Statewide and National runup to 2014 General elections

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 04 May 2014 05:09

Is it going to be heavy rigging in the last two rounds? In WB it seems to have done by TMC. Will SP follow the suit in UP? BJP is quite strong in UP now may be difficult to rig.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 04 May 2014 05:09

Rahul M wrote:let's not turn this into an immigration and border management thread either.
I am tempted to lock this thread till the next phase of polls.

should I ?

No please. We repent.

Saral · Post by **Saral** » 04 May 2014 05:20

Back to elections.. If you guys go to the top of this board (NDA poll) you'll see a post on 4 types of dhoti-shiverers.. Place yourself in one of the 4 categories here and discuss, if you like.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 04 May 2014 05:33

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/pm- ... -on-16-may

Orders have informally been given in the Prime Minister's Office to ensure that all pending matters get cleared "before 16 May", as on that day, they should "be prepared for a change in government", according to a senior official. He added that "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wishes to leave with dignity, and to preside over a smooth transition" to what is expected to be a Narendra Modi-led government by the end of the month.

Both psephologists as well as politicians are baffled at the speed and strength of the "Modi wave" that is powering the BJP to victory in the 2014 elections. "We are lucky that the Election Commission opted for an unprecedented nine stages for the elections, as this length of time has helped to dilute the potency of the Modi wave, especially in Bihar and in parts of Uttar Pradesh" where there will be late polling. "Had the polls been held within a two-week interval, the BJP would have gained an extra 20 seats, so we should thank the EC for their decision," a very senior Congress strategist revealed. He further claimed that "by the beginning of February, it was clear that we (the Congress) would do very badly, so from then onwards the target has been to reduce the BJP's tally and (thereby) keep Modi out," he added. He gave "full marks to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi for the way in which both have tracked the progress of the polls and enthused party workers demoralised by the bad reputation of the Manmohan Singh government".

Although for the record Congress insiders praise the outgoing Prime Minister, in private they say that he "refused to listen to many suggestions made by Soniaji and Rahulji" and that "he was unable to carry out most of the improvements asked of him by the leadership".

Asked why he was not, therefore, replaced, the senior leader claimed that "there was no unanimity on his replacement, as Rahul was not willing to take up the job". He claimed that "the Congress president would have liked Sushilkumar Shinde as PM, but Rahul favoured P. Chidambaram for the job. Also, the family did not want to offend Pranab Mukherjee, as there were indications that he would quit the government if passed over for promotion. By the time PranabDa became President of India, it was too close to the polls for a change in the leadership of the government, so it was decided by the family to continue with Manmohan Singh till the election cycle ended."

The insider said that "Rahul and his team initially placed too much emphasis on standard classifications of caste and community, not realising that Narendra Modi had cut through such divisions with his talk of development." Hence, "it was only very late in the game that caste and community factors were made to compete with the message of development. However, we could not beat Modi at his own game". The party leader said that "we ought to have ensured that sentiment prevailed over cold fact, as in the sentimentality department the Nehru family is tops". According to him, "Priyanka should have campaigned outside UP, especially in the west and south, where she could have made a big difference." However, he claimed that "both Soniaji and Rahulji were reluctant to force Priyanka to undergo the strains of campaigning across the country, although she herself was ready". However, "in protecting her, they may have handed over a majority to the NDA", he ruefully ended.

Calculations made within the relevant echelons of government indicate that the BJP and its allies will pick up more than a 150 seats in the north of India, while in the west, its tally will cross 60, with around 30 seats coming from the south and 20 in the east. If these calculations prove to be accurate, the BJP and its allies will be within striking distance of a majority on their own. However, should more numbers be required, about a dozen seats are expected to go to independents, including in the Northeast, while Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress is expected to win 16 seats in Seemandhra and the TRS seven seats in Telangana. "Had the BJP done separate deals with Jagan in Seemandhra and with TRS in Telangana, the two combinations would have had almost a clean sweep across both regions," a senior official claimed, adding that "the TDP has brought down rather than boosted the BJP's tally". In the same way, he said that "calculations reveal that B.S. Yeddyurappa has helped the BJP in only two seats in Karnataka but has cost the party seven other seats". Also, "the BJP could have got nine seats in Tamil Nadu (rather than the three now forecast) had it avoided angering specific communities by tying up with the MDMK and the PMK". Another official argued that "clearly the Delhi headquarters of the BJP does not understand the dynamics of the South at all, with both Leaders of the Opposition as well as the party president coming from within the same narrow geographical radius".

