2009 -- India Election -

04-24-2009, 09:54 PM

QUOTECong-TDP workersâ clash rages on
pioneer.com
Omer Farooq | Hyderabad
The clash between the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party workers, which erupted on Thursday in Tadipatri town of Anantapur district, continued on Friday. District police have issued shoot-at-sight orders.

TDP candidate P Nagi Reddy has been arrested, which has triggered a fresh wave of protests in the area. Shops, business establishments, educational institutions and offices remained closed for the second day on Friday and armed policemen patrolled the streets.

Earlier, supporters of State Minister JC Diwakar Reddy attacked the house of Telugu Desam Partycandidate Nagi Reddy. This evoked strong reaction from TDP workers, who targeted Youth Congress leader Ravindra Reddyâs house.

A few mediapersons were also targeted and their cameras snatched while they were trying to capture the incidents on film. Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued and police have asked people to remain indoors.

Both the clashing sides used bombs and sharp-edged weapons and set houses, shops and vehicles on fire. The police had to fire in the air to disperse the mob.

**acharya** · (This post was last modified: 04-24-2009, 10:32 PM by acharya.)

By default, the BJP gains ground

April 24, 2009

As the second and largest phase of Lok Sabha polling ended on April 23, sealing the fate of 264 constituencies, one could see clearly that only two general secretaries -- Arun Jaitley [Images] of the Bharatiya Janata Party [Images] and Prakash Karat [Images] of the Communist Party of India-Marxist -- were smiling. Jaitley is trying to increase his party's prospects while Karat is trying his ensure his place in the Delhi [Images] sun.

In the last month of political churning, the Congress has lost some confidence and the BJP has gained some.

The combined political weight of weak and strong regional forces of India is trying to shift the centre point of power away from the Congress. A day after the second phase of polling, a major headline is about Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar [Images] and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav [Images] explaining the importance of the Left parties in forming the next government.

The race that began some eight weeks ago had two clear political challenges. One in its attempt to retain power, the Congress was trying to emerge as the single largest party. Two, the regional and Left parties ganged up against Congress and BJP to challenge both the mainstream parties's ambitions. To the Third Front, the BJP looked weaker than the Congress when the whistle blew at the starting point.

Since the world is passing through an economic crisis, the Congress strategists justifiably felt that the electorate would like to go for stability and again opt for a government led by economist Manmohan Singh [Images]. In the last four years, till the attacks on Mumbai [Images], the failure in managing India's internal security was perceived as the weakest point of the United Progressive Alliance government. But after the Mumbai attacks in November, the Congress played some deft politics vis-a-vis Pakistan to recover some lost ground.

Also, in the last five years, Dr Singh and Sonia Gandhi [Images] have not got embroiled in any kind of scam to give a handle to the Opposition. At the top level, the Congress party when compared to the BJP looked more cohesive. The infighting among the BJP leaders worried party cadres.

But as reports from the interiors of India started pouring in, the two popular perceptions changed.

One, Uttar Pradesh [Images] is not going into Mayawati's [Images] lap as it was popularly perceived. Two, the Left parties may not be facing the total rout as its detractors were so sure of before the election in Kerala [Images] and West Bengal. These changes are making Karat and Jaitley smile.

Equally important game changers would be the assembly election results from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, which will have a direct impact on the formation of the government in New Delhi.

If the BJP loses very badly in both states its game is almost over. But the more BJP gains, the Third Front gains as well, says D P Tripathi of the Nationalist Congress Party.

Tripathi's argument is that even if the BJP gains in UP it doesn't bother the NCP kind of parties because they just want to ensure that a National Democratic Alliance government is not formed.

But the BJP thinking is that if in both states, the electorate gives a hung verdict (which is likely) and the Congress does not get any advantage then the BJP scores the point at least in Orissa.

