 10 to 15 days to reach the nearest town,’ said A. Loya, a college student.

‘These are issues that we want to be resolved so that people can really trust the representatives,’ said tribal youth T. Singpho.

After facing humiliation for unable to curb the violence on Christians in Orissa, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to atone his governance by announcing his "secular" credentials and promising security to all religious communities in the state.

In the backdrop of the Kandhamal violence, the BJD chief while releasing the party manifesto, assured protection to all communities to perform religious programmes and further said he will give special emphasis on the advancement of education, health, economy and culture of minorities.

The 40-page manifesto released on Friday was captioned “Each bone of my body is secular.”

The booklet which aims to appease minorities enumerated the various contributions to Christians and miniscule groups like: grant-in-aid to all schools, colleges and health centres run by Christian organisations, grant for repair/reconstruction of all religious institutions like church, temple and mosques damaged during communal riots

The politico had recently blamed saffron parties for the violence against Christians in Kandhamal and further snapped ties with its 11-year-old coalition partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Meanwhile, Christian leader and member of National Integration Council John Dayal minced no words in accusing the politico for the mayhem caused. “The ghost of Kandhamal will always haunt him. Secularism is not in the bones, it is in the action,” Dayal told The Indian Express.

Patnaik had earlier confirmed that, an estimated 10,000 people have been named in 746 cases lodged during the 2008 Kandhamal violence. 598 accused have been put behind bars and police have begun full-fledged investigation on all the cases, he said.

The current anti–Christian campaign is said to be the worst in the 60 years of India’s independence. 50,000 Christians were displaced and over 4,000 Christian homes, churches and businesses have been destroyed.

The state of Orissa house some 36.8 million inhabitants, out of whom are 8 million tribals and 6 million dalits or untouchables. Out of the 36.8 million around 2.3% are Christians, half of whom are Roman Catholics. In the Kandhamal district, however, around 20% of the population are Christians.

Karnataka’s ruling BJP has a set a record of sorts by topping the list of the violation of model code of conduct with 24 cases so far.

According to Chief Electoral Officer M N Vidyashankar, a total of 58 cases have been registered against political parties with regard to the violation of model code of conduct. The party-wise violations are: BJP 24, Congress 9,JD(S) 9,BSP  2 and others 14.

Vidyashankar said Bellary district recorded highest number of violations at 12 followed by Shimoga 4, Dharwad  3 and Bangalore Rural 2. The Election Commission has already transferred five government officials from the Bellary district to ensure free and fair poll.

As many as 501 cases have been registered with regard to seizure of liquor, cash, goods and defacement of public properties in several districts. Total value of goods, liquor and cash seized was Rs 1.73 crore, he said.
The police and excise officials seized liquor worth Rs 75 lakh and registered 486 cases. Goods worth Rs 57 lakh and Rs 5\41 lakh cash had been seized so far. 50 cases have been registered with regard to defacement of public properties in the Sate and a highest number of cases again have been registered in Bellary 29 followed by Shimoga 12 and Dakshina Kannada  6.

Twelve cases have been registered with regard to violence and highest being in Shimoga (7). Four cases have been registered with regard to bribery in Bellary (2), Hassan and Bangalore South (one each).  A bribery case has been registered against former corporator Basavaraj who was involved in the distribution of SIM cards to woo voters in Bangalore South constituency. The CEO said the office had received 370 complaints and investigation was on in all cases.

Vidyashankar said police seized liquor worth Rs 13 lakh and vehicles worth Rs 17 lakh in Shimoga district on Sunday. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra is contesting from Shimoga.

The Commission stayed the acquisition of lands for the Karnataka Housing Board Siddlaghatta taluk of Chikballapur district. The Government had issued a notification for acquiring 959 acres in the taluk, the CEO said.

Former Chief Minister and JD(S) candidate for Bangalore Rural constituency H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday alleged that Minister for Housing S N Krishnaiah Setty was involved in a major land scam in the garb of acquiring land for the KHB. The JD (S) has submitted a petition in this regard to the commission urging it to stop land acquisition.

Asked about acquisition of lands for Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, the CEO said the JD(S) submitted a petition on the issue and the commission was seeking more information about it.

