LARGESST AND SMALLEST CONSTITUENCIES

ELECTION EXPENDITURE SINCE 1952

60 MONTHS NEEDED TO WIPE OUT THE DAMAGE OF 60 YEARS

Seeking to capitalise on the anti-incumbency mood in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today sought 60 months of governance to undo the "damage" caused by Congress in the last 60 years. "They (Congress and their allies) have destroyed the country for the past 60 years and I have come to you to give me 60 months so that I can bring the country out of the damage and destruction caused by Congress," he said at a public rally here today. Modi said he sought this time not to merely sit on the chair of power, but to become a "chowkidar" or guardian of the country. "Country needs a chowkidar (guard) and please give me 60 months. For 60 years you have chosen the rulers. I want to urge you to choose a sevak (servant) for 60 months. Do you want a ruler or a servant? Please get rid of this country from these rulers," Modi said. Harping on development, Modi said his policy plans, ideology and work revolve around development as nothing can be done without it. Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi for terming Congress as an ideology, he said, "but Congress has fallen into a deep rethinking on how to contain Modi. I want to tell Shehzada that country has been destroyed due to your ideology. It does not have the strength to bear the burden of your ideology". "Is Congress an ideology? Has J&K emerged from ideology of Nehru? Has it done any good done to the state? Had Sardar Patel's ideology been implemented it would have benefited Kashmir. It is the country which has to decide and move ahead. "Was the ideology of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee correct or that of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah," Modi asked.

CONGRESS ASSURES RIGHT TO HEALTH

Fighting Lok Sabha polls with its back to the wall, Congress today promised in its manifesto an ambitious six-point charter of pro-poor measures, including the right to affordable healthcare, housing and pension, and to uplift 80 crore of the population to the middle class. It has also set out a special Youth and Student Agenda committing to train 10 crore youth and give them employment opportunities in five years. A highlight of the document is that Congress has also committed to finding a way forward for introducing reservation in education and employment for economically weaker sections of all communities "without in any way affecting existing reservations for SC, ST and OBC". The manifesto released by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, vowed to restore the country's sluggish economy to 8 per cent-plus growth rate within three years. Titled "Your Voice our Pledge", the manifesto has come out with a 15-point agenda for socio-economic and political transformation of the country. The agenda includes protection of minorities, empowerment of women and fight for their security, enhanced legal protection and resource allocation for SCs and STs and strongly protecting the interests of OBCs. The charter of rights that will be put in place also includes the right to social security, the right to dignity and humane working conditions and the right to entrepreneurship. The new rights will supplement the other rights established under UPA I and UPA II like Right to Food, Right to Information, Right to Education, Right to Employment and rights to fight corruption. To support the right to health, Congress will increase health expenditure to 3 per cent of GDP and provide universal and quality healthcare for all, including free medicines. The manifesto has fallen back on left-of-centre policies focusing on welfare measures and widening the ambit of rights- based legislations. Expressing a resolve to tackle corruption, an issue that has hit UPA-II in the form of scams like 2G, coal and CWG, the party assured the nation that it will appoint a special envoy on black money. Amid demands that job reservation be extended to the private sector, the party committed itself to creating a national consensus on affirmative action in this regard. 
The manifesto also unveiled a 100-day agenda for a new Congress-led government for growth noting that the immediate priority is to ensure that the economy gets back on track to clock 8 per cent growth. The party said it will introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Parliament and ensure the law is enacted within one year. It also promised a new Direct Tax Code Bill in the first year of the 16th Lok Sabha. It will announce a detailed jobs agenda to ensure that 10 crore new jobs and entreprenuership opportunities for youth are created.
On fiscal consolidation, the manifesto said Congress will achieve the target of fiscal deficit of three per cent of Gross Domestic Product by 2016-17 and always keep it below that level.
As regards industrial growth, the manifesto said the party will focus on manufacturing and especially manufacturing for export. "We propose that all taxes, central and state, which go into an exported product, should be waived or rebated. We also propose that there should be minimum traiff protection so that that there is incentive to manufacture goods in India rather than import them into India." The party is also committed to creation of industrial corridors to catalyze economic growth and give a focussed thrust to manufacturing in the country. It pledged to spend USD one trillion on upgrading India's infrastructure in the coming decade with the firm belief that it will serve as the backbone of the country's growth. On Sachar Committee recommendations for upliftment of Muslims, the document promised to work "tirelessly" to ensure that every single recommendation is reviewed and efforts are made for their implementation.
The Congress manifesto said the party will ensure safety and security of women and children and provide them with equal access to social, economic and political opportunities. It said fast track courts will be established with 'in-camera' proceeding facilities in state headquarters and in regional centres to deal with cases relating to crimes against women. "Mandatory procedure for rapid conclusion of cases where custody of children is involved shall be put in place," it said. Congress said it will expedite measures like creation of functional helplines in all major towns and cities and rural areas for prompt grievance redressal for women, exclusive 24-hour transport facilities and gender sensitivity classes for policemen and women, particularly in registering and investigating complaints made by women. The document said Congress will provide a special youth development package for Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas with special focus on women and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. "We will start a special drive for recruitment of North East and Jammu and Kashmir youth in railways, army and other central government departments. Referring to the judiciary and the legal system, the manifesto said Congress will support all initiatives to make higher and lower judiciaries "truly representative of the diversity of our society".
"This will be done in consultation with and with the guidance of the Chief Justice of India and his/her companion judges and without derogation from the independence of the judiciary.  

