Statewide and National runup to 2014 General elections

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 15 Apr 2013 00:03

^^ I think this video has already been posted.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 15 Apr 2013 01:05

Regarding AP, the buzz is that finally noose is being getting close to KVP Ramachandra Rao. Once the most close associate of YSR and who know every details of Jagan's deals. The other important thing is that he is the conduit between YSRs and KCR and hence KCR is also quite. Current CM wants Jagan, YSR, KCR, Botsa to be arrested and charge sheeted. He already took on MIM. He is showing the glimpses of PVNR by setting the Armageddon in such a way that neither congress not its friends will win the next elections. In addition, he is running a minority government completely dependent on TDP. He is giving a great security to CBN for his padayatra.

TDP's rise has a direct link to current CM of AP and that is not much analyzed by MSM.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 15 Apr 2013 01:09

vijayk wrote: Wouldn't it be ironic if BJP gets enough seats in Telangana and Naidu has to beg BJP for coalition?

Latest is that TRS has announced that it will absolutely go alone. In T region, INC, TRS, TDP, BJP and YSRC will compete and TRS does have an upper hand. BJP's chances are being hyped up. There is still time to see the changes.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 15 Apr 2013 04:09

This gent is a history teacher and I am none. I was writing the same being nothing. It is not just Karnataka, corruption or black money are not electoral issues. Advani is on a wrong track and his twin issues will never bring BJP to center.

Why corruption isn’t a poll issue in Karnataka

Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi Posted online: Thu Apr 11 2013, 03:16 hrs

If the BJP finds itself on the back foot today, it isn’t because of corruption scandals, but due to the splintering of its social coalition
As the stage is set for the state assembly elections in Karnataka, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda recently made a surprising admission: corruption is not an issue in the upcoming elections, and the precipitous decline in political morality can only be arrested by the voting public.

That realism is the source of Gowda’s frankness, and not cynicism, is clear to any keen observer of Karnataka’s politics. But the veteran politician was also stating another essential truth: that the decline in political morality is a broader social phenomenon and not unique to the political class. Hence, corruption has come to be condoned as an acceptable political practice.

Consider the context of Gowda’s remarks. Over the past decade, Karnataka has acquired the dubious distinction of being among the most corrupt states, competing with the likes of Jharkhand. A former chief minister and three of his cabinet members are being prosecuted. Justice Santosh Hegde, in his capacity as Karnataka lokayukta, documented the plundering of natural resources and blatant violation of laws by politician-entrepreneurs. Numerous complaints have been filed with the Karnataka lokayukta against leading politicians from all parties, including former chief ministers, and investigations continue.

Yet, discomfort over the issue of corruption has been restricted largely to the English media, and possibly some upper-class activists. Politicians might invoke corruption rhetorically, but rarely do they propose concrete anti-corruption measures. The BJP government, whose national party donned the role of an anti-corruption crusader inside Parliament as the UPA’s scandals piled up and the debate over the Lokpal bill heated up, even stalled the appointments of the lokayukta for years, let alone strengthened the institution.

Why, then, has corruption not become a core electoral issue, despite the nationwide anti-corruption campaign in recent times?

Consider this: corruption is no longer a visible act, like bribe-taking or collecting commission on state projects. Rather, it has become broad-based manipulation of public policy for private profit and hence, invisible. Notions of the public good are absent from policymaking, as the politician-entrepreneur has taken centrestage. Perhaps this was true even two decades ago, when politicians began establishing capitation-fee-paying medical and technical institutions, or started mining granite. But now the scale of profits, especially from mining (iron ore in Bellary and surrounding districts), as well as the real estate industry in Bangalore, has transformed political culture and policymaking.

Note that the beneficiaries of this new corruption aren’t the old elite from the landowning castes, but upstarts from all caste and economic backgrounds. Invariably, they have entered politics to consolidate their burgeoning business interests and mould public policy for their benefit. Janardhan Reddy is perhaps the best known example of this new breed of politician.