By Vishal Gulati

Shimla, March 31 The tribals of Himachal Pradesh have a special place in the history of democracy in independent India as they were the first to cast their votes.


The residents of remote Kinnaur, Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti districts were months ahead of the rest of the nation in exercising their franchise for the first general elections in 1951-52.

“The voters of Kinnaur, Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti voted in October 1951 while the rest of the country voted between December 1951 and February 1952. This was done to ensure that snowfall did not deprive the tribals of the privilege of exercising their franchise,” Anil Khachi, the state chief electoral officer, told IANS.

“There were no proper roads at that time. The ballot boxes were transported on horseback,” said octogenarian Dharmu Ram of Tholang village in Lahaul and Spiti district.

Prem Prakash, a school teacher from Chang Ho village in Kinnaur, said: “I vividly remember my grandfather huffing and puffing to reach the only polling station located over 30 km from our house. The rugged mountainous terrain made it difficult for him to walk.

“At that time there was no enthusiasm among the voters as most of them were illiterate. People hardly knew the names of the candidates but felt happy that they voted for Panditji (Jawaharlal Nehru),” he added.

As per the records of the state election department, nonagenarian Shyam Saran was among the first to vote at the polling booth in Kinnaur’s Kalpa village, now renamed Chini, on Oct 25, 1951.

The department has a video recording of him casting his vote during the 2007 assembly elections at a polling booth located at an altitude of over 10,000 feet. However, officials are not aware of his whereabouts now.

Tribal areas form the Mandi constituency, which was earlier called Mahasu. In 1952, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur of the erstwhile royal family of Kapurthala won.

This time, five-time Congress chief minister Virbhadra Singh - who is contesting the Lok Sabha election after 26 years - and BJP’s three-time MP Maheshwar Singh are the main contestants in Mandi.

Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh is the sitting MP. In 2004, she defeated Maheshwar Singh by 66,566 votes. She had lost to Maheshwar Singh in 1999 by over 131,000 votes.

Of the 1.1 million voters in the constituency, 145,000 live in tribal areas. Lahaul and Spiti has just 22,981 electors against 1.08 million of Kangra district.

The high-altitude polling station Hikkim, which is 15,500 feet above sea level, is also located in this constituency.

“This time 321 people are eligible to vote at the Hikkim station in Spiti division. In 2004, there were 171,” said Khachi.

“The polling exercise is a difficult task in this region as one-third of the polling booths are located at altitudes above 13,000 feet,” he said.

Voting for the Lok Sabha polls will be held in the state May 13.

“The Lahaul valley is still cut off from the rest of the country owing to heavy snow,” said Sher Singh, the Lahaul and Spiti district public relations officer.

“The usual election bustle is still missing here. The poll scene will heat up only with the melting of snow and opening of land routes,” said Hukam Chand of Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti.

With incumbent 78-year old Manmohan Singh’s undergoing a complicated bypass surgery the question has been thrown wide open yet again.

The election commission has zeroed in on April-May 2009 as the time for nationwide parliamentary elections. Analysts agree that the pack of three — Congress Party general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi, feisty Dalit leader Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and controversial yet popular Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will play crucial roles in the world’s biggest democracy India.

There are other pretenders such as Maharashtra’s Sharad Pawar, Bihar’s Lalu Yadav, Delhi veteran politician Arun Jaitley who could spring a surprise and rise to the top given India’s uncertain coalition politics, but most analysts agree it will be Gandhi, Mayawati and Modi who will undoubtedly and be the king makers, if not the king themselves.

Congress Scion

In 2008, 37-year-old Rahul Gandhi became the Congress party general secretary, a pivotal post of one of India’s oldest and most storied political parties. Political observers say this is a “grooming program” for the future prime ministerial candidate, an aspect re-iterated by Congress leaders periodically. Last month federal Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that Rahul is going to be India’s prime minister in the near future.

Rahul is in the fourth-generation of India’s first political family the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has led the Congress Party for 124 years and dominated the political landscape for the first four decades of independent India.

