UP, Gujarat, UT, Punjab- Election 2007

[Guest]

One silver lining in regards to the UP fiasco is that the "third front" (alternative to Cong or BJP) for guys like Mulayam, Karunanidhi, Naidu, Gowda, Paswan etc.. remains still a distant dream.

Meanwhile, Exit polls give BJP edge in Uttarakhand election

[Guest]

Why had congress changed the name of the state from Utaranchal to Uttarakhand? Was it just to divert the attention to minor issues or something else? If they were not happy with the name Uttaranchal, then why did they keep quiet about it when the state was formed, or even when they came to power in 2002? (Although traditionally, the region is known as Uttarakhand, meaning 'Undivided North' or 'Northern Region'. In my opinon Uttaranchal is a better name, similar to Himachal).

Likewise when Jharkhand was formed (same time with Chhattisgadh and Uttaranchal), its name was proposed as Vananchal which means the same thing in Sanskrit as Jharkhand in local Prakrit. But JMM whose name bears 'Jharkhand', bitterly opposed right then, and therefore the name Jharkhand stuck. For Chattisgadh, there was no such issue. '36 forts' is naturally attributed name and traditional...

So if congress was so serious about the name, why so many years after the formation of the state?

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>BJD, BJP sweep Orissa panchayat poll </b>
Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswar
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has registered dramatic gains in the recently concluded Zilla Parishad elections in the State. <b>The party profited from the losses of the Congress and its own ruling alliance partner the BJP.</b>

The BJD, which has been ruling the State since 2000 along with its ally<b> BJP, defied the anti-incumbency factor and proved once again that its popularity among the electorate remained intact.</b>

Though the results will be officially declared on Saturday, pundits opine that out the 30 Zilla Parishads, the BJD-BJP alliance is set to control 23. Of these, the BJD would in all likelihood retain the chairmanship of 19 ZPs and the BJP of four. The BJD, on its own, is likely to form ZPs in Cuttack, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Koraput, Nayagarh, Puri, Raygada and Sonepur. Similarly, the BJP would form ZPs under its own steam in Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati and Kalahandi.

<b>Compared to the last Panchayat election held in 2002, the BJD has improved its strength. In the last election, the BJD bagged the chairmanship in 12 ZPs while the BJP controlled seven ZPs</b>.

On the other hand,<b> Congress, which formed 10 ZPs in the last election, is down to five this time. However, the Congress has won more ZP seats this time than in the last election. It will form ZPs in Angul, Balasore, Nabarangpur, Sambalpur and Sundergarh.</b>

Similarly, the JMM is likely to control the Mayurbhanj ZP while the newly formed Bharatiya Jana Shakti will head the ZP in Malkangiri.

BJD has also been able to improve its own numbers in the various ZPs. While in 2002, it had won 291 seats, this time it has increased its strength substantially and bagged 353 seats in ZPs.

However, the BJP did not fare so well this time and in fact its strength was down from 183 to 137. On the other hand, the Congress bagged 287 seats.

Independent candidates have also performed better in comparison to the last election. They bagged 77 seats as against 46 seats the last time around.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Punjab Results
Leads/Results 89
SAD+ 56
Cong 32
Ind & Oth 1

Uttaranchal Results
Leads/Results 38
BJP 18
Cong 13
Ind & Oth 7



Manipur Results
Leads/Results 7
Cong 5
MPP 0
Ind & Oth 2


What is NDTV and IBN-CNN going to do? Will they stop broadcasting election news?

[Guest]

IBN/CNN is saying our poll came nearly Right , they were just wrong in last 2 elections. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

Mann is trailing <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Live from IBN-CNN link

Natwar is saying, Sikh PM failed to carry Sikh state.
Sonia is no more electoral assets.

Enjoy Natwar bashing <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

On the BJP side, former union minister B C Khanduri has emerged as a top contender for the chief minister's post.

Best man to rule Uttaranchal. Why they don't use Maj Gen. in front of his name?

In Punjab, BJP gained 17 seats, they are calling Hindus are back with BJP.
Akali just gained 3 seats.

[Guest]

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Uttarakhand: Cong concedes defeat</span>

<b>Uttarakhand (67/70) </b>
Party Win Lead
Cong 10 6
<b>BJP 15 23</b>
Others 10 3


<b>Punjab (116/117) </b>
Party Win Lead
Cong 39 8
Akali+ 51 14
Others 3 1

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2007
Defeat for Cong in two states, BJP lotus blooms
Now Congress is in power in Mah, Goa, HP, J&K

[Guest]

<img src='http://img99.exs.cx/img99/8577/yupi3ti.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

[Guest]

<b>The BJP is the winner, says Capt Amarinder </b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Talking to Hindustan Times minutes after submitting his resignation to the Punjab Governor, Amarinder said he was quite surprised by the rout of the party candidates in the urban areas. "We have done exceedingly well in the rural belt, especially the Malwa region, but the urban voters have voted against us," he said.