If there hasn’t been vocal opposition to such manipulation of public policy, the reason is simple: this new corruption is often justified as a victimless crime, since only the natural resources owned by the state are being exploited, and no single individual is victimised. More significantly, the spoils of this new corruption are generously shared and percolate to different sections of society. Sharing the wealth of these illicit activities has become the basis for a new political populism in Karnataka.

For instance, apart from feeding people, distributing free rations, clothes and cash to the needy on a daily basis, politicians also offer a wide range of services: distributing sewing machines, pressure cookers, books and scholarships to students, sending people on pilgrimages and so on. Even access to government programmes such as health or crop insurance is mediated through the local politician who will do the paperwork and pay the premium from his pocket. The goal of such largesse is to cultivate loyalty to an individual politician, rather than to a party or an ideology. Not surprisingly, crossing party lines has become quite common, and the BJP’s “Operation Kamala” to seduce opposition party MLAs became a celebrated political tactic.

Unlike the Congress and the JD(S), the BJP in Karnataka was nimble enough to recognise this emerging political culture. Thus, the gateway to the south wasn’t opened by ideological purity or its Hindutva agenda. Instead, the BJP rose to power by diluting its ideology and providing political opportunities for mining barons like the Reddy brothers or the beneficiaries of the real estate boom in Bangalore. From 2004 on, these new entrants generated a new electoral paradigm of heavy spending from personal fortunes and building personal loyalty, both among party activists and voters. They came from several politically under-represented backward castes, which enabled the BJP to build a larger social coalition.

{I was always writing this. UP or AP there is insignificant votebank called as Hindutva vote bank. Trying to climb this tree will take BJP back to two seats }

B.S. Yeddyurappa was the ideal conduit for facilitating this expansion. Moreover, he consolidated Lingayat votes for the BJP and recruited leaders from the Congress. In 2008 and afterward, Yeddyurappa emerged as a shrewd manager of elections, and his stewardship brought rich electoral rewards for the BJP. Since the 2008 elections, he had assiduously cultivated different caste groups by dispensing state resources lavishly.

If the BJP finds itself on the back foot today, it isn’t because of corruption scandals or bad governance; rather, it is the splintering of the social coalition the party had assembled. The departure of Yeddyurappa and the Sriramulu-Reddy factions is a severe blow, worse than anti-incumbency. The BJP’s leaders might celebrate their exits as a cleansing and proclaim the party’s ideological purity, but even they admit in private that if the party hadn’t splintered, and if Yeddyurappa had remained the chief minister, the BJP would have come back to power despite the internal dissent, corruption scandals and conspicuous absence of a governing philosophy.

To say corruption isn’t an issue in the upcoming elections is to recognise the changes in Karnataka’s political culture. Watch Congress leader and CM frontrunner Siddaramaiah gingerly navigate electoral politics as he is challenged by a political neophyte (a former aide to Yeddyurappa), who has spent enormous sums of money cultivating the former’s Varuna constituency just outside Mysore. That tells the story of the Karnataka elections.

The writer teaches history at the Karnataka State Open University, Mysore

That is the reality whether the BJP supporters like it or not. Just for this political treachery, Advani (for being a veteran of several years of political experience and still being impractical) and Ananta Kumar (conspirator) should be expelled from BJP.

ShyamSP · Post by **ShyamSP** » 15 Apr 2013 08:29

Muppalla wrote:This gent is a history teacher and I am none. I was writing the same being nothing. It is not just Karnataka, corruption or black money are not electoral issues. Advani is on a wrong track and his twin issues will never bring BJP to center.

Why corruption isn’t a poll issue in Karnataka

In 2009, TDP's one of main planks of rallying and speeches was INC/YSR corruption but INC/YSR won.

