Statewide and National runup to 2014 General elections

[Pratyush]

Chhattisgarh may have larger than life impact on BJP, Congress

[Hari Seldon]

Two cases expose the conspiracy against Vasundhara Raje ahead of polls

Police seize copies of booklet with defamatory references to BJP's CM candidate and arrest a man pretending to be her OSD.

[Shanmukh]

Two cases expose the conspiracy against Vasundhara Raje ahead of polls

Police seize copies of booklet with defamatory references to BJP's CM candidate and arrest a man pretending to be her OSD.

Eh eh! Does that mean Gehlot's goose is cooked? If the police were unsure about Vasundhara returning to power, they would not be seizing defamatory material about her. They would be contributing to it .....

[bhargava]

[Sanku]

^^^ He is one of those who make random but supposedly sensationalist tweets to get attention. Lot of stuff from him has been posted before -- shown to be junk.

[fanne]

CH will be close contest per many surveys, while only Sardesai channel (which usually lies whole hearted), claims a BJP sweep. If he is lying this time as well then it is a close contest.

[Sanku]

CH will be close contest per many surveys, while only Sardesai channel (which usually lies whole hearted), claims a BJP sweep. If he is lying this time as well then it is a close contest.

I am told by people on the ground that high voting is quite +ve for BJP. Some minor losses may be there, but overall pretty decent.

These are booth level workers etc. They could be overly optimistic, true. But I will take their word over this joker whose tweet is posted. He competes with albatross in posting nonsense.

[fanne]

Sanku ji, I hope so...the buzz when election began was that BJP will win. Then probably congress pulled the contest closer. I hope, after one more BJP victory (and congress out for 15 years) should make them go Gujarat Congress way. Congress system of Patronage (mai baap system), will not be able to sustain itself after so many years of no power. I hope Vasundhra learns her lesson well and give Rajasthan some 10-20-30 years of congress mukt Rajathan.
rgds,
fanne

[subhamoy.das]

I still remeber how RJ lost after winning 450+ seats in the symapthy wave by a powerful slogan: "GALI GALI MEIN SOAR HAIN RAJIV GANDHI CHOR HAI" due to the Bofors scam. No political party in India can survice corruption and price rise and CONGRESS(I) is no exception. The Re has started to tank again! So far NAMO has been able to convince voters that BJP is the alternative. I am not sure how come some people are seeing the CONGRESS(I) being voted back to form govt.

[fanne]

Not logic only cold calculations holds sway. We have one twitter input (ignoring one liners)!! Any more of them?

[muraliravi]

http://epaper.asianage.com/PUBLICATIONS ... tml?Mode=1#

So the big question is "If BSP has lost the Upper caste vote in Eastern UP, who has lapped up that vote base??"

[fanne]

Murali, who do you think has gotten the Upper Caste Vote in UP, it cannot be DeveGowda's party right.

[muraliravi]

Murali, who do you think has gotten the Upper Caste Vote in UP, it cannot be DeveGowda's party right.

No saar. I am not as optimistic as you, the upper castes in UP have voted for the Congress all the time till 89, BJP in the 90's, Maya in 2000's and even SP in 2012. In fact a portion of the upper caste votes steadily for the congress even today. So the UC vote that is leaving mayawati can gravitate to any of the three parties Cong, SP or BJP.

[Sanku]

^^^
UCs in UP have not voted for SP/Congress for since 1980s, VP singh era.

It was BJP then BSP.

[disha]

This could be testing the waters you see?

Here is the story of Chand Joshi (Journalist, HT, already dead and not to be confused with PCJoshi of CPI(M))

One day, while covering a communal riot in the Jama Masjid area in August 1980, a police officer very friendly with Chand teased him about the authenticity of his stories. He said that every story written by Chand usually gets contradicted and is without facts. Not to be beaten by this, Chand shot back that where was the need to put facts in the story when they came out in the contradiction leading to laughter all around.

Several on the twitters are fishing for facts. You say something opposite to the effect and then people will respond from which you can glean information.

And if you want to read up on Chand Joshi - here it is http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/capital ... s/#more-67

[Shanmukh]

^^^
UCs in UP have not voted for SP/Congress for since 1980s, VP singh era.

It was BJP then BSP.

