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Round The States
New Delhi, 17 April 2009
First Phase Of
Polling
NAXALS ATTACK,
VOTERS DEFY
By Insaf
Polling for the 15th Lok Sabha, got off to a
bloody start with 19 people dead including ten security personnel, in 14 attacks
by the Naxals on Thursday last. Mercifully, however, the ballot had clearly
overtaken the bullet at the end of the first phase of polling. Despite naxal
threats and call for a poll boycott, the voters particularly in naxal-infested
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Orissa came
out in large numbers to elect their representatives. The Election Commission
put a figure of a ‘healthy’ 62 per cent voter turnout in the polling held in
1.85 lakh polling stations covering an electorate of 14.31 crore in 124 constituencies
in 17 States and Union territories. In addition, polling was held for 154 of
the 294 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 70 of the 147 seats in Orissa.
The polling in the
naxal-infested States witnessed landmine blast, gun battles, booths being
raided, voters being attacked, poll officials abducted and EVMs being torched.
What is worrisome and of major concern is the attacks showed a sophisticated
degree of coordination among the naxalites across the five States, including Maharashtra. Indications enough for both the Home
Ministry and the Election Commission to have a fresh relook at the security
deployment for the second phase of polling next Thursday. However, there is a
silver lining. People in violence-hit Kandhamal district in Orissa came out in
large numbers to vote with 90 per cent of them in relief camps exercising their
franchise. Besides, Hyderabad
city has shown a welcome change. The young and the affluent stood in queues to
cast their vote, making an poll officer to remark “voting in these parts have
never been so good.”
* * * *
Towards Gorkhaland?
Picturesque Darjeeling,
known as the Queen of the Hills, and its people, largely Gorkhas, are hitting
the headlines again. Their dream of a separate State of Gorkhaland,
demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), has received near endorsement of
the Bharatiya Janata Party following quiet talks between leaders of the two
parties in New Delhi.
As part of the deal, the GJM has invited the BJP to put up Jaswant Singh, one
of its top leaders, as its candidate from Darjeeling
for the Lok Sabha and assured him full support. The Darjeeling constituency has some 11 lakh
voters. Contrary to a popular impression, the voters are not all Gorkhas. Only 4
lakh are Gorkhas and the balance of 8 lakh are Bengalis and other non-Bengalis.
Interestingly, the Darjeeling
constituency includes Phansidewa sub-division, which includes Naxalbari. The
BJP’s manifesto does not include any commitment to Gorkhaland. Nevertheless, the
GJM is happy that even the recognition for now of Gorkha people within the
boundaries of India
at the national level is a major step towards its goal.
* * * *
Rajasthan Springs
Surprises
The Gujjars of Rajasthan may well have their voice heard in
Parliament. Col Kirori Singh Bainsla,
who spearheaded the Gujjar agitation during the Vasundhara Raje government, joined
the BJP Saturday last. He is to take on Union Minister of State for Environment
and Congress candidate Namo Narain Meena in the Tonk Sawai Madhopur constituency.
Recall, the pro-reservation Gujjar stir in 2007 and 2008 claimed 70 lives and
affected crores worth of business in the State. Interestingly, during the
agitation, Bainsla had said he would neither join politics nor contest any
elections. Then why the turn around? He proposes to carry forward his struggle to
the Lok Sabha. The Raje Government had voted a reservation Bill providing 5 per
cent reservations for the Gujjars. But the measure is still awaiting sanction
of the UPA-appointed Governor, SK Singh!
Another surprise is of the possible candidature of veteran
Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Buta Singh from the Jalore seat
as an Independent. In the past, Buta had won the seat then reserved for
Scheduled Castes, three times on a Congress ticket and once as an Independent. In
the 2004 general election, he had, however, to bite dust when pitted against
Susheela Bangaru, wife of the BJP’s former President, Bangaru Laxman. Buta Singh’s
interest in the seat waned after it became a general seat and his thoughts
turned to another SC seat—Sriganganagar. However, his sudden interest in has
been triggered by the potential in the seat for a candidate other than from the
Congress and the BJP. Both have nominated little-known first timers, leaving
the field wide open for a shrewd veteran.
* * * *
Winds of Change In
J&K
Winds of change continue to blow in Jammu and Kashmir. The valley
will witness its first separatist leader contesting the Lok Sabha poll and the
Hurriyat Conference not issuing a poll boycott call. The President of the breakaway
faction of the People’s Conference, Sajjad Lone has announced his candidature
from north Kashmir’s Baramulla seat. The 42-year-old UK-educated Lone is a close
confidant of the moderate Hurriyat faction leader, Umar Farooq, and till
recently a champion of poll boycotts. The change of heart comes on the heels of
a heavy voter turnout in the last Assembly elections. Lone concedes that the separatists’
strategy has failed. However, he clarifies that his decision is not “a victory
for Indian democracy”. It is only a “change
of strategy, not of ideology” --- to reorient the struggle from the streets to
institutions.” That he would take oath
under the Indian Constitution is in itself a major blow to the separatists. Importantly,
Sajjad will need to be cautious. His late father and Hurriyat leader Abdul
Ghani Lone was assassinated while contemplating an identical path in 2002.
* * * *
Delhi Imam For
all-Muslim Party
Sinister communal overtones are now being heard in the
country’s capital, New Delhi. On Friday last, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid gave
a clarion call for a new political party “led and commanded by Muslims
themselves.” His reason: the community has been exploited by the pseudo-secular
politicians for far too long. The Imam said his idea of a new Muslim party on
the principle of “own leadership, own politics, own power” first mooted in
April 2000 faced stiff opposition from both the so-called Muslim leaders and
secular parties as they feared losing their political turfs. But
“non-representation of Muslims in the legislatures had led to the passing of
several laws which were against the spirit of Shariah. Consequently, the
community had been deprived of a dignified living and was suffering from social,
political and economic backwardness.” Till an all-Muslim party took shape,
Bukhari urged his community to choose candidates “who believe and commit in
providing opportunities to them.”
* * *
Cash Bounty For
Andhra Voters
It’s raining cash in Andhra Pradesh. By the end of the first
phase of campaigning in the State, a voter could end up being rich by Rs 5,000.
Not a poll promise but a reality. In the
past one week alone, the Election Commission’s searches have yielded a booty of
Rs 23 crore! This despite the parties/candidates modus operandi being quite ingenious.
Apparently, the money is being stashed and transported in road transport buses
and two and three wheelers. The cash split into small bundles of Rs 10,000 are stuffed
in spare tyres. Cars too are being customized with false bottoms to transport
the cash. However, the cops have managed to put a spoke in the wheel. All vehicles
in the city, are having their numbers noted and boot space and space under the
seats thoroughly checked. Some candidates are avoiding detection by resorting
to online transfer of cash or depositing cash directly into the accounts of
self-help groups. The amount ranges from Rs 250 to Rs 500 per voter depending
upon the area of the constituency. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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