It is okay if Advani takes corruption as issue as long as Namo's development idea takes center stage of rallying. Corruption has to be rallying point where it matters but if BJP makes it central point, INC would rub on MMS, Yuvaraj can take removing corruption as poll issue also. Besides voters would have to put up with Aam Admi peoples' antics.

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 15 Apr 2013 09:10

In AP - the latest news is TDP leader from Warangal has suggested very strongly to CBN that TDP and BJP should join as BJP has votes to add to TDP in entire state. With CPM and CPI(which is planing to go with Jagan gang) are not so keen on joining TDP as of now, the CBN may find it very difficult to go alone. Supposing he contests along with BJP and even if CBN does not win AP but NDA comes in Delhi CBN can be a central cabinet minister. At state level he can always promote his son Lokesh. If CBN remainins alone now(or even after elections) and loss state elections then he will be out of power for 15 years long and it will be difficult to maintain the party and TDP may disintegrate soon. So CBN will have to think carefully. But many time CBN is simply too smart for his own good and too insecure.

Pappu is going to compaingn in Karnataka ha ha ha.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 15 Apr 2013 09:54

The power situation in AP is horrendous, makes even a person from TN like me feel bad for them especially the rising unemployment which will hit blue collar workers the most. Yet the people want to vote for "some" congress, this time YSRC because of "sentiment"! I fully feel they deserve it, makes me sad to see the original land of my ancestors before they moved to south TN becoming fully EJized.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 15 Apr 2013 10:44

Narayan rao garu, could you pls putup link where it says pappu will campaign in K'taka? Its great news if true, going by his past record.

Folks had in the past raised concerns about NM's vote getting ability outside GJ. I recall examples of NM's campaigning in HP and how BJP still lost that state etc. OK, point is that once NM campaigns not as another BJP neta but as presumptive PM candidate, the impact of such a campaign in an LS (rather than an assembly) poll is much greater. Or so I hope.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 15 Apr 2013 10:47

Off with his head? Hardly

Brilliant expose of ajit Peewar's wars by MJ Akbar. Recommended read.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 15 Apr 2013 11:42

This is very interesting. So, Reddy brothers are with BJP and they aren't funding their own BSR Congress.

Now what has made Sriramulu this desperate that he decided to approach the BJP which he had quit? Sources say that Sriramulu had met with Janardhan Reddy in jail and after discussing the political scenario, the latter refused to fund the BSR Congress.

Moreover Karunakar Reddy, who decided to stay back in the BJP and fight the election from Davangere, also advised his brother not to fund the BSR Congress.

The Reddy brothers felt that the BSR Congress ought to have become a formidable force in the Bellary region. However, they do not see that happening and hence feel that it is better to stay away.

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/karna ... 130414.htm

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 15 Apr 2013 11:55

Himachal lost to BJP because of infighting. So hardly a fit example. Even now in Karnataka BJP is in serious problem. the question is when to use NaMo - Is it in Assembly elections which in all probally a lost coause or wait and use it in parliamentory elections by which time INC will face ani -incumbency both in Karnataka and in Delhi. Remember Karnataka regularly votes difforently in MLA and MP elections. The most hate (by BR people) Anantha Kumar won some 5 times to Loksabha from here.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 15 Apr 2013 12:04

Narayana Rao wrote:Himachal lost to BJP because of infighting. So hardly a fit example. Even now in Karnataka BJP is in serious problem. the question is when to use NaMo - Is it in Assembly elections which in all probally a lost coause or wait and use it in parliamentory elections by which time INC will face ani -incumbency both in Karnataka and in Delhi. Remember Karnataka regularly votes difforently in MLA and MP elections. The most hate (by BR people) Anantha Kumar won some 5 times to Loksabha from here.

Infighting is one reason, and there are many others. But in the final analysis, one man can do only so much and no more.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 15 Apr 2013 17:36

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/karna ... 130415.htm
Karnataka Cong faces infighting, tantrums and boycotts

With only weeks to go before the state assembly elections, the Congress’s Karnataka [ Images ] unit is desperately trying to hush up its perpetually squabbling leaders.