Rahul’s great grandfather Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, grand mother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi were India’s prime ministers (two of them, Indira and Rajiv, were slain), and mother Sonia currently heads the governing coalition and ranks among India’s most powerful global politicians, according to several Indian polls.

In the 2004 general elections to the Lok Sabha, Rahul picked up the dynastic gauntlet from the Amethi constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The shy, bespectacled, Cambridge-educated Rahul toured the dusty, pot-holed heartland of UP in a state with a population of 170 million — more than the combined population of Russia and Australia, when his mother Sonia was confined from adding support in person due to weak health.

Desperate to carve a niche, Rahul’s speeches have a characteristic sprinkling of “change and development,” taking on corruption, supporting secularism and employment. His induction has infused the party with a novel, youthful zest. He recently said that he wants at least 30 percent of Congress party tickets be handed to youth.

Displaying nonchalance, despite security fears, in a spotless white kurta-pyjama he has moved around constituencies, nibbling a snack, washing it down with the indigenous drink lassi at wayside snack shacks.

Yet, one could mistake him to be a movie star, if the ecstatic, star-struck crowds that follow him are any guide.

Reportedly, it was when Rahul said “enough is enough” in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist strikes in November that the federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil had to quit.

Rahul’s active support to another emerging young politician, Omar Abdullah, who now leads the Jammu and Kashmir government following successful elections, last month, could be a prelude to a nationwide leadership role.


Dalit Queen

Economically underdeveloped but politically vital, U.P. has thrown up many a prime ministerial candidate given the maximum share of Parliament seats allocated in the Lok Sabha (currently 80).

After consolidating in U.P., Bahujan Samaj Party leader Chief Minister Mayawati dubbed the “Dalit Queen,” has initiated the process of making her presence felt in other states.

Her unique social engineering has broadened the base of her vote bank to include upper castes as well as millions of lower caste have-nots who face economic, social and religious oppression even in matters as simple as using a common well or praying in temples.

Mayawati’s antecedents can be traced to a Dalit family of nine children, living in a state of “absolute nothing.”

Many believe her political momentum could win her a good number of seats in the general elections which would usher in a revolution with India’s first Dalit prime minister.

Her popularity could gain her enough leverage in a hung parliament, catapulting her to the top job.

Mayawati’s public visibility has been quite remarkable as she has gone about appointing technocrats, cracking down against crime, inaugurating India’s biggest highway projects, parks and statues celebrating her party and publishing her autobiography. She has been applauded and criticized alike administering the state with a blatant authoritarian stick, while others have been peeved by what they consider to be her megalomaniacal tendencies, but for her besotted supporters, who easily run into the tens of millions, she remains their beloved bahenji.

There are graft allegations against BSP for siphoning off development funds.

In December 2008, national attention was drawn to the brutal killing of a government engineer who refused/failed to pay Rs 5 million to a BSP party leader, in the name of Mayawati’s birthday celebrations.

Gaining some notoriety for her whims, personal aggrandizement, expensive homes and total authority, she holds the dubious record as the highest tax payer among politicians (her income supposedly contributions by well wishers) equaling biggest film stars.

Her controversial plans for building a shopping mall next to the Taj Mahal, a $100 million Park in Lucknow in honor of her party’s founder could corrode her base, some observers say.

Yet in UP, where regional caste aspirations, sleaze and scandal long have been a part of the political culture, Mayawati’s ambition could transcend the misgivings about her and translate into rule from the center.

Saffron Rock Star

Chief Minister of Gujarat for the third time, 57-year-old Narendra Modi’s name exudes charisma and controversy.

Absolutely unstoppable on the development front, the man held responsible for the carnage of thousands of Muslims in the 2002 Gujarat riots by his critics is a veteran of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Part and labeled by his admirers as the rock star of saffron politics.

The Indian Supreme Court has compared him to Roman Emperor Nero, a king who, according to legend, played his lyre while Rome burned. Washington has denied him a visa for violation of human rights.

Modi started his political career as a pracharak of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and joined the BJP in 1987.

Skilled in political maneuvers, he was instrumental in the formation of a BJP government in Himachal Pradesh in March 1998.

Modi took over Gujarat when the state was reeling under the 2001 deadly earthquake and stagnant growth. He passionately overhauled the administrative apparatus and adopted cost-saving exercises.