As Jaitley has been saying for some weeks that if the Biju Janata Dal and the Telugu Desam Party are compelled to take the BJP's help to form the state governments in Bhubaneshwar and Hyderabad respectively, then they will gravitate towards the NDA. The BJP's strategy may work in Orissa but not so much in AP where they only had two seats and just 2.63 percent of the vote. However this time in AP, the BJP has concentrated on fewer seats and spent a fortune on it during the campaign.

The possibility of gaining some ground in the AP assembly and substantial ground in Orissa gives the BJP confidence. They think that the numbers game in forming new state governments will pave the way for the BJP to become serious contender for power in New Delhi.

Jaitley says, "If we get few seats more in UP and Congress loses as much in Andhra Pradesh then it is in trouble."

The BJP which was suffering from infighting and groping for a pan-Indian issue and seemed utterly confused in its response to the Varun Gandhi [Images] issue seems to have covered some ground thanks to turn of events in the last few weeks. Of course, these are only assumptions but there are enough clues to show that the BJP is coming closer to sit at the high table of power in New Delhi, directly or indirectly.
The Congress is top heavy and the BJP is not. The Congress does not project its regional faces well. And Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi [Images], Rahul Gandhi [Images] and Dr Singh combined are too stylish for voters' tastes to match against the real, earthy, regional, ethnic and foxy appeal of entire range of leaders starting from Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar, Mayawati, Narendra Modi [Images] to even, Raman Singh.

This election seems to be monopolised by voters with a regional mindset and the sweet smiles of Priyanka Gandhi can't fill up the void.

In Haryana, AP and Delhi, the state Congress leaders charm and policies are working but in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh [Images] too many leaders are spoiling the party. The going is getting tougher for the party election after election in the absence of strong regional leaders here.

The Congress is facing the fury of the regional leaders directly and the heat is not so much on the BJP. The factor that is working well for the BJP is that the general mood of all the regional parties is directed against the Congress. In the states which are crucial for the BJP to retain its strength of 2004, it is pitted against Congress. Like MP, Rajasthan and Gujarat but in the states which are important for the Congress it is pitted against regional parties or the Left parties and strong regional leaders.

The Congress is facing the direct and intense ire of anti-Congress regional leaders. If you see what occupies media space the picture is clear. The stories of Lalu Yadav [Images] versus the Congress, TDP versus the Congress, Left parties versus the Congress and even Pawar versus the Congress have captured our attention more than Lalu Yadav hitting out against L K Advani [Images].

The BJP is hoping that it would also gain by default as the Congress gained in 2004. And, equally important is that in some 150 Lok Sabha constituencies the party has focussed on the selective seats and select states. By spending money judiciously only on winnable seats the BJP has forced others to take them seriously.

The biggest achievement of the BJP so far is that they have not raised the pitch for Hindutva (except the unethical defence of Varun Gandhi) and even Modi is restrained. Because of it, so far, Muslim votes don't seem to have polarised against the BJP with a vengeance.

This election is more like the 'big bazaar' of different caste groups of India. Even today, the BJP doesn't have a Mayawati-like hold over any caste group like she has over the Dalits. But at a mini-micro level in each constituency where there is a triangular contest, it is trying to play the game seriously to benefit from the division of votes.

Congress allies like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party are not doing better than in 2004. The BJP's hope is that the TDP and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are certainly going to fare better than 2004 and are more likely to keep away from the Congress after the election for various reasons.

The BJP was in disarray when the polls were announced. The joke was that BJP stalwarts like Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Jaswant Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi were fighting the election to compete for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Of course, if at all the BJP seems to be slowly gaining ground it is largely by default.

The party had hardly played an effective role as the lead Opposition party in the last five years. Its opposition to the India-US nuclear deal was confusing and conntradictory to its core voters's thinking.

The BJP also got embroiled in infighting when controversial figures like Sudhanshu Mittal tried to get more than they deserved.

But once the election bugle was blown and the party started getting a good response from Uttar Pradesh, there is a perceptible change in its position as the challenger to the UPA. Jaitley, who is looking after the BJP's publicity, logistics and resources to keep cadres and leaders battle-fit, is ensuring that the party puts its best foot forward in the remaining phases of the election.