Saying that Malwa had voted for the Congress on the expected lines but not Majha and Doaba,<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'> Amarinder said, "as is apparent we have lost to the BJP and not the Akalis. The BJP’s tally of 19 against just three in the last assembly has tilted scales against us".</span>
....
Refusing to accept that his overindulgence to woo the peasantry and the Jat Sikhs had backfired, distancing the urban Hindus from the party, Amarinder said, "It’s not true.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Here comes Hindu vote bank. <!--emo&:bcow--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:bcow--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

<b>Congress loses in Punjab, U'khand; Manipur may be hung</b>

<b>Badal to be Punjab chief minister as Akali-BJP triumph</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Akali-BJP alliance was headed to a tally of 68 seats in the 117-member legislature, reversing the outcome witnessed five years ago when the Congress humbled the present day winners<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<b>Uttarakhand (69/70)</b>
Party Win Lead
Cong 21 0
BJP 34 0
Others 14 0

<b>Punjab (116/117) </b>
Party Win Lead
Cong 41 3
Akali+ 65 2
Others 4 1

<b>Manipur (59/60) </b>
Party Win Lead
Cong 29 0
MPP 5 0
Others 25 0

[Guest]

<b>Sidhu wins back his confidence</b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In the current polls, <b>the BJP contested 23 seats, winning a record 19, one more than it won in the 1997 elections in alliance with SAD.</b> In the last polls the party had won in Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur and Ferozpur City. However, it lost the Garhshankar seat in a by poll.

The party's high profile candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu retained the Amritsar Parliamentary seat for the BJP defeating Finance Minister Surinder Singla.

Talking about the overwhelming performance of his party Sidhu said,<b> “I thank those people who supported me in these bad times and I forgive those who spoke ill about me. We live in a democracy and people can make or break leaders. You have seen the changes yourself. I am now an MP and 8 MLAs have almost been elected from here.”</b>

Navjot Singh Sidhu wins not just Amritsar, but the confidence to forgive his critics with the people's verdict, now in his favour.

Buoyed by the early lead, Sidhu was quoted by news agency UNI as saying that the people of Punjab have shown the door to ''arrogant ruler'' Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

"The people have smashed the arrogance of the arrogant king,'' said Sidhu was further quoted as saying.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The BJP candidate defeated his nearest rival, state<b> Finance Minister Surinder Singla of the Congress, by 77,626 votes</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told mediapersons that no single reason could be attributed to the party's defeat in the two northern states.

'The list of causes can vary. This is a subjective exercise,'' Singhvi said.

Pointing out that there has been a historical trend of anti-incumbency in Punjab since the last two decades, he said the Congress ''could not override it''.

''In Uttarakhand, too, we suffered due to an anti-incumbency wave,'' he added.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Last I read, Congress was saying their is no anti-incumbency wave, same was told my esteem Congress hired pollesters, Mr. Yadav.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->But for the last minute support of the <b>Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, which clearly tilted scales in at least 15 seats in and around district Bathinda, the Congress would have faced a near rout</b>. It also paid heavily for its single-minded thrust to hijack the panthic agenda of the Akali Dal in the rural areas but at the cost of the urban areas.

The BJP, whose showing in 2002 was dismal, encashed on the Congress neglect of the urban areas, especially in the latter's <b>stronghold of Doaba (in and around district Jalandhar). The BJP performed creditably this time, winning 19 of the 23 seats - unprecedented in Punjab's electoral history.</b> This helped the SAD-BJP combine to reverse the tide - in 2002 polls, while the Congress won 62 seats, the SAD-BJP won 44, of which the BJP had only a total of three.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->link
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Congress performance in Malwa is directly linked with the influence of Dera Sacha Sauda which though based in Sirsa in Haryana, has a <b>large following, especially among the Dalits</b>, in at least five districts around Bathinda. <b>In some constituencies dera voters were to the tune of 10,000 each</b>. A senior Punjab official posted in the area said that the <b>dera may have influenced the result in about 16 seats, where the margins of victory are less than 5,000 votes</b>.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"Not only the Sikh voters voted for the BJP, the Hindu voters too voted for the Akali Dal - unlike in the past," said Chandigarh-based political analyst and statistician, Pritam Singh Kumedan<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Dera Sacha Sauda helped Congress. But it also caused complete rout in cities, where majority of Hindus vote.