Sanku-ji,
UCs vote for the Congress when they have a very interesting candidate (like the dynasty, or the Bahuguna family, or Dinesh Singh's daugher (Ratna Singh?)). Otherwise, they tend to congregate in favour of the BJP. The BJP can try to make use of MM Joshi - he still has a bit of goodwill among the Brahmins. There is also Yogi Adityanath.

[vivek.rao]

Discontent in AAP spills in public, rebel's press meet stormed

In my naive days of Anna movement, I wrote several mails/posting to AK asking him to put a framework so that there is some form of primary system. AK just ignored. I sent NaMO too. Hope he notices and will deliver it in future.

Simmering discontent in the Aam Aadmi Party came to the fore on Tuesday when a party member called a press conference in New Delhi to demand more organisational democracy but was shouted down by autorickshaw drivers supporting AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.


"Anguished" over getting no reply to his open letter to Kejriwal about democracy in party, Rakesh Agarwal, an AAP member and also secretary of a non-government organisation working for autorickshaw drivers in Delhi, had called the press meet to put forward his three-point charter of demands. It includes immediate setting up of a team to define the governance agenda, democratise and decentralise party structure by holding internal elections and withdrawal from vote bank politics and abolishing all religion and caste based cells. But as soon as Agarwal began his conference, around 15-20 autorickshaw drivers, alleging harassment by him and bungling of funds in his NGO, barged in and demanded that he answer their questions.

Agarwal said they were "uninvited" and asked them to leave the venue.

Amid the drama, Agarwal told reporters that it was an attempt by AAP leaders to gag any voice of dissent.
"These people have been sent to ruin my press conference by some of the AAP leaders who don't want to hear any dissenting views or about democracy in the party." He alleged that the AAP does not have any governing agenda and "if the party comes to power, and if they fail to deliver then people will lose faith on such movements for years."

Also there was a lack of democracy in the party as those holding posts have not been elected but nominated. "I demand that elections should be held and democracy in the party should be restored," he said, adding there was no need for any cells for Sikhs in the party as it would promote vote bank politics.

Agarwal said he had written an open letter to Kejriwal on the issue but had not received any reply from him, and if "I don't get any reply by November 21, I will go on indefinite fast." However, he supported Kejriwal and the party on the issue of foreign funding, saying the party has received money from NRIs and it is not illegal.

Meanwhile, the AAP, in a statement said that Agarwal was not a member of any committee or functioning body in the party and had never been part of the party's any decision making body.

"Rakesh Agarwal, whose name has figured in some reports pointing fingers at the party functioning, is not a member of any committee or functioning body in the party. He has never been part of party's any decision making body," AAP said.

The party said that Agarwal had only approached AAP earlier this year during the time of a rally of auto rickshaw drivers at Ramlila Maidan.

"When AAP took part in the rally of auto rickshaw drivers at Ramlila Maidan, thousands of autorickshaw drivers approached Kejriwal and other AAP leaders asking them not to keep any contact with Rakesh Agarwal. They clearly told AAP that they support AAP but don't want to be with Agarwal," the statement said.

The Kejriwal-led party also said that Agarwal had cases related to alleged fraud against him in Delhi court. Auto drivers, who disrupted Aggarwal's press conference, also alleged that he was levelling allegations against Kejriwal as he was not given the responsibility of campaign on autorickshaws by the AAP.

[vivek.rao]

What was Chidambaram doing in same room as Taliban founder?

Lets publicise this on SM as much as possible

Here's the latest shocker from the United Progressive Alliance government! Finance Minister P Chidambaram was spotted alongside Taliban founder Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef.


Zaeef was Goa last week where he delivered a lecture, where even Chidambram was invited as a speaker.

The Taliban leader was granted visa following suggestions of intelligence agencies which apparently told the home ministry the challenges India may face in Afghanistan after withdrawal of international forces.

Sources said Zaeef was granted visa following detailed deliberations in the home ministry during which intelligence agencies strongly backed the move arguing that India may have to deal with the Taliban when the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces leave Afghanistan next year.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, who tweeted the picture (left, external link), wrote on the micro-blogging website, “At the Thinkfest in Goa: Terror within arms distance? Or with visa given, a welcome guest?