Senior Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah and Dr Parameshwar have directly appealed to their party workers to fight the elections in a united manner, but they are in no mood to listen.

Congress General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry has been asked by party Vice President Rahul Gandhi [ Images ] to obtain a feedback from the district unit chiefs. Tickets in most constituencies are being issued based on this feedback. This process has irked many Congressmen who believe that Mistry might give a report in favour of candidates of his choice.

Actor and rebel leader Ambareesh is making matters worse for the Congress. He was part of the first list of candidates and had been given a ticket from Mandya. But Ambareesh has threatened to boycott the elections as a candidate of his choice was not fielded from Srirangapatana.

L Ravi, the candidate from Melkote constituency and a staunch supporter of Ambareesh, has also threatened to withdraw.

The party is yet to finalise candidates for nine constituencies -- Rajarajeshwarinagar, Hebbal, Belgaum South, Davangere North, Bhadravati, Kaup, Chikkaballapur, Malur and Puttur.

Former ministers H M Revanna and C K Jaffer Sharrief both have their eyes on Hebbal constituency. Sharrief is seeking a ticket for his grandson Rehman.

Both former minister C M Ibrahim and sitting Member of Legislative Assembly Sangameshwar are seeking a ticket for Bhadravathi constituency.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which has witnessed considerable infighting in the five years it has been in power, has decided to keep away all tainted leaders.

The leaders who have been left out in the cold include Katta Subramanya Naidu, Krishnaiah Shetty and Y Sampangi.

Though all three leaders are popular and expected to win in their respective constituencies, the BJP may not give them election tickets due to the corruption charges against them.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 15 Apr 2013 19:05

Substantial number of tweets are telling that it could be a hung house in KA.

Virendra · Post by **Virendra** » 15 Apr 2013 19:15

KhanGrace didn't do Coalgate properly after eating CBI sweets.
Now there are Media germs attacking openly.
Still I think this should have broken out a few months later. For our sakes.

I remember how we (in office) used to write off UPA-I after 26/11.
What happened in 2009 is history

Regards,
Virendra

Virendra · Post by **Virendra** » 15 Apr 2013 19:19

Oops !!
Rahul's constituency Amethi no longer a district
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-new ... 44640.aspx
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday struck down the district status of Amethi terming its creation as illegal.

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 15 Apr 2013 23:16

mupalla, i said as much previously, bulk of KA into Hinduism as a self affirming exercise, but not interested in imposing self on others. Unfair characterizations, they will revolt against. but not likely to impose themselves. digas will rally to make bhyrappa a best seller, but that doesnot necessarily mean uncondtional support to shortfuse hindutva agenda.

bhajpa, didnot win KA because of its agenda. cannot ever win on that.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 15 Apr 2013 23:51

http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-sh ... 130415.htm
An economic disaster is brewing in India

Rising CAD, low growth & inflation may spark off an economic crisis in India, says Ajay Chhibber.

The word "stagflation" is being used to describe India's macroeconomic predicament.

While India is not stagnant, its growth rate has steadily declined, and with persistent inflation, the policy makers were already facing difficult choices.

Now, a surprisingly high external deficit suggests a perfect storm could be brewing.

India's current account balance recorded a historical deficit of 4.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in financial year 2011-12.

Recent quarters have seen a further deterioration. For the first three quarters of 2012-13, the deficit stood at 5.4 per cent, and in the last quarter, it reached a record high of 6.7 per cent of GDP.

The history of financial and economic crises from Latin America in the 1980s to Asia in the 1990s, and plenty of industrialised countries in between, clearly shows that large and persistent current account deficits (CADs) can precipitate financial and, subsequently, economic disasters.

A CAD of over five per cent of GDP is considered a red line among policy makers and financial markets.

India was stuck at GDP's "Hindu rate of growth" of three per cent for almost three decades after Independence.