Given that the in-house experts within the government in the tracking of election results are giving the NDA either a majority on its own or close to the 272 figure, it is perhaps no surprise that across ministries, files are getting cleared and sanitised, so as to ensure that those who have signed on them remain undisturbed by future inquiries.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation under Ranjit Sinha has been giving clean chit after clean chit to a roster of cases, in a spurt of activity unusual in its speed and timing.

So EC did help congress after all. Well they did the best they could.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 04 May 2014 05:59

NaMo will lose onlee.

KLP Dubey · Post by **KLP Dubey** » 04 May 2014 06:02

muraliravi wrote:So EC did help congress after all. Well they did the best they could.

Are you really trying to get BRF to trust a Sunday Guardian report ? These guys cook up fake data and reports usually attributed to "anonymous" sources. These same guys were earlier trying to portray "divisions" in the BJP which did not exist at all, again citing some "very senior BJP leaders".

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 04 May 2014 06:03

when will sadhvi pragnya be released ?

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 04 May 2014 06:05

Sunday Guardian is just another 'foreign maal' presstitute. Sells for a higher price compared to desi ones.

KLP Dubey · Post by **KLP Dubey** » 04 May 2014 06:05

Narayana Rao wrote:Is it going to be heavy rigging in the last two rounds? In WB it seems to have done by TMC. Will SP follow the suit in UP? BJP is quite strong in UP now may be difficult to rig.

SP is already going at it, especially in the northern districts with large Moon presence. I have already received several reports of people being told by SP goons at the polling station that a (bogus) vote has been already cast on their behalf.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 04 May 2014 06:14

Who ever wrote that Sunday guardian article is smoking a tonne of Afghan variety. Commenting further is useless.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 04 May 2014 06:16

KLP Dubey wrote:
muraliravi wrote:So EC did help congress after all. Well they did the best they could.
Are you really trying to get BRF to trust a Sunday Guardian report ? These guys cook up fake data and reports usually attributed to "anonymous" sources. These same guys were earlier trying to portray "divisions" in the BJP which did not exist at all, again citing some "very senior BJP leaders".

Just for the record, they were the only paper who predicted 6 months before the NG fiasco that RNS will be next BJP president. Madhav Nalapat has written many fine pieces in the past.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 04 May 2014 06:16

suryag wrote:when will sadhvi pragnya be released ?

Fresh requests for her release must be made after Modi forms govt and hopefully she will get release in a year.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 04 May 2014 06:17

nice trick to have elections over so many weeks, it helps the side that has one or two star campaigners, helps moving forces for booth capturing and rigging, also poll violence and swinging of public mood, tire the other side out, bleed the less richer one, EC has done all it can to help the congies with this 9-phase schedule. How difficult would it be to move forces by IAF aircraft to trouble prone areas, if that is the sole argument, anyways the election officers are all state govt employees, they dont need to be flown in/out of state

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 04 May 2014 06:17

RamaY wrote:
suryag wrote:when will sadhvi pragnya be released ?
Fresh requests for her release must be made after Modi forms govt and hopefully she will get release in a year.

one year?? What nonsense RamaY garu

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 04 May 2014 06:20

It should be in the first month.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 04 May 2014 06:28

RamaY wrote:
suryag wrote:when will sadhvi pragnya be released ?
Fresh requests for her release must be made after Modi forms govt and hopefully she will get release in a year.

Mere release is not enough. From ex-Home Minister of India to all officers who were involved in falsely implicating her should be sent to prison.

Cong went to gutter depths to defend a terrorist encounter in Ishrat Jahan case and want to implicate top Gujarat leadership. Now, even there is no case at all in Snoopgate, they want to implicate NaMo.

WRT Saadvi Pragya, there is no case, just some figment of imagination and Sushi Kumar Shinde to every crook of Congress took that and crated new labels "Hindu Terrorism," so the agony and pain endured by Saadvi should not go into vain. Punish all those bustards who are involved in this case.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 04 May 2014 06:42

suryag wrote:
one year?? What nonsense RamaY garu

I would love her to get bail on day 1 Saar. But I am being conservative.
That doesn't mean she can't get proper medical treatment while in jail.

Modi shouldn't give any excuses for secular forces to regroup under the protection of their foreign masters.