MALKAJGIRI HOT SPOT?

Just as Varanasi Lok Sabha seat is attracting nation-wide attention because of high-profile candidates jumping into the poll fray, the Malkajgiri segment in Andhra Pradesh too is arousing a lot of curiosity even before the battle has begun, as names of some top leaders are being tipped as prospective contenders for the constituency. Malkajgiri, a peripheral constituency in Hyderabad, is currently being represented by Union Minister of State for Road Transport Sarvey Satyanarayana. Names of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhar Rao, Jana Sena founder and Telugu film star Pawan Kalyan and Lok Satta Party chief N Jayaprakash Narayan have been doing rounds as "prospective" candidates for the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat. Chandrababu's son N Lokesh's name was also heard some time ago but subsequently he dropped out. In fact, Chandrababu's name was also floated by the TDP leaders themselves though he himself never expressed any intention so far to go to Lok Sabha. While Sarvey announced he would seek re-election from Malkajgiri and also exuded confidence that he would win by a margin of five lakh votes, three senior TDP MLAs - Mothkupalli Narasimhulu, Errabilli Dayakar Rao and A Revanth Reddy - are also lobbying for a ticket here. Bureaucrat-turned-politician Jayaprakash Narayan, who is currently an MLA from Kukatpally segment, announced he would contest the Lok Sabha election this time and has already started campaigning in Malkajgiri. He hopes the seat will fall in his kitty as part of the alliance with TDP and BJP. JP's candidature is being opposed by the TDP aspirants on the ground that he is a "non-local". Ironically, it is the "non-locals" who can make or mar the chances of a candidate here. Of the seven Assembly segments under Malkajgiri, Kukatpally and Malkajgiri (Assembly) have a predominant population of Seemaandhra voters while segments like L B Nagar and Uppal too have sizeable number of them. Secunderabad Cantonment is a "cosmopolitan" segment with a large number of non-Telangana voters. 
Given such voter profile, the non-local argument may not hold water in Malkajgiri. The TRS chief has decided to contest the Assembly election from Gajwel in Medak district and as a second option is said to be eyeing Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat. There is, however, no official word yet from the TRS on Malkajgiri though the speculation is rife that he is also considering Bhuvanagiri as an alternative. The Jana Sena founder is expected to announce his political plans at a public meeting in Visakhapatnam tomorrow and also clear the air over his electoral battle. If the Jana Sena too joins the proposed TDP-BJP-Lok Satta alliance, Pawan may make way for JP in Malkagiri. As of now, the scene remains hazy and some clarity is expected by April 2 when notification for the polls will be issued. 