BJP supporters are hoping the party wins 16 to 18 seats in Gujarat (of 26); 12, 13 seats in Rajasthan (they had 21 in 2004) out of 25 while in MP they hope to retain at least 22 seats out of the 25 seats that they won in 2004. In UP they are aiming for 17, 18 and in Bihar 10 (they won 5 seats last time) and in Maharashtra 12 seats (they won 13 in 2004).

If their hopes turn true then it will inch them closer to the Congress's target. They are hoping that Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand [Images] will help them partially counter the Congress gains in Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal.

The Congress's failure in setting an agenda for any debate on its real achievement in the last five years, the absence of emotions that revolves around the secularism-communalism debate during elections, the lack of a decentralised power structure within the party, the absence of respect for its regional leadership and its arrogance to not accept the coalition ethos has given the BJP a chance to become a challenger, even though quite late, in this election.

Whether this confidence is just a spin or real will be known in less than one month but that the Congress is on the backfoot is for sure for another reason as well.

Some BJP supporters point out that the Congress has made a mistake of not going for pre-poll alliances at the national level with allies like the NCP and the RJD. It would have given them short term gains. A senior BJP leader argued that, "The Congress has made the biggest blunder by announcing Dr Manmohan Singh as the prime ministerial candidate. This untimely move by Sonia Gandhi provoked regional allies. This has brought non-Congress leaders of the UPA and non-BJP leaders in one bracket."

The BJP leader also drew an interesting scenario. "Even if for the sake of argument we claim that the Congress will become the single largest party, it is highly unlikely that the UPA will become the biggest bloc after the poll. The NDA will emerge as the single largest bloc after the election. President Pratibha Patil [Images] will have to invite the single largest pre-poll alliance and not the single largest party or the largest post-poll alliance to form the next government," he said.

However, this is a grey area.

Subhash Kashyap, the Constitutional expert, suggests that, "President Patil should declare her preference before the results are announced regarding this issue. Will she invite the single largest party, single largest pre-poll alliance or single largest post-poll alliance? She should make her choice clear to remain above controversy."

The Congress which claims it will be the single largest party in the election has no pre-poll alliance at the national level. It has only 'seat adjustments' in a few states while the NDA will claim that it has gone to polls as the single unit and should be construed as a single entity.

One is not sure what Patil will do if the BJP does not become the single largest party but the NDA becomes the single largest pre-poll alliance after the results are out.

04-24-2009, 11:06 PM

QUOTEHe went on to add, âI have not made any communal statement...I want the people to stand by me. It is a malicious attempt to brand me communal. There is no question of my having any ill feeling towards (any) community," he said.

He was asked to make such statements by Advaniji who asked him to stay out of trouble till the election is over.

dhu · 04-25-2009, 02:22 AM

Varun loses weight, but gains in stature

QUOTELocked up in Etah jail for 20 days, Varun Gandhi
has gained some and lost some. The no-bed no-mattress isolation cell, âaimed at breaking his spiritâ has helped him shed off a few ungainly extra pounds. The BJP mascot has lost seven kilogrammes during his ordeal, his aids claim. But then he has gained much in stature.

âEverything, right from his rallies, election campaign, tours or speeches are being managed by the top leadership in Delhi...no local touch now...,â boasted one of them on Thursday. The best brains in the VHP are busy coining racy slogans to promote âBrand Varunâ. The pilot launch at Nawabganj rally on Wednesday has been more than successful. An enthusiastic party worker waving about a placard quoting a popular Bollywood ditty to explain Varunâs law-bound silence â â ham bolega to bologe ki bolta haiâ [[[[[[if I speak, then you will say that I talk back]]]]]â is said to have received standing ovation from the crowd. There could be many more telling specimens likely to follow in times to come.

