Statewide and National runup to 2014 General elections

ShyamSP · Post by **ShyamSP** » 28 Feb 2014 22:32

panduranghari wrote:
ShyamSP wrote:
It is not Reverse Mandal but continuation of Mandal. Congress goal is to move 99 people to the poor and reservation category to stick it to the final 1 man.

- Karnataka - done
- AP - major ops are done - quota ops are still left
- Maharastra - still several ops left

After AP split, Congress is encouraging BC quota for Kapus. In Maha it will follow similar tactics - Vidharba split and reservations.
Viderbha split will be godsend to BJP. For one, contiguous zone RJ, GJ, MP, CG with Viderbha dominated by dharmik forces. Devendra Phadnavis will be Viderbha's NaMo.

If Brihanmumbai is expected to stay Sena bastion, what is left is interior MH. Marathwada is too much Islamic. Don't know what to do about that.

Atri ji is more switched on about the dynamics.

Such political interests come with tearing apart social fabric. Splits, divisions, and quotas are poisonous weapons Congress has and they won't be used smoothly. We have seen in AP - split was done only after they created so much hatred and was expected to be political advantage.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 28 Feb 2014 22:49

gandharva wrote:Reverse Mandal: Cong-NCP Plans Maratha Quota

The Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra is likely to announce a 20% reservation for the Maratha community in state government jobs and educational institutions.

http://mobilepaper.timesofindia.com/mob ... ublabel=ET

They are 400% sure to win the state if they announce it before the elections. The Maratha vote bank is too big and powerful.

jimmyray · Post by **jimmyray** » 28 Feb 2014 23:34

RajeshA wrote: So I wonder why Modi gave a good BJP seat away!

As per this report
http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=52469

'Though Nawada is currently held by BJP, its MP Bhola Prasad Singh is keen to return to his home seat of Begusarai, presently held by JD(U)'

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 28 Feb 2014 23:55

matrimc wrote:
Rahul M wrote:PC Sorcar Jr is a well known and liked face who came on only due to modi.
A little OT but had anybody seen PC Sorcar (the older one) perform? I had the good fortune to see his show. Great magician - more correctly illusionist - and had a great sense of humor to boot.

no saarji, he passed away before I was born.

singha ji, in 80's it would be junior, the senior died in 1971.

the son is a very good showman too and now one of his daughters has taken up the mantle.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 01 Mar 2014 00:47

Where is the Election Commision

Indian ministry to discuss developing Islamic endowments for large Muslim minority

India’s Ministry of Minority Affairs has enlisted a Kuala Lumpur-based body to help develop Islamic endowments, or awqaf, aiming to mobilise a large pool of assets in a country that is home to one of the biggest Muslim populations in the world.
The World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation, which organises conferences and workshops on Muslim business around the world, will hold a roundtable later this year to discuss ways to improve management of India’s estimated 490,000 waqf properties.
Institutions such as the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank, Malaysia’s Hajj Pilgrim Fund and its largest state-owned fund manager Permodalan Nasional Bhd will attend the event, the WIEFF says.Awqaf exist around the world, receiving donations from Muslims to operate social projects such as mosques, schools and welfare schemes. They have amassed huge holdings of real estate, commercial enterprises, cash, equities and other assets.
But in many cases the management of these assets remains primitive; money is often tied up in property or bank deposits that earn miniscule or even zero returns, imposing economic costs on local economies.India, with an estimated 177 million Muslims, has a large base of awqaf but many of their assets are far from being employed efficiently; their estimated annual income is just 1.63 billion rupees ($26.3 million).Last month, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the National Wakaf Development Corporation, which the Ministry of Minority Affairs established to help management of the properties become more transparent.

kedariprasad · Post by **kedariprasad** » 01 Mar 2014 02:38

interesting servey by Pew Research Center, US (http://www.pewresearch.org/)

Indians Want Political Change

http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/02/26/ind ... al-change/

More than six-in-ten Indians (63%) prefer the BJP to lead the next Indian national government. Just two-in-ten (19%) pick the Indian National Congress. Other parties have the support of 12% of the public. BJP backing is consistent across age groups. And support is almost equal between rural (64%) and urban (60%) Indians.