ELECTION SPENDING Rs.5000 CRORES

India will spend over Rs 5,000 crore on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with around Rs 10 crore estimated to be spent on each constituency on an average, the Election Commission said today. Conduct of Assembly elections in four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh -- will cost the exchequer about Rs 1,000 crore, Election Commissioner H S Brahma said.
Stating this here, he noted that the EC had raised the cap of spending by each candidate during Lok Sabha polls in bigger states to Rs 70 lakh from Rs 40 lakh. For smaller states, the cap will be Rs 54 lakh. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in nine phases from April 7 to May 12. Alongside, polls will be held to assemblies of four states. Noting that money power is creating an "uneven playing field" in the elections, he said this was a challenge along with criminalisation of politics. "Sadly, the biggest challenge to all of us today is the nexus between the politicians and crime and secondly the money power," he said. He said some candidates are unhappy with the cap on election spending imposed by the EC as they contend that the expenditure incurred by them is much more than this, Brahma said during a CII interaction. "One gentlemen came up to me and said why did you raise it to only Rs 70 lakh...raise it to Rs three crore, how can we fight elections with only Rs 70 lakh," the Election Commissioner said. "When I asked how much you would be spending, he said he would spend more than Rs 35 crore. Further, he said he can manage to raise the amount," Brahma said. Citing another example, he said a candidate in Andhra Pradesh was ready to spent as much as Rs 100 crore over elections.

GUIDELINES FOR ELECTION JETS

With growing number of private charters now flying VIPs for poll campaigning, DGCA today came out with a list of do's and don'ts for business jet operators and warned them and their pilots of penal action if these safety guidelines were not adhered to. The set of guidelines also directs the operators and flight crew to ensure that no unauthorised cash, narcotics or arms are carried in the flight. The guidelines also include submission of passenger manifests to the aviation regulator a week in advance. The flight crew would have to carry local and other maps during flight for navigation and "shall not rely on GPS (global positioning system) only", the guidelines said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the flight crew to google helipad coordinates as an additional measure to check their correctness, suitability and other flying aspects like obstacles (for instance, tall trees and high tension wires) and landing and take-off directions, among others. A special cell has also been set up within DGCA to monitor the flights of the non-scheduled charter operators, official sources said. These guidelines, many of which already exist, as also surveillance and regular checks by DGCA are basically meant to keep the private operators on their toes, they said. The latest circular also lays down penalty for non- compliance of guidelines which include suspension of operations, flying licence as well as the pilot's licence. Copies of the latest circular has been sent to the Election Commission, state governments and all the non- scheduled operators. 
The guidelines came three days after the regulator grounded a business jet owned by Reliance Industries after a surprise inspection at the Delhi airport for carrying expired safety equipment on board and suspended its pilot for flying without a licence. The aircraft was later cleared after RIL replaced the equipment and furnished the required documents. DGCA had also inspected Jindal Steel and Power Limited's Global Express BD 700 aircraft and found several lapses. Election flying is a highly demanding exercise in terms of skill levels and professionalism, the sources said, adding, long flying hours, large number of take-offs and landings, weather changes, lack of proper rest, hurriedly prepared helipads, crowd control and congested airspace, pose serious challenge to air travel during polls. Besides, frequent changes in itinerary, time management, highly stressed security arrangement, surcharged crowd, difficult and disturbed areas and lack of adequate communication also pose risk, they said. 

RIVER, WEAVER & SEWER

In order to strike a balance between the diverse communities in Varanasi, AAP will focus on tree major issues- river, weaver and sewer- when it takes on BJP's Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi. The issues are likely to be raised by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal in his rally here tomorrow, where he is expected to declare his candidature against Modi. The party will develop its campaign focusing on problems of river pollution, lack of development and the poor condition of weavers, mostly from the minority community. "We are going to focus on these three major issues (river-weaver and sewer) in Varanasi during our campaign," party leader and UP in-charge Sanjay Singh told PTI. Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency has five assembly segments of which three are urban- Varanasi North, Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantonment- while the other two Sevapuri and Rohaniya are rural. It is currently represented by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi in Parliament. Pollution of rivers is a major issue here and it has also found place in party;s local manifesto, which is being distributed ahead of Kejriwal’s rally tomorrow. "Do we want Ganga and other rivers to be a source of clean water and life?" the pamphlet, which is being distributed, states. "Varansai has been named after Varuna and Assi rivers. More than 15-20 sewer lines are emptied in Ganga at the Assi ghat. Forget drinking, the water is not even fit for taking a bath," said Rakesh Pandey AAP’s coordinator in Varanasi.
The party is also focusing on the plight of weavers community. "They have a lot of problems that need to be looked into. No one has been able to solve their issues," Singh said. The weavers, almost all belonging to the minority community, are scattered in North and South Varanasi. The area has a population of around 1.5 lakh voters, which the party intends to woo.The city also has a small powerloom industry. The party also intends to hit the BJP in urban areas, where it has a sizeable number of voters and is planning to take on the saffron party by raising the issue of development and the bad sewer system in the city. "The city has a BJP mayor, MLA and MP, but still the new sewer system built recently is in a bad shape. This leads to problems during monsoon," said Pandey. Party sources said that by addressing these issues, the party intends to attract voters not only from different communities, but also from a varied social segments. "We are trying to strike a fine balance by looking into these issues as it will hurt all the parties not only in urban parts of the constituency, but also the rural parts of Varanasi," said a local AAP leader. 