In the 1980s and the 1990s, the growth rate stepped up to five to six per cent on average, and then soared to eight to nine per cent from 2002-2007.

India, some experts said, was on the "golden turnpike of growth".

With the global financial crisis, growth fell to around six per cent in 2008-09, but when India recovered quickly after that with growth picking up to nine per cent in 2009-10, it seemed the country truly was back on a "golden growth turnpike".

But since 2009-10, the growth rate has shown a persistent decline.

While some thought we would step down to the five to six per cent growth rate of the 1990s, we now run the danger of going further back to the so-called "Hindu growth rate".

A large CAD with a decade-long low GDP growth add to the concern that if these trends are not quickly addressed, India runs huge risks.

Since mid-2012, foreign inflows have financed CAD, but if growth were not to pick up, they could dry up and even reverse - causing a sharp and destabilising slide in the rupee.

Lower growth and high inflation are ultimately linked to the high fiscal deficits for the last three years. But that is not the complete story.

The lack of competitive exchange rate and structural and administrative reforms have contributed heavily, making manufacturing uncompetitive.

The country's private investment rate as percentage of GDP has fallen from 28.1 in 2007-08 to 24.9 in 2011-12.

When the rupee fell to Rs 58 to the US dollar last June, exports looked up, but as the rupee again appreciated back to Rs 55, manufactured imports - largely consumer goods, not capital goods - have soared.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Apr 2013 00:52

Deccan Chronicle

Karnataka Wrap-up in three weeks

Lots of psy-ops and hip language. Dont know if the writer is serious or nuts.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 16 Apr 2013 01:01

Deccan Chronicle is a pro-INC media group that now also owns NewsX. But INC has a good chance to get majority. Shettar looks like a decent guy. Should have been brought much earlier. Unless the Lingayats stick to BJP or vote tactically with KJP - the BJP is looking at defeat.

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 16 Apr 2013 09:01

Shettar has good future and at least in LokSabha elections there is hope. Even in Karnataka and AP the people are supporting Modi for PM post. So come Parliament election BJP projecting Modi as PM should do very well in Karnataka and also in Telangana region of AP.

Ashok Sarraff · Post by **Ashok Sarraff** » 16 Apr 2013 18:00

Narayana Rao wrote:Shettar has good future and at least in LokSabha elections there is hope. Even in Karnataka and AP the people are supporting Modi for PM post. So come Parliament election BJP projecting Modi as PM should do very well in Karnataka and also in Telangana region of AP.

I talked to two CS grad students (girls) originally from AP and tried to get a sense of the level of support for Modi in their group. I was pleasantly surprised to know that these two girls and all their AP friends are diehard supporters of Modi (according to them). We cannot extrapolate this to the aam-janata in AP, but it seems that the Modi wave is influencing people, including educated women, in areas where BJP has little to no presence.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 16 Apr 2013 18:28

^^Facebook's 'share' button is playing a big role in this.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 16 Apr 2013 19:53

Votes votes votes, are any of them going to vote?

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 16 Apr 2013 20:46

not shettar.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 16 Apr 2013 20:49

^ Is shetter a polarizing figure too?

I thought Congress and paid-media said that Indian democracy is not presidential but party based. Then why this hair-splitting on BJP leaders only?

Does it mean the leader is more important than the party, election process, policies and voters?

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 16 Apr 2013 21:04

i dont know. shettar is not likely to win votes is SoKa. thats a fact. south of tunga issues and agendas are different thats all. bjp didnt win KA because of their agenda.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 16 Apr 2013 22:08

Regarding KT, I am reminded of MP after Uma Bharti left. No one gave SSC a chance. But he made history and is likely to be elected again. Shettar may be low key but if he appears sincere and if the Sangh machinery is behind him who knows what will happen.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 17 Apr 2013 01:45

http://www.gulte.com/news/16476/Jagans- ... In-Pockets

Politics means not just looting money but also spending money. At least the minimum needs of cadres are to be met to make any political program a big success. Else, cadres cry and will say bye.