The exploits of the 29-year-old âPilibhit Kesriâ (The lion of Pilibhit) have already caught the fancy of saffron bards in UP. During Lal Krishna Advaniâs rally in Lucknow last Sunday, one of the crooners belted out an Awadhi composition â â Farzi NSA laga Varun ko jail mein daare, tanik bhaiya chet karo â (awake and arise, Varun has been sent to jail under trumped up charges) dwelling on his trials and tribulations before going for the jugular of arch enemies Mayawati and Mulayam Singh.

04-26-2009, 06:27 AM

QUOTELeft could go down to 22 seats in Bengal
pioneer.com
Kanchan Gupta | Kolkata
Muslims, one in 3 voters, desert CPM
As people in West Bengal prepare to vote on April 30 in the first of three rounds of polling for the 15th Lok Sabha, the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Front faces what could turn out to be its worst-ever electoral performance.

According to conservative estimates cutting across party lines, the Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance could notch up an impressive tally of 14 to 17 of the 42 seats in the State. If the popular mood prevailing from north to south Bengal is any indication, the Opposition could end up winning anything between 18 and 20 seats.

Whatever the final tally, there is mounting apprehension at Alimuddin Street, where the CPI(M)âs headquarters is located, that the Marxists will suffer a setback worse than that of 1984 when the Congress won 16 seats in the election that followed Indira Gandhiâs assassination.

In that election, the Left suffered reverses in urban areas. This time, the losses are stacking up in rural constituencies. The projected losses are largely concentrated in south Bengal where the Trinamool Congress is running an aggressive campaign.

Little over a fortnight ago, the CPI(M)âs election strategists were horrified to find that the Left Frontâs 2004 tally of 35 seats was at risk of being whittled down to 20 to 22 seats.

All hands were called to deck and a massive effort was launched to paper over differences within the CPI(M) and between the party and its allies in the Left Front. Simultaneously, zonal and local committees were asked to reach out to disgruntled party supporters who were toying with the idea of voting against the Left. Third, the counter-attack on the Trinamool Congress was sharpened, focusing on Mamata Banerjee's inability to come up with a positive agenda
I still think rigging will help commies.

G.Subramaniam · (This post was last modified: 04-26-2009, 11:10 AM by G.Subramaniam.)

The first good aspect is that this time, BJP did not do muslim wooing
such as sops for urdu etc

The second good aspect is that finally the jat votes are going hindutva entirely

Third good aspect is that muslim-yadav vote banking seems to be destroyed
It will be good to see Mulayam and Lalloo get thrown out and the yadavs voting for more hindutva type yadavs, maybe from next election

Fourth good aspect is that in west bengal, the muslims are voting against the commies
IMHO, for hindu revival in west bengal and kerala, the first rule is to defeat the commies

**acharya** · 04-27-2009, 02:33 AM

Do you want India to be a Hindu rashtra?
Khushwant Singh, Hindustan Times
April 25, 2009
First Published: 00:10 IST(25/4/2009)

No other general election in the years past has generated as much public interest as the one we are in the process of going through now: it is the main topic of conversation, our newspapers and magazines are full of it, it takes up most of the time on our TV channels. Why?

My answer to the question is that most people feel there is more at stake in this election than in any in the past. Which party wins more seats or who becomes our prime minister is of secondary importance; what matters most is whether or not India will continue to remain a secular state committed to socialism or become a Hindu Rashtra wearing a secular mask with an agenda of its own, including building a mammoth Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, preserving the Ram Setu and other relics associated with Hinduism. The choice is between an India of the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru on the one side (secular), and those of Vir Savarkar and Guru Golwalkar on the other (Hindutva). By no stretch of the imagination can it be called secular. We have to choose between remaining what we are or opt to become a Hindu Rashtra.

We will soon have to face serious challenges from across our borders. Pakistan seems to be crumbling faster than we feared. Its government has yielded its north-western territories to die hard mullahs, allowing them to impose barbaric anti-feminist codes of conduct. It will not be long before the rest of the country knuckles under their influence. India will be their next target.

On the other side, Bangladesh seems to be sitting on a time-bomb which may explode anytime. We have to be prepared for the eventuality and the influx of more unwelcome refugees.