"SON RISE" IN TN

Notwithstanding the debate over dynasty politics, leaders prefer to handover baton of their political empire to their wards rather than to senior colleagues as is seen in Tamil Nadu. Be it the DMK, where its chief M Karunanidhi's younger son M K Stalin has emerged as the next in command, or PMK or the Congress, sons appear to be taking the lead as the parties battle it out in the April 24 Lok Sabha elections. The succession war on who would be the political heir to Karunanidhi in DMK appear to have been resolved with the emergence of Stalin, who has dumped his elder brother M K Alagiri. Strongman of DMK in the southern Tamil Nadu, Alagiri not only lost the war but has also been suspended from the party for alleged indiscipline ahead of the general elections. Stalin, who has earned the nickname "Thalapathi" (Commander) among the party cadres, is commanding the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kalazhgam in the electioneering as his father and cadres pin their hopes on him to revive the party which was routed by AIADMK in the 2011 assembly polls and finished third behind actor-politician Vijaykanth's DMDK.
Stalin, well trained under the tutelage of his politically seasoned father, has so far lived up to the expectations of the party in taking firm decisions on various issues including forging of alliances for Lok Sabha polls. According to DMK circles, it was Stalin, who successfully blocked renewal of poll truck with Congress, despite repeated attempts by the Sonia Gandhi-led party to persuade the former UPA trusted ally to take it on board. The 89-year-old wheelchair-confined Karunanidhi has entrusted the electioneering task across Tamil Nadu to Stalin and considering his fragile health and age, he would only be lending support to him by campaigning in select constituencies. 
The task of improving upon DMK's tally of 18 seats in 2009 Lok Sabha election this time rests on Stalin, who is leaving no stone unturned to turn the party's fortunes. The backward community Vanniyar-based PMK, a regional outfit is also witnessing a son's rise with Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, being catapulted to the centre stage by his father and party founder leader Dr S Ramadoss. The role played by Anbumani, a former union minister, in clinching an alliance with BJP, much to the chargin of his father, indicated his emergence in the party and its affairs. Congress veteran and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram has handed over his Sivaganga constituency to his son Karti, indicating it would be his ward who would take forward his political empire in the state. Though Chidambaram underlined the need to promote younger generation, his decision to shy away from contest in the coming polls has come under sharp attack from BJP and could have stemmed from the state of disarray the Congress finds itself in the state, having been isolated without allies. Will the rise of sons ensure a shining fortunes for their fathers, is to be seen. 

SHOW VOTING MARK AND GET DISCOUNT

In a first of its kind initiative to encourage people to come in large number to vote, shopping malls, shops and business establishments in Bardhaman district will give special discounts to voters who show indelible ink mark on their left forefingers, official sources said today.
Burdwan District Magistrate and District Election Officer (DEO) Saumitra Mohan held series of meetings with various chambers of commerce, market committees, markets and shopping malls including big brands/market chains and persuaded them to give special discount to voters who show their EPIC or the indelible ink mark on their left forefingers to show that he/she has exercised franchise on pre specified dates, the sources said.
A voter can get some discount/concession while shopping at the production of his/her EPIC on the pre specified dates that he/she has exercised his franchise by showing left finger marked with indelible ink, the sources said.
"We hope that as a result of this initiative, first of its kind in the country, we shall encourage voter participation during the ensuing polls...the discount rates vary from 5 to 10 per cent depending upon the capacity of the vendor/agency concerned...," Mohan told PTI.
There are three Lok Sabha constituencies in Bardhaman district they are - Bardhaman Purba, Bardhaman - Durgapur and Asansol.
Bardhaman Purba and Bardhaman Durgapur constituency will go to the polls on April 30 while the elections will be held in the Asansol Lok Sabha seat on May 7.