[Guest]

I think this election coupled with Maharashtra/Orissa/UP civic elections have clearly showed that CON ITALIAN WOMAN's SCHEME to SPLIT INDIANS using RESERVATIONS AND RELIGIOUS DIVISION is being deeply resented by electorate. Ever since this ANTI-NATIONAL COMMIES and ITALIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS gobbled up a CON(venient) allaince, the only thing on their agenda is RESERVATIONS and MUSLIM VOTE. Every act is based on these 2 factors. I think urban population has realized the dangers of THIS DISHONEST and DESTRUCTIVE AGENDA. Whether it is BIHAR or PUNJAB or UTTARKHAND, every one realized how DANGEROUS this ITALIAN GARBAGE is and WHAT a WIMP this PM is. I also like how BJP is doing the whole thing: low-key affair and grassroots capaign. They also have have to HIT the anti-national LEFT very hard and attack their LOVE for CHINA over India repeatedly. They have to be FINISHED. CON PARTY is going to be DEFEATED. But we need to replace CON party in W.Bengal and Kerala to fight the LEFT.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>कांग्रेस को महंगी पड़ी हिंदुओं की नाराजगी</b>
हमारे संवाददाता, जालंधर
जालंधर विधानसभा चुनाव में चारों सीटों पर कांग्रेस की बुरी पराजय के पीछे हिंदुओं की नाराजगी भी मुख्य कारण है। कांग्रेस ने जालंधर नार्थ, कैंट, साउथ व सेंट्रल विधानसभा सीट से सिख उम्मीदवारों को मैदान में उतारा था। वहीं, <b>एकमात्र हिंदू उम्मीदवार राजकुमार गुप्ता </b>का टिकट काटा था। उनके स्थान पर शीतल विज को टिकट दिए जाने की बात चल रही थी, लेकिन कांग्रेस ने तेजिंदर सिंह बिट्टू को यहां से टिकट देकर हिंदुओं की भावनाओं को आहत किया, जिसका परिणाम कांग्रेस को भुगतना पड़ा।
शीतल की वजह से कांग्रेस को नार्थ विधानसभा सीट पर भी काफी नुकसान उठाना पड़ा। अवतार हैनरी की मदद हर चुनाव में करने वाले शीतल विज का हजारों वोटों का अपना भी वोट बैंक है। वो वोट बैंक इस चुनाव में शीतल विज के खड़े होने की वजह से पूरी तरह से हैनरी के पक्ष में नहीं जा सका। सेंट्रल व नार्थ का गणित बिगाड़ने के बाद शीतल विज की मौजूदगी के कारण चली हवा का असर जालंधर साउथ व कैंट हलके पर भी दिखाई दिया। अगर यह कहा जाए कि जालंधर की चार विधानसभा सीटों की हार में महंगाई, हिंदू वोट बैंक व सत्ता परिवर्तन की लहर के अलावा शीतल विज का मुद्दा भी प्रमुख था, तो गलत नहीं होगा।
वहीं,<b> कांग्रेस के पुराने जनरैल राजकुमार गुप्ता के साथ हुई नाइंसाफी का खामियाजा भी कांग्रेस को चारों विधानसभा सीटों पर भुगतना पड़ा। गुप्ता ही कांग्रेस के पास जालंधर की चारों सीटों पर एकमात्र हिंदू उम्मीदवार थे। उन्होंने पांच वर्षो में अपने इलाकों में जमकर काम भी करवाए। नतीजतन गुप्ता की दावेदारी मजबूत थी।</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->  मुख्यमंत्री कैप्टन अमरिंदर सिंह ने टिकट वितरण में गुप्ता की बजाय बिट्टू को तरजीह देकर हिंदू वोटरों के साथ-साथ अग्रवाल समाज के वोटरों को भी कांग्रेस के खिलाफ कर दिया।
इसका असर जालंधर सेंट्रल सीट पर तो दिखाई ही दिया। साथ ही, नार्थ, साउथ तथा कैंट में भी दिखाई दिया। इतना ही नहीं पूरे पंजाब में अग्रवाल समाज ने कांग्रेस के खिलाफ जाकर इस बार मतदान में प्रमुख भूमिका निभाई। गुप्ता ने यह दावा भी किया कि भाजपा में आने के बाद उन्होंने यही कहा था कि जालंधर की चारों सीटें इस बार कांग्रेस से छीन कर दिखाऊंगा, जिसे उन्होंने पूरा कर दिया। वहीं, चारों विधानसभा सीटों पर सिख उम्मीदवार उतारने का खामियाजा भी कांग्रेस को भुगतना पड़ा। मजेदार बात यह रही कि दस दौरों में हुई मतगणना के हर दौर में <b>मनोरंजन कालिया</b> आगे रहे। <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Why Raj Kumar is thinking Agarwal Samaj was effective?
Raj Kumar Gupta had claimed he had made enough money for his future generation, it doesn't matter whether he do any work or not.
I am waiting same outcome for his illiterate MLA son.
I have seen this family transformation from Zero to multimillionarie.