A majority says the BJP (58%) is likely to be more successful than Congress (20%) in creating employment opportunities in the future. BJP prime ministerial candidate Modi leads the economically successful state of Gujarat.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 01 Mar 2014 04:30

General elections 2014: BJP inching towards pact with Asom Gana Parishad in Assam

GUWAHATI: An ally a day almost seems like BJP's aim. After rapping up an alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakthi Party on Thursday, BJP was on the verge of striking a deal with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). If the deal goes through, this will be NDA's first ally in the northeast for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, the BJP state unit is opposed to the alliance.

BJP has offered five of Assam's 14 seats to AGP, a source said. The parties had a pact for the 2009 polls ..

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 01 Mar 2014 04:35

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 01 Mar 2014 04:50

TDP Still Hopeful of Alliance with Narendra Modi

Is the TDP still looking for an alliance with the BJP, notwithstanding the immediate attack its leaders launched against the saffron party after the passage of the T bill? The answer appears to be Yes.

With the division of State slowly sinking in the minds of people and the focus shifting to development, TDP leaders seem to be of the view that no serious damage could occur even if it aligned with the BJP in the residuary State. In Telangana, of course, it will be a formidable combination depending on how the Congress-TRS equation plays out.

“The BJP has, to some extent, succeeded in sending out a message to the people of Seemandhra that it was because of its pressure that the UPA government came up with a host of incentives for the residuary State. Plus, the positive sentiment towards Narendra Modi, in any case, exists,” a TDP leader said. At the same time, he said both the parties will for now adopt a wait and watch game and stitch a deal only closer to the elections. Some surveys the TDP conducted post-bifurcation did not show any drop in the support for Modi despite the BJP backing State division.

The BJP, on its part, is planning to cash in on its fight for justice to Seemandhra and Modi magic, explaining how a vote for the Gujarat strongman will fuel growth. Even as Venkaiah Naidu is already taking forward this message in private and public meetings, the BJP is planning a series of meetings that would be addressed by Modi during March.

Congress Minister TG Venkatesh, who was among those who joined the TDP, dropped hints of the unfolding scenario. “The BJP is going to form government. People know TDP and its chief Naidu are capable of extracting support from the Centre for development of Seemandhra,” he said.

The strategy of all parties for this state(s) will go to wire.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 01 Mar 2014 05:10

Muppalla wrote:

odisha has seen some strong support for NaMo - likley not enough to make a dent in Naveen's hold on party/state but can blunt his effect. OTOH can give a fillip to congress party in state by division of votes. Naveen might go for a hard bargain to protect his turf from congis(and NaMo!!) if at all he wants a pre poll alliance .

Post poll alliance is always +

Shanmukh · Post by **Shanmukh** » 01 Mar 2014 05:22

Muppalla wrote:General elections 2014: BJP inching towards pact with Asom Gana Parishad in Assam

GUWAHATI: An ally a day almost seems like BJP's aim. After rapping up an alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakthi Party on Thursday, BJP was on the verge of striking a deal with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). If the deal goes through, this will be NDA's first ally in the northeast for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, the BJP state unit is opposed to the alliance.

BJP has offered five of Assam's 14 seats to AGP, a source said. The parties had a pact for the 2009 polls ..

Alliance with AGP is good as AGP has decent cadre (and BJP needs it - they are outnumbered 4 to 1 now in vital Central and Upper Assam by Congress cadre), but honestly, offering AGP 5 seats is madness. They should be offered 3 seats at the max (Kaliabor, Barpeta, and Tezpur). Far more important for the BJP is getting a Bodo ally (BPPF?) and offer them Kokrajhar.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 01 Mar 2014 05:29

Muppalla wrote:

If BJP can spring a surprise by getting a prepoll alliance with BJD, they can destroy congress in Orissa. This is one state where congress is on the upswing and can get 10 seats. If BJP and BJD ally, and even if BJD gives BJP just 5 seats, BJD can get 15/16 and BJP can get 4/5 and leave congress with just 2 seats.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 01 Mar 2014 07:33

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... rigade/99/

Weeks before what is expected to be a tough electoral battle, tension is simmering in the Congress party, with the old guard finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace with vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s ideas and wishes.
The divergence between two generations of Congressmen has been building over the past few months and came to the fore again on Friday when the Cabinet deferred Rahul’s much-hyped anti-corruption ordinances. Sources said key ministers are not inclined to bring the ordinances as they have been given to understand that President Pranab Mukherjee may not be keen on signing them as there is no urgency. The law ministry has already conveyed its reservation citing the same.
“But he is still very keen,” sources said referring to Rahul. While no one in the government is said to be inclined to go ahead with the ordinances, the option of a special Cabinet meeting is being kept open just in case Rahul insists the government give in to his views. The stalemate over the ordinances is only the latest manifestation of a war in the grand old party, with the young generation led by Rahul Gandhi turning the heat on for the old guard.
Earlier this week, Himachal Pradesh PCC chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a Rahul appointee, complained to the Congress high
command against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for “arbitrarily” appointing heads of boards and corporations without taking Delhi’s permission.
The CM is, however, said to be defiant and made more appointments despite the high command’s instructions to the contrary. Rahul’s appointees in other states – Kerala PCC chief V M Sudheeran and Rajasthan PCC chief Sachin Pilot – are already facing resistance from Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and former CM Ashok Gehlot respectively.
In another instance of the friction, Rahul trashed the ordinance on convicted lawmakers which would have ensured RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav escaped disqualification from the Lok Sabha. But he went on to grudgingly accept the views of senior leaders about the need for an alliance with the RJD in Bihar.
However, chinks surfaced subsequently as Rahul, it is learnt, looked the other way when LJP’s Ramvilas Paswan began flirting with the BJP and eventually allied with it. Paswan was said to have made desperate calls to a close aide of Rahul, seeking his intervention to get around Lalu Yadav and secure LJP a fair share of seats, but to no avail.
“Lalu had already informed the Congress high command that in his view LJP was a burden and so Rahul or his team did little to address Paswan’s concerns. Had we stitched up an alliance a couple of months back, Lalu would have been much more flexible. But Rahul preferred the JD(U) then to RJD. We have given a leg up to the BJP for no reason,” a veteran Congress leader said.
“Senior leaders have already given up (on election preparations),” a leader is said to have complained at a meeting of young Congress MPs Rahul convened last week.
The next day, at the informal Congress Working Committee meeting Rahul had convened, a veteran leader took a veiled swipe at the party’s new faces on TV channels saying the party should field “political persons” and also those who speak Hindi. Sources said there is a lot of heartburn among party spokespersons over the appointment of Deepak Ameen and R V Ramani as media coordinators. Entrusted with “sundry” jobs at the party’s war room at Gurudwara Rakabganj Road in the capital until recently, the two have now been allowed to decide who should be fielded on the channels.
“They decide that if you are a Muslim, you should not speak against Modi. They decide who should speak. What do they know about Congress’ politics and ideology?” asked a senior Congress leader who had a long association with the party’s media department. “They called us at Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and here was Sanjay Jha giving us a lecture on how to speak on TV – ‘You should reach 10 minutes in advance to get acclimatized and you should see straight into the camera, et al’. After all these decades in the Congress, this is what we are being taught!” sniped another leader.
In fact, sources said Renuka Chowdhury was so upset that she put in her papers as spokesperson even as preparations were on to appoint new spokespersons last month. Also, with Rahul taking charge of the election campaign and strategy, different committees in which party veterans were given prominence have become “almost dysfunctional”. The election coordination committee, which used to meet every week earlier, now meets once a month or sometimes even later than that.
The “war room”, which used to be abuzz with activities, is “virtually deserted” with no meetings happening for days, sources said. Most operations are now carried out from Rahul’s 12, Tughlaq Lane residence. “While he is holding primaries in 16 seats, we get sudden calls from some general secretary asking at Rahul’s behest whether we would like to contest elections. We just don’t know how the system is functioning now,” said a Congress MP.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 01 Mar 2014 09:01