Anantha · Post by **Anantha** » 04 May 2014 07:03

Unless you guys have not seen it, there was a report a few days back, CBI has come out and said there is absolutely no evidence in 7 cases where Saffron terrorists were blamed. This includes Sadhvi Pragya and Samjauta blasts. I will try to find the report. Please do search the web for the link.

Anantha · Post by **Anantha** » 04 May 2014 07:11

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... mesofindia

$hit starting to hit the fan for SParty

Brad Goodman · Post by **Brad Goodman** » 04 May 2014 07:12

why is akhilesh barking so hard?
http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/ls ... 140429.htm

'Gujarat is number one in public relations and marketing. Gujarat's PR is strong, it washes like a strong washing soap.'

'The third phase is ours. It is our family and household elections, let him come there...Banaras and UP have taken on the challenge.'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tells Rediff.com contributor Neeta Kolhatkar how he plans to keep Narendra Modi at bay.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 04 May 2014 07:12

Cosmo_R wrote:
SwamyG wrote:[I am saying a better long term solution should be thought out - the biggest hurdle is religion.
BD elements can't keep driving out Hindus and expect understanding of economic compulsions on India's part.

I think what is lost in the discussion is that the real long term solution is free travel and protections in both directions. If Hindus in India see opportunities in BD for business, allow free access and full rights.

What can't work is "what's mine is mine and yours is there for the taking and BTW, we'll turn you into BD"

Absutely agree. Like I said it has benefit both entities.

Anantha · Post by **Anantha** » 04 May 2014 07:15

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/pm- ... -on-16-may

Surrender Singh to do final Surrender on 16th May

"We are lucky that the Election Commission opted for an unprecedented nine stages for the elections, as this length of time has helped to dilute the potency of the Modi wave, especially in Bihar and in parts of Uttar Pradesh" where there will be late polling. "Had the polls been held within a two-week interval, the BJP would have gained an extra 20 seats, so we should thank the EC for their decision," a very senior Congress strategist revealed

sivab · Post by **sivab** » 04 May 2014 07:20

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

In first such letter, Andhra church body says vote for ‘secular leaders’

A state-level body of bishops and church heads in Andhra Pradesh has asked all Christians to vote for secular leaders in the May 7 polls in Seemandhra, to defeat communal forces.

For the first time, the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches has issued such a ‘Pastoral Letter’ urging all its members “to elect leaders who uphold secular and pluralistic character of our nation and promote communal harmony”.

While the letter makes it clear that the federation, including its member-churches, is not inclined towards any political party, the message is being seen as a tacit declaration of support for the YSR Congress Party of Jagan Mohan Reddy. Minorities, including a large number of Christians in Andhra, are wary of the TDP-BJP tie-up in the state.

The letter would be read on May 4, Sunday, in all the churches in Seemandhra. While the federation had also issued a letter before voting in Telangana on April 30, it only talked about making the “right choice”.

“We need to elect leaders who are close to people and respond to their needs; who strive for social justice and equality of the marginalised groups like the tribals and Dalits especially Dalit Christians and protect the rights of the minorities; who are determined to advance an inclusive economy that supports the poor especially to (sic) the unorganized labourers and marginal farmers by ensuring their basic human rights to food, water, shelter, health, education and employment; who strive to ensure the safety and security of women and children and their essential rights to life and livelihood; who lay focus on youth for ensuring their holistic development with character building, critical education and life skills; who make every effort to curb corruption and bring about good governance with peoples’ plans and decentralized, transparent, accountable and responsible administration; and who endeavour to protect the environment with sustainable development and (to) safeguard the rights of Tribal and Local communities over land, water and forests,” the letter says.

It adds that the federation considers it its duty to work with people to “effectively contribute to shaping the future of our State and Nation”, and urges voters not to be swayed by money and liquor or considerations of caste, creed and clan.

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 04 May 2014 07:35

http://www.niticentral.com/2014/05/03/ahead-of-last-two-phase-bjp-demands-enhanced-security-at-up-polling-booths-219242.html

Brad -the reason SP is very confident may have something to do with the above. Since, TMC may have changed the results thru booth capturing in WB with a nod and wink from the EC - the same is now expected from SP. This is also the reason for some surprising confidence amongst INC, such as Rahul's statements about poll results. This is the same confidence you see in INC leaders quoted elsewhere, who aree confident that the length of the elections has taken away 20 seats from NDA.