ELECTION TOURISM IN KERALA

With election fever gripping Kerala, tour operators are trying to lure holidayers by promising them a feel of the battle of ballot in the politically hyperactive state. Some have launched special packages for foreign tourists to enable them get a closer view of the vibrant election scene, along with its panoramic locations already reputed for their charm the world over. They believe that the total ambience of the election season with villages and towns afloat with colourful posters and banners, squads of grassroot workers moving in door-to-door canvassing, marches and street corner meetings, will certainly be a novel experience for foreign visitors. Mass participation in elections, approachability of candidates and politicial sensitivity of commoners could be of interest to foreign holidayers, tour operators said. Tomi Pulikkattil, an Alappuzha-based tour operator, said foreigners are keen to know about the election procedure in India and like to watch live camapigns and rallies. "The concept of poll tourism is actually our brainchild. The curiosity shown by tourists in our elections has actually made us think about working out an innovative package," he told PTI. He has listed "poll tourism" in the website of his firm along with other services like 'monsoon mantra', 'vanitha house boat' and 'ayurvedic house boat'. "Our customers will get a chance to have a close look at electioneering in Alappuzha, the hub of Kerala's water tourism, through houseboat cruise," he said. Around 65 tourists from various countries like US, France, Germany and England had availed of the package when it was first introduced in 2004 general elections. A group of 15 German tourists were taken around Alappuza and Varkala during the 2009 elections, he said. Tomi said his group had already communicated to their counterparts abroad about this year's 'poll tourism package'. The itinerary would be worked out on getting their replies. Many local and national tour operators are also coming up with similar packages, which offer customers many interesting features, ranging from taking tourists to hot campaign spots to introducing them to key contestants.

CARPORATE ELECTORAL TRUSTS

With Lok Sabha polls set to begin next month, at least 14 electoral trusts have been set up by various business houses, including by giants like Tatas, Reliance, Mahindras and Bajajs, for contributing funds to various political parties.
Being registered under a new framework that mandatorily requires 'Electoral Trust' in the name, the concept has been introduced to bring in more transparency into political funding activities.
According to data available with the Corporate Affairs Ministry, at least 14 electoral trusts have been registered and the count is expected to rise further as many other corporates have initiated process to set up such entities before polls start for electing the 16th Lok Sabha.
Some of these trusts have decided to release funds to political parties after the elections, while some others are already believed to have made certain contributions.
The corporate houses that have set up electoral trusts under the new regulatory framework in recent months include Tatas, Reliance, Bajajs and Mahindras.
Bharatiya Socialist Republican Electoral Trust, Bajaj Electoral Trust and Jankalyan Electoral Trust, are among those already registered, according to latest data available with the Corporate Affairs Ministry.
Progressive Electoral Trust has been established by Tatas while Reliance group has set up People's Electoral Trust. Mining major Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta group has registered the Janhit Electoral Trust.
Satya Electoral Trust has been formed by Bharti group while MP Birla group has incorporated the Paribartan Electoral Trust and K K Birla group has registered the Samaj Electoral Trust Association.
The remaining five are Mahindra Electoral Trust Company, Pratinidhi Electoral Trust, Reformative Electoral Trust of India, Gauri Welfare Association Electoral Trust and Harmony Electoral Trust.
Names of many of the trusts do not identify with the business or corporate with which they are associated. In some instances, the trusts and their respective corporate house share common address.
Although business houses have been funding political parties, the idea of electoral trust is aimed at streamlining the process as well as to usher in more transparency.
For political funding purposes, companies and other entities can register non-profit trusts which would help in differentiating them from other group firms with business interests. 
The upcoming polls, that would be spread during the period from April 7 to May 12, is being keenly watched not only for the contest between major political parties BJP and Congress but also for the presence of new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
To facilitate the registration of electoral trusts, the Corporate Affairs Ministry has also amended its 'Name Availability Guidelines'.
Electoral trusts are registered as non-profit ventures under Section 8 of the Companies Act.
Prior to this, these trusts could be set up under Section 25 of the Companies Act as per the tax department's Electoral Trusts Scheme, 2013.
Corporates are entitled for tax benefits with regard to electoral trusts subject to certain conditions. The benefits can be availed only if the trusts distribute 95 per cent of the total contributions received in a particular fiscal to registered political parties in that same year itself.
As part of ensuring utmost transparency in the functioning of electoral trusts, these entities are barred from receiving donations in cash. Foreign citizens are not allowed to contribute money to the trusts.
Besides, while accepting contributions, the trusts are required to take Permanent Account Numbers of all resident Indian donors and passport numbers in case of non-resident Indians. 