looks like rahul has lost trust in them and is keeping them out of the loop

niran · Post by **niran** » 01 Mar 2014 09:50

rumors abound about Lalo dissatisfied with congress talks are underway so he could be near his old pall Paswan.
Sarad Yadav is said to be very glum and depressed these days, he blames all his woes to Neetish cumar
the TsuNaMo have swept away all, it is said lalo will need a trillion ton luck to make his son win his traditional seat,
flies from sapa tells me Dimpal yadav wife of Makhi gonna lose badly, Naresh agrawall last rally managed whooping 78 attendees
Deoria since the death of Mohan baba is a sure shot for BJP, Balia is angry with makhi Gazipur is infected with NaMonia
onree safai is safe for sapa that makes it sum total of 1 seat for sapa.

debadutta · Post by **debadutta** » 01 Mar 2014 10:14

muraliravi wrote:
Muppalla wrote:
If BJP can spring a surprise by getting a prepoll alliance with BJD, they can destroy congress in Orissa. This is one state where congress is on the upswing and can get 10 seats. If BJP and BJD ally, and even if BJD gives BJP just 5 seats, BJD can get 15/16 and BJP can get 4/5 and leave congress with just 2 seats.

I do n't think Congress is on the upswing in Odisha. They lost miserably in all the recent municipal /ZP elections. On top of it, latest news is that the leader of opposition in the state assembly is on the verge of leaving Congress and he may join BJD.
If BJP and BJD go for a pre poll alliance i would expect a 21 - 0 result .
If BJD goes alone they should be able to retain their 14 - 15 seats.
BJP will get a decent amount of votes (15% - 20% ) but no one expects it to pick up seats in a three cornered contest.

niran · Post by **niran** » 01 Mar 2014 12:00

Yall thought congress is finished, no saar, they are not done, ekdum jhakas salvo
all 2002 Gujarat riot's victims to get 5 years extension in sarkari services

meanwhile Baba Ramdev begins his campaigns of 20 keroar vote for bjp from Dilli pashim vihar
ak420 started 3 day road show in UP in his speech today he forgot to mention NaMo he onree yak yaked
about congress and muki bhai maybe the 200 keyroar defamation notice from curry janab had it effect.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 01 Mar 2014 12:21

Suyash Bharadwaj ‏@Suyash75 31m
New Trends from Bihar
BJP 26
RJD 5
LJP 4
JDU 2
RLSP 2
Congress 1
Based on inputs from Local friends who surveyed their towns/villages.

If this should happen then NDA is back at 32 as in 2009.

However if RJD can be kept at four or lower, it would be good for psychological reasons. Effort should be for ZERO seats for Congress for a Congress Mukt Bharat.

niran · Post by **niran** » 01 Mar 2014 12:24

I show RJD to be no more than 2
and congress zero.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 01 Mar 2014 12:51

niran ji,

thanks for keeping us all posted. Really appreciate it!

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 01 Mar 2014 13:15

A distant 4th cousin was saying that Binni is now desperately trying to get back in to Dilli BJP along with a couple of other MLAs ( no information divulged about party). Probably to get ministerial berths. But BJP is waiting for national elections before making any move. They will most likely go for re elections.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 01 Mar 2014 14:14

The numbers game - Gossipguru

Sources reveal that according to a confidential report by the IB, BJP-led NDA is slated to get 240 seats, the Congress 60-62, SP 9, BSP 12-13, and Nitish 3-4 seats.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 01 Mar 2014 14:17

^^Was hoping its the BJP with 240 seats and the pre-poll NDA should be at 272 only...