On a whole, the Paada Yaatra of Sharmila is heard costing a bomb for local leaders. They say that amassing crowds, supplying water packets and providing shelters and convoys is not an easy talk. All these things don't come for free and YSR-Congress local cadres are spending a bomb to get everything in place. However high-command is sending no single penny for the arrangements and finally cadres at root level has given up over this. â€˜Sharmila says that she is an arrow released by Jagan, but it is surprising that Jagan has released only arrow but not money for her journey', said a YSR-C leader who is getting ready to jump into another party.

It the party cadres can't handle a Paada Yaatra properly, and if money is required to bring every single person for road show, imagine what will be the position of YSR-Congress during elections. Maybe they can get votes only if they spend money.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 17 Apr 2013 07:17

Folks, please post C-Voter Times results from their survey. It is projecting a 93 seats for INC and that is a very important number as never ever INC was projected that low irrespective of its later hara-kiri. It is being swept away from Maha and AP and itself will kill UPA. In AP TDP seems to be getting 20+ seats and will probably be single largest there after Jagan. It is even losing Haryana to INLD (both father and son are in Jail). See the irony, Jagan, Chautala et al are going to win because they are in jail.

Is there a chart like results somewhere? Video is too long to watch all that.

BJP 140 is not to worry. Now it is very clear that they need to go with a leader who can rally its voters.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 17 Apr 2013 07:23

I already posted in Modi thread.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 17 Apr 2013 10:31

There are those who aver that the INC has no incentive really to empower people through education, rising incomes etc. Here's circumstantial evidence for why:

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 17 Apr 2013 10:40

Hari Seldon wrote:There are those who aver that the INC has no incentive really to empower people through education, rising incomes etc. Here's circumstantial evidence for why:

Excellent saar. This the sort of real deal that makes the day!!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Apr 2013 11:25

"LPG" cylinder blast near BJP office in blr. 3 cars badly damaged. police have immediately ruled out terror angle.
http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pi ... blast1.jpg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Apr 2013 13:23

13:37 Bangalore blast: Bomb placed on stolen motorbike : Update on the Bangalore blast:

Karnataka home minister says it was election time and there was a huge crowd at the BJP office.

TV reports says that the bomb was placed on a stolen Yamaha bike.

Hospital sources say all the 16 injured are out of danger, including the two who were said to be critically injured.

Tjhe Karnataka DG says none of the vehicles were CNG and therefore the earlier possibility that it was a LPG kit blast has been firmly ruled out.

The BJP says they were the targets of the terror attack.
13:21 Bangalore blast: Timer device, IED may have been used: Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa reports that preliminary investigations into the Bangalore blasts points towards the use of a timer device. The police have not ruled out the use of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which could have been used in the bomb blast.

Although a lot of the investigation is based on theory at the moment, the police say that taking into consideration the sheer intensity of the blast, it becomes evident that it was assembled by a professional and aimed at causing a huge impact.

The police have taken the hard disk from the CCTV atop of the BJP office, that is believed to be the target. The BJP office is barely 100 metres from the blast site. Traffic cameras as well which are being examined the police also add.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 17 Apr 2013 13:57

^A second blast has been reported from the Hebbal flyover in Blr.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Apr 2013 14:20

source?

Virendra · Post by **Virendra** » 17 Apr 2013 14:26

Anyone read Shakeel Ahmed's tweet?
The fear psychosis has made the Congies nuts. Already losing their minds I think.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 17 Apr 2013 14:52

^^Yup. 'Losing their minds' is apt. Esp since they lost their beeHinds to Italy a long time ago.

Chandragupta · Post by **Chandragupta** » 17 Apr 2013 15:12

Virendra wrote:Anyone read Shakeel Ahmed's tweet?
The fear psychosis has made the Congies nuts. Already losing their minds I think.

What did he say? Can you copy & paste please?