29 WON LESS THAN 30% VOTES

Amid debate over the merits of the First Past the Post (FPTP) system, data shows that in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, as many as 29 candidates won by getting less than 30 per cent of votes polled. Statewise, Uttar Pradesh had 14 such winners whereas Jharkhand had 6 candidates winning with less than 30 per cent of votes polled in their respective constituencies. Bihar had five such winners. Other states with successful candidates getting less than 30 per cent votes included Madhya Pradesh (2), Jammu and Kashmir (1) and Haryana (1). Under the FPTP system, a winning candidate in a constituency wins the election by receiving the highest number of votes. In a multi-party contest in a constituency, votes are often split among contesting candidates. As a result, the winning candidate secures less than 50 per cent. RJD won Buxar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar getting 21.27 per cent of total votes polled for its candidate Jaganand Singh, which was the lowest percentage of votes bagged by any winner. Nawada, another Lok Sabha seat from Bihar, had the winner (Bhola Singh of BJP) securing 22.46 per cent of votes polled. In Jharkhand's Chatra seat, the winning candidate (Inder Singh Namdhari, an Independent) received 22.86 per cent votes, while Nishikant Dubey of BJP got 23.76 per cent votes in Godda. Babulal Marandi of JVM (P) got 22.55 per cent votes in Kodarma. Uttar Pradesh had 14 successful candidates with less than 30 per cent votes. Winner of Gonda seat (Beni Prasad Verma of Congress) got 25.72 per cent of total votes polled --the lowest percentage for the state. Ganesh Singh of BJP won the Satna seat from Madhya Pradesh with 29.51 per cent votes polled in his favour. The Rewa seat, also in MP, was won by BSP's Deoraj Singh Patel (28.49 per cent). Independent Hassan Khan won the Ladakh seat in Jammu and Kashmir by bagging 29.84 per cent votes.

PATEL HIGHEST...WASNIK LOWEST

The previous Lok Sabha elections in 2009 sent four Congress nominees, three Shiv Sena, two BJP and one NCP candidate to New Delhi.
But the NCP candidate Praful Patel from Bhandara-Gondia constituency won by a highest margin of 2,51,915 votes while Mukul Wasnik of Congress from Ramtek polled the lowest (16,701 votes) among the 10 candidates in Vidarbha regon.
Wasnik had migrated from Buldana and contested for the first time from Ramtek (Reserve) constituency.
The Congress had an impressive tally of four on its own and one ally in NCP from Bhandara-Gondia.
The Sena-BJP combine had equal shares of five seats in the region.
Marotrao Kowase of Congress was the lone new face among the 10 as he won from newly carved out Gadchiroli seat meant for tribals (ST) after the de-limitation of Lok Sabha constituencies which reduced to 10 from 11 seats in 2004 general elections.
Veteran Congress leader Datta Meghe from Wardha occupied second spot with highest votes of margin when he mustered 95,918 votes while BJP's sitting MP Sanjay Dhotre scored 64,848 votes to take third place, Anandrao Adsul (Sena) got 61,716 votes and sitting MP Bhawna Gawali (Sena) received 56,951 votes from Yavatmal Constituency.
The other four contestants including six time MP Vilas Muttemwar (Nagpur), who recorded victory margin below 35,000 votes. BJP sitting MP Hansraj Ahir won by a margin of 32,495 while first-timer Kowase won by 28,586. Buldana Sena nominee's victory margin was by 28,078 votes, according to statistics available here.
As many as 194 contestants were in the fray from 10 constituencies including 95 independents.
The highest number of 28 contestants were from Yavatmal followed by Nagpur (27) while Akola and Gadchiroli constituencies had 11 each candidates.
Nagpur witnessed a large number of (14) independents in the field among 27 candidates.