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 01 Mar 2014 14:28

Miffed laloo, after all the prostrations before 10JP (hence diagonized with prostration cancer) and with zilch to show for it, now says no alliance with cong... Lol!

http://www.jagran.com/news/national-ups ... 28389.html

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 01 Mar 2014 14:33

just a ploy to show his independence. in order to fool the voters. post polls he will be with INC.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 01 Mar 2014 14:45

^I know. As if he has any choice other than the INC...

Meanwhile, first list of BJP LS candidates released for Kerala. Some interesting names and some no-names in there I see...

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/ ... xGszOOSySo

member_20317 · Post by **member_20317** » 01 Mar 2014 15:58

BJD is puzzling. Or perhaps Naveen Patnaik has better ability to grasp the reality.

BJP netagan have mentioned Shah Commission report. But then they undershoot on the matter (negotiating?).

Naveen OTOH gives mixed signals.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... d-missing/

BJD management can deliver the coup de grace to a paralyzed UPA, the surety for this ability is quite high. However the alliance itself is not clear yet.

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 01 Mar 2014 19:43

Election announceents expected anytime

DAVP asks for withdrawal of 'Bharat Nirman' advertisements by Monday

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/davp-asks-fo ... 37-64.html

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 01 Mar 2014 21:47

http://www.gossipguru.in/the-numbers-game

The numbers game

Sources reveal that according to a confidential report by the IB, BJP-led NDA is slated to get 240 seats, the Congress 60-62, SP 9, BSP 12-13, and Nitish 3-4 seats.

Oh boy, If this is true, I dont see cong getting more than 5 seats (i am not sure where they will get even these 5 from?) in UP and RLD more than 2. So BJP crossing 50 in UP. By the way, these SP, BSP, BJP close to 50 in UP numbers match the csds survey

Atri · Post by **Atri** » 01 Mar 2014 22:14

remember my post about sugar-lobby in western MH - its in display in full glory now. Mandlik has switched over to Shivsena. Sanjay patil of sangli switched over to BJP. In short, all the candidates that matter who are contesting from these sugar-lobby seats belong to this 96-clan deshastha-maratha elite who are big stake-holders in cooperative-movement. The OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal has been given a loksabha ticket from nashik (thereby packing him off to delhi in a losing election). MH is cleared for Ajitdada pawar. Pawar Saheb has my respect, in spite of all the differences..If only he had used this infinite cunning for good of dharma. if wishes were horses.

Many 96-clan maratha leaders switched over to NDA. Kolhapur may turn saffron (I mean politically.. ideologically it is as saffron as Bajrang dal headquarters, even if ruled by INC/NCP) for the first time around. So will sangli.

Bhujbal may deliberately lose from nashik to remain relevant in MH-politics which far more profitable than national politics.

as they say in casinos, in the end, the house always wins.. stay in power - the rulers and opposition should belong to this exact circle. Now drill this down to Vidhan sabha, zila-parishad, panchayat samiti, governing bodies of various cooperative banks, gram-panchayats, managing boards of string of industries owned by people belonging to this circle, heck even the boards of primary schools in interior villages of western MH, contractors, transport-companies, everywhere.

this election, NDA will win.. but the candidates winning from this region will be from this exact lobby. next time, they will either switch over OR let those ones win, who have better chance of forming govt. who ever is in power, takes care of rest..

this lobby was broken by BT in urban MH - that is his greatest legacy. Gopinath Munde shows similar promise and is trying to excel it in rural MH in the heartland of 96-clan elite-sugar cooperative owing marathas (not the mango abdul 96-clanner maratha who is like any other norma bloke, who tills the land, works hard and earns bread). it is a very intricate operation to perform. BJP has to stay in power in delhi for at least 10 years to subvert this deeply entrenched system and convert it.

and even if it is converted, it will remain in hands of same ppl.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Mar 2014 23:37

Dubious selection of Vice Chancellor: Amartya Sen, who chaired the Nalanda Mentor Group, recommended Dr Gopa Sabharwal for the position of Rector (Vice Chancellor?) in his letter dated February 6, 2009 to the then External Affairs Minister viz Pranab Mukherjee. As the chairperson Nalanda Mentor Group, Amartya Sen was expected to do eight things clearly spelt out in the Terms of Reference. Selecting/recommending any person for any post in the yet-to-be-established university was not amongst them. Interestingly, Amartya Sen never submitted a proper report to the Ministry of External Affairs on those points. But he found time enough to conduct a ‘selection’ process for the post of Rector. The episode has been related in my earlier story on Niti Central. The two other high profile names on his shortlist viz Dr Ramachandra Guha and Dr Pratap Bhanu Mehta appear to be dummy candidates. They were never contacted for the post because Amartya Sen wanted to have only Dr Gopa Sabharwal.