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 04 May 2014 07:43

Dalit beaten to death for refusing to divulge his party choice

JHANSI: An 80-year-old dalit man was beaten to death by some alleged Samajwadi Party workers in Bajna village when he refused to divulge to whom he had voted in the April 30 poll. Moreover, other of his community are now being allegedly threatened by the perpetrators of the crime to either leave the village or face the same fate.

Anantha · Post by **Anantha** » 04 May 2014 07:44

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/buzzword
When Gaffe prone journalists attend a Pak luncheon
Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit and his wife Summiya invited some journalists from the Indian Women's Press Corps for lunch. Two of these journalists, both considered intellectuals, were particularly gaffe prone. One of them asked Summiya whether she was made to wear a burqa when in Pakistan. The high commissioner wryly explained to the lady that it was not mandatory for anyone in Pakistan to wear a burqa and that it depended on personal choice. After the lunch got over, the second journalist made a weak attempt at humour by saying, "Ab to hamne Pakistan ka namak kha liya." Her implication that nothing adverse could be written about Pakistan, left her companions red-faced. The Pakistan high commissioner smiled diplomatically.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 04 May 2014 08:15

Brad Goodman wrote:why is akhilesh barking so hard?
http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/ls ... 140429.htm

'Gujarat is number one in public relations and marketing. Gujarat's PR is strong, it washes like a strong washing soap.'

'The third phase is ours. It is our family and household elections, let him come there...Banaras and UP have taken on the challenge.'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tells Rediff.com contributor Neeta Kolhatkar how he plans to keep Narendra Modi at bay.

Shades of gautam gambhir..

subhamoy.das · Post by **subhamoy.das** » 04 May 2014 08:54

I donot see that the extended poll period has damaged NDA. I was also of similar opinion before but looking at the vote cast % to be historically high, even higher than Indira sympathy wave, it seems to have helped and not damaged NDA. Congi feku strategists can all claim all kind of reasons but then they are feku only and have a long history of relying on govt machinery to influence public opinions so now they have their faith in EC!

vineetmehta · Post by **vineetmehta** » 04 May 2014 09:20

Prem Kumar wrote:Paging Hindi & Telugu speakers. We are focusing our calling efforts on the following areas:

a) Andhra: its a tough fight and needs all the help it can get. Getting all sorts of mixed reports about TDP/BJP advantage vs YSRCP surge

b) Amethi: BJP is sensing a possible opportunity here, though they are still the underdogs. Smriti Irani is doing a wonderful job of energizing the voters & cadre. Bigwigs are having rallies there. 3 of Frederic Ji's friends are already calling. More will help

c) Bihar calling: needless to say, this is crucial given the recent RJD-Congress surge

d) West Bengal: even English speakers are welcome

English speakers are more than welcome. I cant speak a word of Telugu and had no problems talking to Vishakapattnam today. There are plenty of areas where everyone can contribute

If you would like to volunteer, please reply here or in the Modi Call-a-thon thread. This is the slog overs. Lets score the maximum

I can help you with Amethi (Hindi speaking). I gave you my email earlier also. v i n e e t m e h t a @ g m a i l

Patni · Post by **Patni** » 04 May 2014 09:25

Is there any regulation about ordinary citizen or party workers doing videography of all ppl going into booth? maybe a way to ensure that no hanky panky like booth capturing with EC looking the other way happens. Of-course it is assumed that BJP can match or least provide enough protection for its cadres from SP goons!! Shri Amit Shah already seem to be aware of the risk and hoping that BJP can overcome threat of SP goons!!

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 04 May 2014 09:28

Let the dhoti shiver begin... in the psec camp....

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nare ... 58903.html

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 04 May 2014 09:33

vineetmehta wrote:
I can help you with Amethi (Hindi speaking). I gave you my email earlier also. v i n e e t m e h t a @ g m a i l

Vineet Mehta Ji: I have sent you an email. Please reply. Sorry, I must have missed it the last time you had posted.

Anantha · Post by **Anantha** » 04 May 2014 09:35

subhamoy.das wrote:I donot see that the extended poll period has damaged NDA. I was also of similar opinion before but looking at the vote cast % to be historically high, even higher than Indira sympathy wave, it seems to have helped and not damaged NDA. Congi feku strategists can all claim all kind of reasons but then they are feku only and have a long history of relying on govt machinery to influence public opinions so now they have their faith in EC!