Zaeef, a confident of Mullah Omar who had headed the Taliban government in Afghanistan till 2001 before the US invasion, attended the Think Fest in Goa in last weekend.

[Muppalla]

CH will be close contest per many surveys, while only Sardesai channel (which usually lies whole hearted), claims a BJP sweep. If he is lying this time as well then it is a close contest.

Not true. Both Sardesai and ABP poll has given a sweep.

[fanne]

Let's see of the 4 forward castes (ok if you also count Bhumiyars, who are only present in some seats in Purvanchal), Baniyas and Kayashta did not go with BSP. They may in fact have gone with Cong last time (if at all, maybe that explains Agrawal winning from Kanpur). They are with BJP or go with Cong, with Cong star in decline, they would stick or come back to BJP. The Rajputs are with BJP (see BSP MPs resigning and moving out, the treatment mated to Raja Bhaiya probably sealed the deal. Not to say that Rajnath Singh being the tallest leader and BJP president does not help. SP also does not have services of Dalal Singh any more). The Brahmin votes (majority still voted BJP, though significant number voted BSP and long timers Cong). With Bajpaiye as BJP State head, and cong fortunes is dive, they have two options, BJP or BSP. BSP is out of power in state and this is Lok Sabha election. They ahve no reason to vote Behanji, their options are BJP or Cong. They will choose, are choosing BJP.

[Shanmukh]

Another interesting bit of news. Bikram Sarkar joins BJP. Is he capable of winning anything?

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... sabha-seat

[RajeshA]

Another interesting bit of news. Bikram Sarkar joins BJP. Is he capable of winning anything?

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... sabha-seat

Here are old bios of Dr. Bikram Sarkar. 12th LS and 13th LS

In 2004 elections he was runner up to the same guy against whom he won in 1998, winning only half of the votes. He seems to have lost his political potency to win, but interesting part is that he is still a medium sized force in Howrah. That's where BJP has shown some strength, though in last by elections this year there, BJP chose not to field any candidate thus allowing Trinamool candidate to scrape through winning against CPI-M.

If he can manage to transfer his votes from 2004 to how much BJP won in 2009 in Howrah, then BJP could snatch Howrah.

[Shanmukh]

Another interesting bit of news. Bikram Sarkar joins BJP. Is he capable of winning anything?

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... sabha-seat

Here are old bios of Dr. Bikram Sarkar. 12th LS and 13th LS

In 2004 elections he was runner up to the same guy against whom he won in 1998, winning only half of the votes. He seems to have lost his political potency to win, but interesting part is that he is still a medium sized force in Howrah. That's where BJP has shown some strength, though in last by elections this year there, BJP chose not to field any candidate thus allowing Trinamool candidate to scrape through winning against CPI-M.

If he can manage to transfer his votes from 2004 to how much BJP won in 2009 in Howrah, then BJP could snatch Howrah.

Thanks, RajeshA-ji. Also, we have not factored in the Modi effect in any of this. I am sure it will be considerable in urban constituencies, at the very least, even in Bengal. So, BJP should be in with a decent chance.

Also, I am hearing a rumour (no links, this is just word of mouth) that the BJP is trying to get Srikkanth to contest Chennai South on the BJP ticket. How useful will this be?

[muraliravi]

^^^ and help dmk win seats by splitting aiadmk votes. This stupidity of bjp will destroy relations with jj and also help upa win seats which are close contests. I dont even understand why modi wasted time and resources on going to trichy

[Sushupti]

[Sushupti]

Read the 30-point questionnaire sent by Home Ministry to AAP on foreign funding

Bank details.

1. Details of all the bank accounts held by the association/Aam Aadmi Party.
2. Details of the Bank accounts maintained exclusive for receiopt of foreign contribution.
3. Whether any foreign contribution has beeen received in any bank account other than mentioned at Sl. No.2
4. Whethey any local contributions are credited in the account(s) mention at Sl. No.2
5. Xerox copies of the statements of the Bank Account(s) in which foreign contributions were credited and utilized for the priod from the date of inception of the association till date.
6. Details of cash withdrawals made out the foreign contribution receipts during last 3 years.
7. FC3 returns for the last 3 years, duly supported by receipt and payment account statement and balance sheet exclusively for foreign contribution, duly audited by the Chartered Accountant.
8. Details of foreign contribution (FC) received, from the date of inception of the association till date in the following format.