The file note in the MEA makes it clear that none of the candidates had submitted any Curriculum Vitae. N Ravi, then secretary, MEA, went through their bio-data as available on the Internet! But Amartya Sen was in tight spot when Pranab Mukherjee, the External Affairs Minister, ranked Dr Ramchandra Guha above Dr Gopa Sabharwal in his recommendation to the Prime Minister. But that would have exposed that Guha was a dummy candidate. Thus Amartya Sen had to use his leverage with the PMO to shot down the External Affairs Minister’s recommendation. The then Foreign Secretary viz Shiv Shankar Menon had to override Pranab Mukherjee’s preferences under the influence of the PMO as evident in the same note. This was a hilarious case where a Foreign Secretary overrode the decision of the External Affairs Minister. The appointment was approved by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on March 4, 2009. According to the subsequently drafted Nalanda University Act, 2010, the Prime Minister had no role in any recruitment of Nalanda University.

time for CBI enquiry on Amartya Sen
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/02/27/t ... 93994.html

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 02 Mar 2014 01:08

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/vaj ... endra-modi

Vajpayee’s Lucknow legacy: Rajnath or Narendra Modi?

The Sunday Guardian was the first to report (weeks before it happened) that Rajnath Singh would succeed Nitin Gadkari as BJP president (Rajnath may be next BJP president, 28 October 2012). Now the Thakur leader from Uttar Pradesh has set his sights on a loftier goal, that of being made the Prime Minister of India in May 2014 "in case the numbers do not permit Narendra Modi to take charge". According to party sources close to the BJP president, Rajnath Singh is "seeking to increase the tickets given to Thakurs in the Hindi belt", including by the expedient of welcoming into the BJP several Thakurs from politics and the civil service. The names of former Home Secretary R.K. Singh and Sushil Singh from Bihar are being mentioned in this context, as also UP leaders Sushil Singh, Jagdambika Pal, Brijbhushan Saran Singh as also Vijay Bahadur Singh from Hamirpur. General V.K. Singh, a favourite as the country's next Raksha Mantri, has a strong base not only among current and former servicemen but within the Thakur community too.

The BJP organisation has come under the control of a troika, comprising Arun Jaitley, organisation secretary Ramlal and Rajnath Singh himself. Whether the bonhomie will last post-poll is another question, as Arun Jaitley is seen as the most likely alternative to Narendra Modi, in view of his close relations with the latter. Besides, Jaitley has excellent contacts with the media as well as with political leaders across the spectrum, although within the BJP, he is not the most popular candidate, despite his low-key and unobtrusive style of functioning. It needs to be reiterated that the basis behind such contingency planning is a post-poll situation where the powerful troika of three lady Chief Ministers, Jayalalithaa, Mamata and Mayawati, may together hold the key to the Prime Ministership. "The calculation of those in the BJP who see themselves as the better choice is that none of the three would like to see a strong PM", which is what Narendra Modi would be.

The deference shown by Amit Shah towards the Jaitley-Rajnath-Ramlal troika is bothering BJP insiders, who are worried about "tickets being given to candidates who would be vulnerable to the Aam Aadmi Party's charges". It needs to be remembered that the BJP in UP has never recovered from the time Rajnath served as CM of the state, nor could it win the 2004 polls under his leadership, despite the presence of A.B. Vajpayee. Indeed, the former PM's political legacy is now coming into focus. Key BJP leaders from UP (where the bulk of seats are expected to go to the saffron party) want Narendra Modi to contest from Vajpayee's Lucknow constituency, which was won by him even in 2004 and carried by his acolyte Lalji Tandon despite the BJP's overall reverses in 2009. "If Modi fights from Lucknow, he will win easily, and be seen as the natural heir to Atalji's legacy," said a top BJP leader.