With these possibilities in mind we should cast our votes and for a government we think will be the best to cope with these impending calamities.

Retired hurt

Women have a change of life around their 40s, when they stop menstruating and are no longer able to bear children. Their menopause takes some months when they become edgy, lose interest in sex and put on weight.

The male menopause comes around when men are in their 60s. It is of very short duration â one day. It is more dramatic and unless they prepare themselves in advance, can play havoc in their later lives.

Visualise the plight of a man in government or private service. His life is time-bound. He gets up at a specified time, spends the day at work and returns home in the evening. That becomes his routine of life for 40 years or more. On his retirement, a farewell party is organised for him, laudatory speeches are made, his bosses give him a memento like a wrist watch and say goodbye to him. He is back home at his usual time. He gets up the following morning, but has nowhere to go and nothing to do, because he has been retired. He is still in good health. What is he to do all day long? How does he cope with time on his hand?

With the defence services, the day of retirement can be more brutal. Unless a soldier gets promotions, he is retired in the prime of his youth with a miserable pension he cannot live on. He has to find another job or an alternative way of livelihood.

Those who have not thought about what they will do after retirement have time weighing heavily on their hands. Many take to attending congregational prayers in temples or gurdwaras. Some descend on friends and relatives for gossip sessions. They murder time. And time is precious: there are hundreds of options open to retired people. If they are short of money, they can take up some trade which brings in cash. If they are comfortably placed, they can take to gardening or engage themselves in some activity in service of society, for example teach children of poor families, look after stray animals, volunteer to help the old and sickly. But doing nothing is to become a nothing and a sure way of hastening the end.

Shoe said it

More than a bomb or gun/ The footwear is a potent weapon,/ For, what years of shouting couldnât do/ A momentary missile has done/ And, in the bargain, blackened/ A Journalistâs profession;/ Even if justice has won/ Even Bush to Chidambaram/ It is becoming a bit too common;/ Thank God, it is as yet with danger fraught/ Thank God, my wife has yet used it not.

(Courtesy: Kuldip Salil, Delhi)

G.Subramaniam · 04-27-2009, 08:28 AM

This is a very rare occurance for the president to send back a cabinet decision for review
This must mean Pratibha Patil sees a BJP win

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/presiden...or-bill/451280/

In a rare intervention, President Pratibha Patil has returned the recommendation of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to send the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, 2003, back to the state Assembly. Sources told The Sunday Express that the President has directed the MHA to seek the concurrence of the Union Cabinet on the course of action suggested by it.

âWe have already sent back the file to the MHA for placing the same before the Cabinet,â disclosed a senior functionary in the Presidentâs Secretariat.

Incidentally, there have been differences within the Union Cabinet, too, on the fate of the Bill, with the Cabinet failing to take a decision on the issue twice. Some ministers are said to hold the view that since the Gujarat law is similar to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which is applicable in Congress-ruled Maharashtra and Delhi, the Centre should recommend to the President to give her assent to the GUJCOC Bill, which is lying in the MHA since 2004.

04-27-2009, 09:57 AM

this is an interesting strategy. bahujan-brahmin alliance is causing too many problems to too many people. all attempts will be made to break this. lets see how behenji takes this.

http://election.rediff.com/special/2009/ap...s-bjp-in-up.htm

QUOTEBut Brahmin-Dalit rapprochement Â does not seem to exist on the ground. Brahmins still have a sense of superiority and nurse the idea of helping only Brahmin candidates. Conversely, Mayawati has the potential to transfer Dalit votes to her Brahmin candidates. That makes BSP Brahmins strong contenders.

04-27-2009, 11:21 AM

QUOTEShoe attack on PM in Gujarat, misses him
PTI | Ahmedabad
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday became the latest target of a shoe attack during the current election campaign when a computer engineering student hurled a sneaker towards him but it fell short of the dais from where he was addressing his first poll rally in Gujarat.

Shortly after the incident at the Tagore hall ground here put the SPG and other security personnel in a tizzy, the prime minister did not want the police to register any case against the shoe thrower identified as Hitesh Chauhan, a 21-year-old resident of Bapunagar pursuing a computer course in a local engineering college.