9. Details of foreign contribution (FC) transferred, if any, to other associations from inception till date in the following format.

10. The details of utilization of foreign contribution (FC) received from inception till date in the following format (year wise):

11. Details of foreign contributions received in kind.


Assets/investments made out of FC

12. The complete details of fixed assets acquired out of foreign contribution viz. datge of creation of assets, locatgion, acquisition value of each such asset as on 31.03.2011 alongwith xerox copies of their title deds.


13. Details of the fixed assets if any acquired out of foreign contribution and transferred to other beneficiaries for use along with the details of beneficiaries viz. name, address, relationship with Beneficiary and basis of selection of beneficaries for extending assistance.


14. The details of investments made out of foreign contribution, if any and held by the association as on 31.03.2011 along with xerox copies of their title deeds held by the association.


15. A list of vehicles purchsed out of foreign contribution by association with make, model, value and xerox copies of registration.

Other details

16. Detaials of organiszations being managed/fiunancially supported by the Association.
17. Whether any trustees/office bearers of the association are also trustee/office bearers of any other association. If so, provide details thereof.


....till point no. 30.

http://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/nat ... tml?page=4

[Prasad]

Srikanth in south Chennai? Are they mad?

[vivek.rao]

^^^ and help dmk win seats by splitting aiadmk votes. This stupidity of bjp will destroy relations with jj and also help upa win seats which are close contests. I dont even understand why modi wasted time and resources on going to trichy

May be a way to make JJ to give them 4-5 seats. Should they play dead if she says no? How can you not build a party? That is what all AP guys are blasting BJP for killing the party in the last 10 years and let TDP walk away

[Shanmukh]

Srikanth in south Chennai? Are they mad?

Why? The suggestion was also in existence about 10 years ago, IIRC.

[KJo]

Looks like we are done with the trend of film stars joining politics which was rampant in the 80s.

[Shanmukh]

^^^ and help dmk win seats by splitting aiadmk votes. This stupidity of bjp will destroy relations with jj and also help upa win seats which are close contests. I dont even understand why modi wasted time and resources on going to trichy

MuraliRavi-ji
The BJP is interested in building the strength of BJP, not that of JJ. JJ will come to the BJP of her own accord, when she finds that they are strong enough to cause damage to her prospects. Until then, she will kick them. This is the standard policy of all political parties. If BJP is strong enough to damage the prospects of Mamata, she will come running to them, not otherwise. The BJP, in the end, can depend only on BJP and a couple of ideological partners. So - yes, I support them building their strength as much as they can, at everyone's expense.

[vivek.rao]

EXPLOSIVE STUFF!

Ex-CBI chief: Rajiv told me should use arms deal payoffs for party funds

At a time when the funding of political parties is the subject of fresh controversy, a new book has claimed that Rajiv Gandhi, as Prime Minister, wanted commissions given by defence suppliers to be pooled and used to fund the "inescapable expenses of the party".

The just-released book, Unknown Facets of Rajiv Gandhi, Jyoti Basu and Indrajit Gupta, is written by former CBI director Dr A P Mukherjee and the claim is based on his conversations with Rajiv in June 1989, the author has said.[/b]

Rajiv, incidentally, was caught in the thick of the Bofors guns bribery scandal at that time and lost power later that year.

"Rajiv Gandhi was very clear that commissions paid as a routine by most defence dealers should be properly accounted for and not siphoned off by dishonest officials of the armed forces and politicians...he wanted such payments to be pooled and accounted for," Mukherjee has written.

"This (elections) leads to massive fund collections by important party functionaries all over the country, which leads to an almost unbreakable unholy quid pro quo nexus between unscrupulous party functionaries, ministers and businessmen. I could sense this as the party's general secretary or even as its youth leader earlier when I had to enter the political arena with considerable reluctance," Rajiv told him over coffee, Mukherjee has written.

Rajiv, he says, had come to know that some senior officers of the armed forces had been surreptitiously collecting huge amounts of money as "commissions" in most defence purchases, quite often in connivance with some ministers, middlemen and civilian officers as well.