Agricultural production increased; it is not fortuitous that today a substantial part of the milk to Singapore, potatoes to Canada and tomatoes to Afghanistan are sourced from Gujarat.

Modi also persuaded industrialist Ratan Tata to relocate his small Nano car manufacturing plant to Gujarat from West Bengal in 2008.

Connectivity and industry have been his agenda; In the first year of his tenure the state clocked 10 percent GDP growth and sustains its high rank in development and living standards.

Last month, at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit, India’s top business honchos Anil Ambani, Ratan Tata and Sunil Mittal hailed him as “prime ministerial class.”

Analysts such as Ashis Nandy have commented that Modi may be “nursing pan-Indian ambitions by retooling himself as a typical, middle-class politician and in five years he may have a fair chance of making it to the top at the national level.”

Aware that he is the BJP trump card after the aging L.K. Advani (older than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in age), who is the party’s prime ministerial candidate, Modi minces no words on security and advocates punitive measures against pan-Islamic militants, such as Afzal Guru, whose death conviction in the Indian Parliament attack in 2002, is yet to be carried out.

“If you (pro-Muslim Congress party) don’t have the courage, send him to Gujarat. We will hang him here,” he has said.

His oratory skills appeal to Hindu masses who savor his style, humor and temper. They cheer as he slams the Congress for suggesting there was no proof of Lord Ram’s existence during a recent court battle, among other issues. But whether outside of Gujarat his shrill, frankly Hindu nationalist voice will be able to sway the diverse and largely secular Indian polity, remains to be seen.

The challenge in contemporary Indian politics for parties like the Congress and the BJP is that the multi-lingual diverse nation has outgrown single parties at the federal level. The two parties are still the biggest players in federal politics, but they are obliged to cobble together fragile coalitions. Modi’s prospects are hamstrung in two fronts: It is unlikely his shrill Hindutva message will gain it much traction in India’s politically vital and most populous state, Uttar Pradesh—there the crafty inter-caste accord put together by Mayawati appears to have marginalized the BJP, which remains in the wilderness in states like West Bengal and Assam; in addition, Modi’s Hindu nationalist ethos may not sit well as it searches for allies in the south, where regional parties tend to be uncomfortable with a message too heavily daubed in saffron.

The BJP campaign will focus on migration (Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee)

When Bangladesh goes to polls, the "India factor" looms large. When India votes - as it will during the general elections in April and May - the "Bangladesh factor" likewise sits heavy on the campaign in the north-east.
Right-wing Hindu nationalist parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are attacking the Congress - India's governing party which is also in power in a number of north-eastern states - for doing little to stop what they say is an illegal migration crisis from Bangladesh.
In Assam, the BJP's electoral ally, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has joined the tirade against the Congress.
"The Congress has played the politics of the Bangladeshi vote banks for 60 years now. This time, it will not work," says AGP chief Chandra Mohan Patowary.
'Opportunistic'
The Congress is quick to defend its position.
"We only protect Indian Muslims but we are against infiltration from Bangladesh," says Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

Some Assamese argue their culture is being undermined

He says that Congress is a national party and it is its job to protect all kinds of linguistic and religious minorities.
"We cannot surrender our long tradition of secularism. The BJP is communal and its alliance with the AGP is opportunistic," Mr Gogoi alleges.
Congress, largely on Mr Gogoi's insistence, has stayed away from a proposed seat-sharing alliance with the minority Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF).
According to senior Congress sources, Mr Gogoi has been locked in heated exchanges with senior Congress figures such as Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee over this issue.
Mr Mukherjeee wants an alliance with the AUDF because the party, which won 10 seats in the 2006 Assam state polls, is seen as capable of cutting into the vote bank of Congress. He and others fear that without the support of the AUDF, Congress will be defeated in several of the 14 parliamentary seats in Assam.
"Mr Gogoi knows that an alliance with the AUDF may get the Congress a few seats in areas dominated by migrants from what is now Bangladesh but it will adversely impact on the sentiment of the ethnic Assamese," said political analyst Nani Gopal Mahanta.
"He wants to project Congress as a party of the Assamese to neutralise the campaign of the BJP and the AGP."
Fears
Muslims constitute more than 30% of Assam's population - most of whom are migrants from former East Bengal, now Bangladesh.