"If Modi fights from Varanasi, his Hindutva image will get reinforced, whereas in Lucknow he will be seen as closer to the moderate legacy of Vajpayee", a senior BJP leader said, adding that "in the overall context, contesting from the state capital would send a powerful signal of going beyond religious issues into that of overall development", the true strength of Modi. He however added that "the Vajpayee legacy is why Rajnathji wants Lucknow as his constituency. It is learnt that M.M. Joshi is reluctant to shift to Allahabad, as the BJP has been placed at a disadvantage there after its 2009 delimitation and bifurcation. Interestingly, former BJP president Nitin Gadkari (who is close to the RSS) has begun reaching out to the Muslim community, having succeeded in getting control of the Nagpur city corporation with the help of Muslim corporators. "If Gadkari Saheb becomes Home Minister, Muslims will be safe," said a community leader in Nagpur who has recently switched his support from the NCP to the BJP.

BJP insiders say that the Jailtley-Rajnath-Ramlal troika is looking at filling up the list of candidates with those expected to back them in any future post-poll scenario. However, they face two obstacles. The first is Narendra Modi himself, who is known to be preparing dossiers on likely candidates to weed out particular names.

The second obstacle is in the form of four BJP CMs, each of whom will have a major say in candidate selection in their respective states.

Rajnath sudar jao, useless fellow backstabbing expert.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 02 Mar 2014 01:12

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/bsp ... -bjp-march

BSP banks on Brahmins, Muslims to stop BJP march

The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is trying to woo the Muslims and Brahmins of Uttar Pradesh by fielding as many as 39 candidates from these sections in the Lok Sabha elections. The move, the BSP leader hopes, will counter the Bharatiya Janata Party's attempt at social engineering by fielding as many as 35 candidates from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Pre-poll predictions show a direct fight between the BSP and the BJP for most of the 80 seats in the state. In 2009, the BSP had won 20 seats and came second in 47 seats. The BJP won only ten seats.

Both the BJP and the BSP, a Dalit-focused party, will have to field 17 Dalit candidates, as these many seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes/Tribes in UP. The BSP had won four of these 17 seats, and emerged a close second in 13 seats in 2009.

Though neither of the two parties has officially disclosed the names of their possible candidates, sources inside the BSP say that they have finalised 21 Brahmin candidates and 18 Muslims. Some of these candidates are Kadir Rana (Muzaffarnagar), Shahid Akhlaque (Meerut), Aqeelur Rehman (Sambhal), Kamlesh Shukla (Deoria), Nakul Dubey (Lucknow), Subhash Pandey (Jaunpur), etc.

"It has been our policy to field candidates as per their share in the population. Jiski jitni sankhya bhari, uski utni bhagidari. This has been the motto of our party and we have been guided by this principle while selecting candidates for the general elections as well," said Swami Prasad Maurya. But when it was pointed out that Brahmins comprised only 9% of UP's population and Muslims around 20%, and that the candidates' list did not reflect this fact, Maurya did not say anything.

But his senior party colleague, Naseemuddin Siddiqi told this correspondent that the BSP was the only party in the country which was fielding the maximum number of Muslim candidates for both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. "We fielded 86 Muslim candidates in the 2012 Assembly elections, and this time too we have selected 18 Muslims so far. The number may increase if the party leadership sees some other Muslims have the ability to win certain seats," said Siddiqi.

The BSP has made Naseemuddin Siddiqi and Munqad Ali, the party's most prominent Muslim faces, coordinators for western UP where the party is locked in a close fight with the BJP.

In a pre-poll restructuring of the party, the BSP has also abolished the post of district vice-president, except in areas where Brahmins and Muslims occupy these positions. "Even in booth level committees, Muslims and Brahmins have been adjusted, although Dalits will continue to head them," said a party insider.