Rajiv, the former CBI director says, "discussed this problem with some of his trusted colleagues and advisers when it was suggested by some that all commissions as payable or usually paid to middlemen should be banned but the commissions to be given as a matter of routine practice by the suppliers of major defence materials could be pooled under the care of some non-government entity which could be utilised solely for the purpose of meeting the inescapable expenses of the party.

[Sushupti]

Looks like Fordwall goose is cooked. But BJP is able to take him on only because D4 is sidelined.

[muraliravi]

^^ Nah, i think their internal assessment is telling them that fordiwal has not been able to quite cut enuf bjp votes to help congress, so they are trying to make him look like a martyr and in the process push more anti congress vote from bjp to him.

They wont do any investigation before the polls and this drama will continue. This is exactly how Britishers made a hero out of a useless guy and made indian public forget the real heroes.

[Prasad]

Srikanth in south Chennai? Are they mad?

Why? The suggestion was also in existence about 10 years ago, IIRC.

He is a political nobody. Also most people think he is a bit of a crack and won't take him seriously.

[RajeshA]

Also, we have not factored in the Modi effect in any of this. I am sure it will be considerable in urban constituencies, at the very least, even in Bengal. So, BJP should be in with a decent chance.

Dr. Bikram Sarkar seems to belong to the SC. He had launched a party "Bharatiya Bahujan Party" last year. He wasn't really active in TMC since then. So he was low hanging fruit.

Also Bikram Sarkar seems to be in BJP for the opportunity.

Two times Member of Parliament from Trinamul Congress and retired IAS, Bikram Sarkar alleged that as he comes from a Dalit family, like several others he did not get the opportunities he deserved, even within his own party.

He remined that if Muslims, comprising 30 % of population, and Dalit and other backward communities join hands together they will comprise of about 90 % population.

But a frog knows only his little well. May be bringing him outside the well would expand his horizons.

Most probably BJP would try and make a kill in Darjeeling and Howrah! Don't know about other constituencies.

I feel Varun Gandhi is NaMo's Vibhishan. He has been sent in to West Bengal to lure the Congressmen to BJP. He is there to poach INC and TMC for decent leaders and workers who would be willing to dump their own leaders and come over to BJP.

[merlin]

^^^ and help dmk win seats by splitting aiadmk votes. This stupidity of bjp will destroy relations with jj and also help upa win seats which are close contests. I dont even understand why modi wasted time and resources on going to trichy

MuraliRavi-ji
The BJP is interested in building the strength of BJP, not that of JJ. JJ will come to the BJP of her own accord, when she finds that they are strong enough to cause damage to her prospects. Until then, she will kick them. This is the standard policy of all political parties. If BJP is strong enough to damage the prospects of Mamata, she will come running to them, not otherwise. The BJP, in the end, can depend only on BJP and a couple of ideological partners. So - yes, I support them building their strength as much as they can, at everyone's expense.

Well said. Compromise on seats only with ideological allies. So AP, TN, WB, Odisha, Kerala, Assam, Haryana are fair game.

[kapilrdave]

IMO cong is attacking AAP because farjiwal is deviating from the script. He approached muslims (both Indian and BD's) to boost his own votebank whereas his job was to cut BJP votes. He did this because he seems to have become desperate to win something. But this is obviously unacceptable for cong. That is the reason we are seeing split in AAP. They are using this foreign fund threat to force farji to stick to the script. In all likelihood cong has figured out that farji is doing more harm than benefit so now want him to fizzle out.

[Yagnasri]

In the meanwhile BJP trying extra in Delhi.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/ ... 50526.aspx

I am worried about C'garh though. Naxals and EJ Jogi is fairly active now. Killing of Congress leader other than Jogi surely part of a larger plan of NAC and Mafia to get that state.

[Sushupti]

what awaits TN and AP in couple of decades.

Mizoram polls: The politics of religion is on the wall, in posters

One of the MNF’s main poll planks this election is based on exploiting sentiments of the largely Christian Mizos against four-time Congress Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who has on several occasions taken part in pujas while visiting other states, sporting a tilak on his forehead at one ceremony he attended with his wife.

The MNF began work on the strategy months ago, even taking out a massive rally in Aizawl to protest the CM’s “bowing before other gods” and has since not missed any opportunity to take potshots at the CM, constantly exploiting the Christian belief that idol-worship is unacceptable.

http://m.indianexpress.com/news/mizoram ... s/1194151/