The 'Bangladesh factor' is expected to figure prominently in the vote

Mr Mahanta says that these migrants - new and old - are a decisive factor in nearly one-third of Assam's 126 state assembly seats.
And that's precisely why ethnic Assamese are so upset with the migrants.
It's not just the fears of continued illegal migration from Bangladesh that makes it such a big factor in polls in the north-east.
Rebel groups from the region have allegedly found shelter in Bangladesh in recent years - the country's newly-elected Awami League government recently admitted to the presence of such groups.
The Congress, keen to play down the illegal migration issue, plays up the Bangladesh card in a different way.
"All our wanted rebels are based in Bangladesh. The new government there must throw them out and we want Delhi to pressurise Dhaka to stop sheltering them," said Mr Gogoi.
The left-leaning chief minister of the nearby state of Tripura, Manik Sarkar, has also been a target of BJP criticism for the left's alleged encouragement of illegal migration from Bangladesh. But he supports Mr Gogoi's plans to deal with the problem.
"Our states gave shelter to millions of Bangladeshis during the country's freedom struggle from Pakistan. We all made the sacrifice. The least we can expect is that Bangladesh will not shelter our trouble-makers," said Mr Sarkar.
In Meghalaya, a tribal state, "infiltration from Bangladesh" is again a big issue. A local council even announced rewards for Khasi tribal mothers if they gave birth to 15 children or more.
"That is the level of paranoia about infiltration from Bangladesh," says Meghalayan social activist and editor Patricia Mukhim.
Local parties, like the AGP in neighbouring Assam, are hyped up about "infiltration" from Bangladesh - as are the smaller tribal parties in Tripura.
Tough competition
"Migration from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, has turned us into foreigners in our own homeland," says Rabindra Debbarma, general secretary of the Indigenous National Party of Tripura (INPT).

The BJP and the regional parties play up the migration issue from Bangladesh. The Congress and the left play up the issue of local insurgents getting shelter in Bangladesh.
There are a total of 24 members of parliament in India's north-east - the majority of them in Assam.
In the kind of tough competition forecast between the Congress-led UPA alliance and the BJP-led NDA alliance, every seat is going to count.
So even the big national parties are campaigning heavily in the north-east and working the right kind of alliances with local parties.
The "Bangladesh factor" is certain to loom large over the vote - it's an issue that is not easily going to go away.

What do Varun Gandhi, Mohd. Afzal and Kasab have in common? All of them have been booked in National Security Act. Varun Gandhi was granted bail in cases related to provacative speeches, section 144 and Representation of People Act. by Chief Judicial Magistrate Vipin Kumar. However, Mayawati Government has booked him under National Security Act, which is meant for terrorists. Under the act, Varun Gandhi can look forward to stay in jail for the next 3 months before his can be considered by review committee.
It is being seen as a blatant attempt to garner votes of Muslim fundamentalists in backward areas of Uttar Pradesh.
Responding to his arrest, there have been streams of faint voices that have expressed surprise over the move.
A person commented on Rediff.com discussions with a comment:
"Indian public is watching media response on misuse of NSA law. Media is been silent of this misuse but was very critical on TADA. This is the dual mentality of media which is not acceptable. Why this media is biased so much? If you use the law against terrorists then media and human activists cry foul. It seams terrorists are more close to Indian media and Human rights activist."
Varun Gandhi has become one of the most popular searches on Google. A majority of comments on the BJP leader are of condemning the use of NSA on him.
There is a point that in case he has made an inflammatory speech (which he denies), he has already been given bail. There is no way National Security Act can be imposed on him. Its a clear misuse of law for political gains.
Glad that POTA has been scrapped otherwise Varun Gandhi would have been arrested under POTA and police would have taken him on remand. It clearly shows that if you give sword to a monkey (its not racial, its a saying!), the monkey can chop you.
Muslims should also see through this garb of Mayawati and should join together to give her a resounding defeat in this election to show that they will not stand for injustice and misuse of power.