04-27-2009, 08:26 PM

QUOTEVarun vows to revive nationalist thinking in UP
pioneer.com
PTI | Bahraich
Observing that casteism prospers when nationalist forces weaken, BJP's Lok Sabha nominee from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh Varun Gandhi on Monday vowed to revive the party and the nationalist thinking in the State.

"Whenever nationalsim took a backseat in Uttar Pradesh, the State got entangled in the problem of casteism. And I would not allow the voices of nationalism weaken in the State," Varun said addressing a poll rally here in support of the party's candidate from Bahraich Lok Sabha seat Akshaybar Lal Gaur.

Apparently targeting the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the young BJP leader said, "The lessons of non-violence are not bad, but non-violence does not mean spinelessness and losing ones self-respect."

Describing the BJP as the only nationalist party, he said his efforts to revive it and the nationalist outlook will continue even after the elections are over.

"If anyone dares speak of nationalism in parties like the SP, BSP or the Congress, he is shown the door," he said and promised to inculcate nationalist thinking even at the village level.

In a passing reference to his days at Etah jail he said he came to Bahraich in support of Gaur as the jail pharmacisist gave a positive feedback on him and asked the voters to give a clear mandate in favour of the BJP.

04-27-2009, 08:29 PM

Itâs a wait and watch game
Arun Nehru

**acharya** · 04-28-2009, 09:28 PM

04-30-2009, 02:47 AM

Modi should be prime minister, says RajasthanQUOTEThe love for the Gujarati leader is evident mostly in traditional BJP pockets like Ajmer but, like a blooming romance, is gaining strength from deep emotion in other areas too. In fact, so besotted is the average voter by the Gujarat strongman, he would not even blink his eyes before voting BJP were Modi the PM candidate.

BJP party workers in the state are giving their party just 10 seats. The result, they say, would be 15-10 in favour of Congress. But had BJP chosen Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, the party, feel most of its campaign-weary members, would have won hands down in the state.

**acharya** · 04-30-2009, 08:49 AM

Kargil Attack = Government failure.
Chinese invasion in 1962 = Unfortunate betrayal.
Reservations in every school and college on caste lines = Secular.
Reservations in Minority institutions = Communal.
Fake encounters in Gujarat [Sohrabuddin] = BJP Communalism.
Fake encounters under Cong-NCP in Maharashtra [Khwaja Younus] = Police atrocity.
5000 encountersï»¿ under congress in mid 1980(356 are fake based on circumstantial evidence without any solid proof)= secular
ï§Example of secularism in IndiaNow you decide who is communal?
3800 Sikhs getting slaughered in Delhi = A MISTAKE.
Hindus getting killed in Kashmir = Politicalï»¿ problem.
Poor protestors getting shot in WB under Left Govt = Misunderstanding.
1100 Muslims getting killed in godra = Holocaust.
There are many more communal riots during congress tenure = secular
Banning Parzania in Gujarat = Communal.
Banning Da Vinci Code and Jo Bole So Nihaal = Secular.

04-30-2009, 11:13 AM

Narendra Modi votes, says Gujarat will ensure BJP win
Mayawati, Ambani early voters
Sonia Gandhi, LK Advani's fate to be decided today
Voting begins on dull note in Kashmir
Polls begins in Bihar amid heavy security
Polling begins in West Bengal amid tight security
About 15 pc voters exercise franchise by 10 am in Sikkim
Voting opens in Gujarat
Polling begins in Karnataka
Voting begins in Maharashtra
Polling underway in Uttar Pradesh

Capt M Kumar · 04-30-2009, 12:02 PM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/india.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='india.gif' /> It's raining discounts and other offers this May in the capital. And all you have to do to avail yourselves of them is to flaunt the "black-ink mark"âproof that you have exercised your right to vote.