Manoranjan Kalia <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[utepian]

Who is Avtar Henry? Isai?

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Who is Avtar Henry? Isai?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jat Sikh<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Father's Name:    Sardar Joginder Singh
Date of Birth:    26/03/1947
Place:    Village Bilga, Distt. Jalandhar
Marital Status:      Married 
Spouse Name:    Smt. Narinder Kaur
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

in Punjab one can find (they call themselves Khatri) Hindus with last name Abbott, Sterling etc.
Herny must be "Harveer" <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Or his ancestor must be working for some English Sahab.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Khanduri makes it after day-long drama</b>
Pioneer.com
Sidharth Mishra/Pioneer News Service | New Delhi/Dehradun
Koshiary holds out till the end
Trained to build bridges in difficult terrains, Maj Gen BC Khanduri, a retired army engineer, overcame one of the severest challenges of his career to emerge as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Uttarakhand on Thursday and staked claim as the next Chief Minister of the state. Party general secretary Gopinath Munde announced the decision of the party at the stroke of nine in the evening after a marathon six-hour-long meeting at a hotel in Dehradun.

After the decision of the Central Parliamentary Board on Tuesday to back Khanduri's candidature for the top post in the hill state, the meeting of the legislature party in Dehradun was believed to be just a formality. However, it proved otherwise.  

Party's spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, who had campaigned in Uttarakhand for about a month supervising campaign, was assigned the job to bring the other contender Bhagat Singh Koshiary, the president of party's Uttarakhand unit, to agree to the high command's decision. Koshiary, however, proved a hard nut to crack putting-up a spirited fight in the support of his candidature.

<b>While both the leaders enjoy clean image, the party leadership backed Khanduri for his administrative skills. Koshiary, a former Chief Minister, on the other hand is seen as a soft and malleable leader</b>. With absence of governance a major issue in the polls, the BJP could not have risked letting its government go the preceding government's way.

On the other hand, Khanduri's contribution in building a network of roads in the hills during his tenure as the Minister for Surface Transport in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government was flaunted by the BJP as one of its major achievements. To Koshiary's advantage was his hold on the party organization. An old RSS hand, Koshiary is credited with setting-up of the network of Saraswati Shiksha Sadans in the Kumaon hills, his stronghold.
 
With fissures emerging,<b> the Congress to decided to fish in troubled waters with state party chief Harish Rawat raising the bogey of Brahmin versus Thakur</b>. With party two short of majority, the matters were not helped with the three MLAs of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal agreeing to support a BJP Government only if Koshiary
was made the Chief Minister. Incidentally the UKD legislators stationed themselves at a resort in Rishikesh, which is a favourite with Rawat. Ironically the BJP legislators too met in a hotel, which is owned by a Minister in the outgoing Congress government.

The meeting of the legislators, which was scheduled to begin at 3 pm on Thursday finally began an hour late in the presence of Central party observers Gopinath Munde, OP Mathur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Khanduri, Koshiary, party MP from Almora Bachi Singh Rawat and Manohar Kant Dhyani, a former party Rajya Sabha member from the state. The meeting was preceded by confabulations between the leaders, which failed to make Koshiary concede and agree to become Speaker. Thereafter they came for the meeting and adjourned it after 15 minutes and went to a separate room. Each MLA was called and apprised of the party high command's decision individually in the room. A bogey of the RSS' choice was raised by some legislators. This made party's organizing secretary Ram Lal leave the venue to ostensibly hold consultations with RSS brass. He returned at around 7.30 pm when the MLAs were once again reassembled in the banquet hall of the hotel. Ram Lal apprised the MLAs that the RSS did not have any particular choice as it was matter to be decided by the BJP leadership, which was for electing General Khanduri as the next Chief Minister.

At this point a few Koshiary supporters raised the query of the remaining support of two MLAs for majority on the floor of the House. At this point of time, the General came out trumps with the names of the two independent MLAs, who have pledged support to his Chief Ministerial candidature.

Seeing the game slipping out of his hand, Koshiary then threw one last tantrum of not accompanying Khanduri to Raj Bhawan, where Governor Sudharshan Aggarwal has been waiting since 7.45 pm. Here Dhyani and Bachi Rawat counseled Koshiary to join the party in its hour of glory.

Finally the cavalcade led by Khanduri and accompanied by Koshiary and others reached Raj Bhawan at 9.55 pm to stake claim for forming the next government. The Governor informed the delegation that with the Election Commission was likely to notify the constitution of the new house on Friday, the claim of Gen Khanduri would be accordingly processed.<b> The General at the earliest could be sworn in Saturday. </b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Why they call it drama? It is a part of democratically process. It’s a healthy process.