Apart from Dalits, Brahmins and Muslims, the BSP wants to woo OBC groups such as Rajbhar, Lodh, Kurmi, Kushwaha and Mallah. This combination helped Mayawati gain a majority in the 2007 Assembly elections and raised the party's vote share in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections as well.

"Almost a similar combination helped the Samajwadi Party in the 2012 Assembly elections. The BJP too is trying to field a similar combination of OBC candidates along with its core upper caste votes," said a political analyst and survey agent from UP.

A senior BJP leader confirmed to The Sunday Guardian that the party was planning to field around 35 OBC candidates. This means apart from fielding 17 Dalits from the reserved seats, the party will have to adjust sections such as Brahmins and Thakurs, among others from the rest 28 seats. "And if this calculation goes awry, the BSP will emerge a clear winner as Muslims and Brahmins are least likely to ally with either the SP or the Congress," said Kubool Ahmed, a journalist with a Hindi news magazine.

CASTE IN U.P

Dalits..........22%

Muslims......18-20%

Brahmins....11%

Thakurs......9%

OBCs + other upper castes (Vaishyas etc).........30-35%

Read this with the previous post. Rajnath will play this game in UP and fill seats with thakurs all over and not give decent representation to others, Modi needs to stop this.

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 02 Mar 2014 01:19

Rajnath is nothing but face of RSS. Modi deals directly with Nagpur. Modi is micromanaging UP/Bihar. If Gadkari couldn't manage one seat from Bihar for his Bihari "Chella" in Nagpur, wonder what RNS can do.

KLP Dubey · Post by **KLP Dubey** » 02 Mar 2014 02:22

muraliravi wrote:Read this with the previous post. Rajnath will play this game in UP and fill seats with thakurs all over and not give decent representation to others, Modi needs to stop this.

The Sunday Guardian report is just unsubstantiated gossip to project "divisions" and "backstabbing" which do not exist. Trying to stitch together random quotes from unidentified individuals to present a story which is actually not there. Rajnath Singh is one of the strongest supporters of Shri Modi.

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 02 Mar 2014 02:30

^^ 100% agree. This is some nonsensical report

Don't doubt Modi

http://tripuratoday.com/ttoday/NewsDet.aspx?WhatId=2193

In the aftermath of the rally addressed by Narendra Modi political commentators have started to think afresh on the Modi factor that will work in the next Lok Sabha poll. BJP candidates in both the Lok Sabha seats are expected to make remarkable performance. But for that the huge assembly has to be transformed into votes, as rightly pointed out by S S Alhuwalia. But the silence of Narendra Modi who avoided taking on Manik Sarkar head on has been closely observed by all circles.

Reports said a secret meeting between Vijay Jolly and Manik Sarkar was a resulting silence of Narendra Modi towards Manik Sarkar. Manik Sarkar had attacked Narendra Modi during the course of his election campaign in Assam and many hoped that Modi would retort in the home turf of Manik . But this did not happen.

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 02 Mar 2014 03:52

313 fidayeens set to hit Indian election

http://vickynanjappa.com/2014/02/26/313 ... more-19547

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 02 Mar 2014 05:23

An illustrious (new?) entrant to the sekoolaid club...

Rahul Mehta · Post by **Rahul Mehta** » 02 Mar 2014 06:58

Hari Seldon wrote:An illustrious (new?) entrant to the sekoolaid club...

Its NOT secularism or muslim vote bank. It is investment of Suadi Arabia in Indian media, and also Infosys's business with Arab world.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 02 Mar 2014 07:02

The BRF darling - Vishnu Som - who used to come here to advertise his programs, kept interrupting the retired Air Marshal. While he gave a long rope to Randeep Surjewala who kept brining into so many tangent issues tarnishing the armed forces. And Vishnu controls Meenakshi. Wow....next time Vishnu comes here selling his programs on air...hope some fans of his ask him the tough questions. Vishnu had so much takleef over retired Armed forces individual joining political party. Sheesh.