Agreed. Congi plan has back fired. The long election schedule has given the one man BJP party more time and Modi has addressed 100's of rallys, and could switch between states even tailor make speeches for tackling individual opposition like Jaya, mamta and Maya more coherently. This would not be possible if it was done in 2 weeks.

Shaktimaan · Post by **Shaktimaan** » 04 May 2014 09:38

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home ... 609104.cms

Mrs.Vadra is taking a back seat to Pappu again because he is back to campaign in Amethi.

In the longer run, choosing Pappu over Mrs. Vadra was a critical mistake by the Congress, which is eventually going to lead to the Dynasty losing relevance in India. Pappu is simply not cut out to be a politician. Poor fellow looks so lost when he's trying to do an "angry young man" type speech.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 04 May 2014 09:45

Adam Roberts ‏@ARobertsjourno 12h

hugely enjoyable two days in Amethi, lovely people but a dreadfully backward constituency. shouldn't the MP be embarrassed by its failures?

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 04 May 2014 10:01

Modi Factor Tilts the Balance in Andhra Pradesh

http://www.theindianrepublic.com/tbp/mo ... 34673.html

Around 9.15 a.m., we reached Madanapalle. There seemed to be no evidence in the town of the big event. No posters, no flexi-boards, no town-crier. I asked a policeman for directions and he said the meeting was on the Bangalore highway. I walked some distance, before taking a share-auto. As we neared the maidan, I found there were hardly any buses or trucks transporting the faithful to the ground. Instead, I saw people walking towards it from all directions. BJP caps and scarves were being given away free on the sidewalk. It was 9.45 a.m., fifteen minutes beyond the scheduled start of the programme.

...
Another helicopter flew in around 11.30, and this time it was the leaders, fresh from a visit to the celebrated temples in Tirumala and Srikalahasti. I sat next to a giant TV screen and saw Mr. Modi, TDP supremo, Chandrababu Naidu, and the current darling of the NDA in AP, Pawan Kalyan, the popular Telugu films star, walk up to the dais. By now the huge enclosure was full, with more people struggling to get in. There was a mild lathi-charge too. A BJP functionary then told the police to allow people in freely. A massive crowd surged in on all sides. It was gross interference with the security apparatus; just that morning, we were told, two bombs had gone off on a train in Chennai Central, killing one and injuring many.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan spoke to rapturous ovation from his fans. He worked up the crowd nicely, condemning Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy and KCR. He said he would not attack local Congressmen, including Mr. K. Chiranjeevi, his brother and union minister. “Their views were ignored by the party high command,” he said, referring to the creation of the separate state of Telengana. I am not sure whether it was due to the crowd surge, but halfway through his speech, the giant LEDs conked. And, as in Krishnagiri, people climbed over the chairs for a better view. Pawan’s fans began to leave, as soon as he concluded his speech. Speaking next, Mr. Naidu dwelt on the sanctity of the alliance. He pointed out that rebel candidates had been expelled from the party.

Mr. Modi asked the people whether they wanted a “scam Andhra or a scheme Andhra,” in a veiled reference to the corruption cases against Mr. Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, leader of the YSR Congress. He invoked Telugu pride, stating that the Congress had made it a habit to insult Telugus. Like at most of his meetings, he had done his homework well and referred to local problems. Madanapalle is part of the tomato belt, and farmers periodically suffer when prices plunge. He spoke about how tomatoes could be processed, to add value to their produce.

The speeches over, the leaders flew away, an hour after they arrived. I made my way to the highway. It was a sea of heads, as far as the eye could see. Traffic was stranded for miles. A young man was telling his friend about a one lakh-strong crowd. I put it at half that number. “Is it a mobilized crowd?” I asked, in jest. “Would people walk in this hot sun, if they had been mobilized?” the guy countered, sneeringly.

The last time I attended a mammoth meeting, where people had not been bussed in, was way back in 1972, when the late MGR launched his AIADMK (then ADMK) in Tamil Nadu. The DMK was in power then, and Mr. M. Karunanidhi was the CM. The government banned transport of people by trucks on the eve of the meeting, and, allegedly, threatened to cancel the permits of omnibus owners who lent their buses to MGR’s fans. Yet, the Marina, in the then Madras, was a sea of humanity when he launched his party that night.