The trend is very new. But it is fast catching up with many stores and shop-owners planning 'democracy discounts' to catch eager shopaholics.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/election2009/...nid=90&secid=71

05-01-2009, 01:43 AM

QUOTEAdvani seeks fixed tenure for the House
pioneer.com
PTI | Gandhinagar
BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate LK Advani on Thursday sought a fixed term for Lok Sabha and State Assemblies and wanted voting to be made compulsory with elections to be scheduled in the month of February.

"I suggest that political parties and the Election Commission should think over whether we can change the Constitution for a fixed tenure for Lok Sabha and Assemblies," 81-year-old Advani said after casting his vote here.

"We are following the UK pattern which does not suit us and we should change it," he told reporters.

Advani's suggestion implies that even if the Government of the day loses its majority in Lok Sabha, the House should not be dissolved and a new Government should assume office.

Pointing out the difficulties being faced during the summer months, Advani, who is seeking re-election from Gandhinagar, said "Polling percentage dips during the summer and elections should be held in February."

The senior BJP leader also said voting should be made compulsory. "Political parties and the EC should discuss to make voting mandatory." He said the BJP will emerge as the single largest party and that the NDA will form the Government at the Centre
This is very good, others should also get chance.

05-01-2009, 01:46 AM

QUOTEHome-bound Poorvanchalis worry Congress
Siddheshwar Shukla | New Delhi
link
The auspicious days (lagan) to solemnise marriages and ensuing summer vacation in the schools and colleges of the National Capital are driving away a major chunk of Poorvanchal voters to their native places in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The cultural group constitutes a sizeable number in the votersâ list of four Lok Sabha seats of Delhi. As thousands of Poorvanchalis would not be casting their votes in this General Election, the electoral statistics and calculations of East Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and North- East Delhi Lok Sabha seats would be affected. Due to this seasonal emigration, votes of other communities like Punjabi, Gujjars, Jats, Scheduled Castes and Muslims would be more effective.

Incidentally the polling day in Delhi (May 7) also happens to be the most auspicious day this summer for solemnising marriages.Â <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> The other auspicious dates of marriages are April 30, May 6 and April 10. The summer vacation in most of the schools is starting from first week of May. âI have to go to my village in Patna to participate in my nephew's marriage on May 6. We have no option but to join the family in the marriage ceremony,â said Ramesh Kumar Sinha from Matiala who was waiting for his train at New Delhi railway station on Monday.

This cultural community constitutes around a whopping 22 per cent votes in West Delhi Lok Sabha seat. The per centage of Poorvanchali voters in North East and South Delhi Lok Sabha seats is around 15 per cent each. In East Delhi they form around 12 per cent of the votersâ list. Although the community is considered one of the most politically conscious groups they have politicians worried. âThe polling percentage will definitely come down in comparison to Delhi Assembly Elections due to this seasonal migration and scorching heat but Congress enjoys support in all the communities,â said Mahabal Mishra, contestant from West Delhi.

The trains are running full and reservation is not available in most of the trains till May-end. Even general coaches are packed beyond capacity and people can be seen queued up to board the East running trains at New Delhi, Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Sarai Rohilla railway stations. Not only office and business class persons but lower sections of Poorvanchali society also leave for their hometowns this time of year.

Every day overcrowded trains are draining off thousands of Poorvanchal voters away from their Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi. Besides three dozen mail and express trains which go or cross through Poorvanchal, the Northern Railway has started six summer special trains from New Delhi and two from Sarai Rohilla railway station. âObserving heavy crowd we have to add additional coaches in the trains running towards east,â said AS Negi, spokesperson of Northern Railway in New Delhi.
.............
Congress votes are heading for Bihar.

Capt M Kumar · 05-01-2009, 04:36 AM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /> <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> In chaste Hindi, Bhadoria seeks votes to âloot votersâ after winning the election. He attracted sizeable crowd during his campaign. The security men deployed at behest of the Election Commission were also accompanying him for electioneering. He went about saying that now he was after the voters, but after the polling they (the voters) would be following him during full five-year term.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090501/punjab.htm#1

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