...
“The youth are for Modi, in my college and outside,” he said. How did he feel about the political situation in AP? “TDP will win.” But all opinion polls a couple of months backs were showing Jagan winning easily. “Yes, he would have won, if he were still in jail. He had a lot of sympathy then. That is gone now. The BJP is not a big force here, but Mr. Modi is bringing in the votes of the younger generation.” “Providing incremental value?” I asked, using a mathematical simile. “Exactly. And the BJP will win a few seats it would have never won had it gone alone.

“It will also benefit by cross-voting?” Cross-voting! “Yes,” he replied. What he meant was that even people, who would vote for the YSR Congress to the state assembly, would vote for the BJP Lok Sabha candidate. “The Jai Samaikandhra Party (JSP) is openly asking its voters to do so,” he added. The JSP was floated by Mr. N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, the last CM of united AP. The BJP is contesting in four of the 25 seats in AP, while the TDP is fighting in the rest.

...
But that was about 16 months ago. In 2014, Mr. Naidu sensed the way the wind was blowing and surfaced at a Modi rally in UP, in February. Upcountry writers have been writing about how the BJP badly needed the TDP. Not quite true. Mr. Naidu has made all kinds of promises to the people to regain power. His party has been out of power for ten years. Another five years out in the cold, and Mr. Naidu would have found it difficult to hold on to his flock. He not only needs an ally to win the elections, but also a friendly centre to help him out with funds. The YSR Congress too was looking for an alliance with the BJP. But the BJP had worked with the TDP before and felt more comfortable working with it. After all, the TDP did not dump the BJP midway. That way, Mr. Naidu is more dependable than a Jaya or a Mamata. Today, Mr. Modi sings in praise of Mr. Naidu, almost making him blush. Naidu, in turn, gushingly reciprocates.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 04 May 2014 10:11

Shaktimaan wrote:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home ... 609104.cms

Mrs.Vadra is taking a back seat to Pappu again because he is back to campaign in Amethi.

In the longer run, choosing Pappu over Mrs. Vadra was a critical mistake by the Congress, which is eventually going to lead to the Dynasty losing relevance in India. Pappu is simply not cut out to be a politician. Poor fellow looks so lost when he's trying to do an "angry young man" type speech.

Neither is mrs vadra. She will be an equal failure. But we may be entertained by her activities for the next 15 years. To be followed by her children.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 04 May 2014 13:20

another stupid EC rule, you are not allowed to show your party symbol, but its shown in EVM, EC violating its own rule ???

SRoy · Post by **SRoy** » 04 May 2014 13:35

Rahul M wrote:
SRoy wrote: WB was anyway not taken into consideration for NDA tally. But these (if won) 4-6 seats would have been of immense psychological value.

Krishnanagar is understood. Being a largely rural constituency and away from Kolkata. Can't say about serampore though. Has Bappi Lahiri complained? As in case of Hooghly Chandan Mitra has clearly done so.

Let's see how it goes for North Kolkata, Dum Dum and Barasat.
some other snippets :
> bjp would get 15-16% of total votes polled with 25-30% in some places
> disagrees with the simplistic assumption that muslims would jump tmc for left if MB joins NDA. he says bjp has decent muslim support including party workers and that simplistic assumption doesn't hold
> the thing he is most afraid of is tmc joining hands with bjp if NDA comes to power. "we (left) would be completely finished in WB by hook or crook if that happens"
> claims bjp is cutting into tmc vote more than left (I am not convinced)

Okay, there seem to be some mistakes by the CPIM worker's reported information. KrishnaNagar is yet to go to polls and rigging on 30th April has damaged, if any, only the Serampore constituency. Hooghly had no chance.

BTW, EC has asked for video recordings and reports of all observers. Just short of repoll order, but admitting that there was mischief. Also the press reports that for next rounds all booths will be guarded.
I've feeling there are behind the scene arm twisting or threat of punishment after May 16 to bring EC in line.

As per new information, Modi is slated to address people at Barasat (confirms my information that it has a fighting chance) and KrishaNagar (past BJP seat). So, even after excluding Darjeeling, the chances are Asansol, Kolkata North, Dum Dum, KrishnaNagar and Barasat.
NaMo needs to have a chat with CEC

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 04 May 2014 13:52

Aah Serampore. Bhappida may have had a chance, hence the rigging.