LOKSATTA LOOKINT @ BJP

Lok Satta Party today ruled out an understanding with Congress and named BJP as a potential partner saying it was ready to consider "strategic alliance and tactical adjustments" with other parties without compromising on its core values. "Lok Satta's own experience in Andhra Pradesh since its inception in 2006 and national imperatives call for such a strategy at the present juncture," said N Jayaprakash Narayan, party president he told his party members in an open letter. He said while public esteem for the Loksatta was very high in Andhra Pradesh, the perception that the party might not be in a winning position was preventing support into votes; and votes from converting into seats. "This is the primary reason for Loksatta's lack of electoral success." Citing example of the relative performance of the MIM and the Loksatta in Hyderabad city in the 2009 elections, he said while the total number of votes polled for MIM was roughly the same as that of Loksatta in the city, its votes translated into seven Assembly seats but the Loksatta managed to win only in one constituency. Narayan, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, is the sole leader of the party who has been elected to either assembly or parliament. Against such a backdrop, he wrote that "it was excruciatingly difficult to translate in the short-term our support base into a legislative mandate. A people plagued by the fear of wasted vote and potential leaders immobilized by the perception of winnability self-fulfil their prophecy." Narayan recalled that the Lok Satta extended a hand to AAP as its first choice but it, "being wedded to a monopolistic regime, spurned it." Against such a backdrop, the Loksatta has to make a choice between the Congress and the BJP, the two middle-of-the-road parties based on four yardsticks --  pursuit of dynastic politics, dependence on money power, belief  in freebie culture and promotion of sectarianism -- he said. "While the Congress flunks miserably on all measures, the BJP passes muster on the first and third measure and to a lesser degree on the second," he added.

BATTLE LINES DRAWN FOR TN POLLS

With the emergence of a BJP-led alliance, the battle lines were drawn for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu today, throwing up a multi-cornered contest where AIADMK and DMK are on aggessive campaign while an air of despair and isolation has enveloped Congress without allies. The two Left parties, having been dumped by former partner ruling AIADMK, have also thrown their hats into the ring, expanding their wings to more number of seats against the 2009 elections. CPI(M) and CPI would contest from nine seats each, as against the three each contested in alliance with AIADMK in 2009. Nursing the ambition of a greater political role post elections, AIADMK is facing the polls by itself. Party leader and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has embarked on a hectic campaign trail, seeking votes for her government's performance. Similarly, DMK, which unsuccessfully wooed actor-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK, has announced 35 candidates for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, allotting five to allies VCK, IUML, MMK and PT. BJP, infused with a new energy following a series of visits by its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to the state in the last six months, seeks to make its presence felt in the Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu where it currently lacks representation. For the first time, strong local outfits have come on board the saffron party hoping to cash-in on the Modi wave. Congress' attempts of putting up a brave show might not work out as its stalwarts including P Chidambaram and G K Vasan are reluctant to take the poll plunge. In 2009 elections, the DMK-led front comprising of Congress and VCK won majority of seats (27) followed by AIADMK and its allies, the two Left parties (11) while MDMK won the Erode seat. This time the lone Puduchery seat is witnessing a tough battle as ruling AINRC is trying to annexe the seat from Congress even as AIADMK and DMK are also in the fray.

NDA AHEAD OF RIVALS..

The opinion polls conducted by the NDTV, in collaboration with Hansa Reaserach Centre, suggest that the NDA will win 229 seats, UPA 129 and others 130.
Overall, the Bharatiya Janata Party stand to win 195 and the Congress 106 seats out of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. The Congress might lose 95 seats while the BJP are said to gain 83. The NDA are ahead in most states, including key states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Small States and Union Territories are not mapped, however, NDA are projected to win 8 and the Congress 22 seats.

BOOM TIME FOR TRADERS

Its election time, but at Biren Natto's store in the Bowbazar area here, arch-rivals Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) or BJP and Congress bury their hatchets and co-exist. Natto is among the few traders who deal with campaign material and representatives of all political parties are queueing up at their stores to stock up as campaign picks up for the coming Lok Sabha elections. Campaign material like vinyl box posters, flex, paper posters, cut-outs, banners, flags, handbills, kites, caps and umbrellas printed with party symbols are the top draws among the parties and traders are finding it difficult to cope with the bulk orders, which they say, are still pouring in. "For us all political parties are same. We as individuals may have our political beliefs, but when it comes to business, all are same for us. We charge the same for our products from every party or candidate who place orders," said Natto. Natto, who has been in this business for the last 15 years, has put up more printing machines in his press to deal with the growing pressure of orders. "Orders will increase after Holi. Campaign has been a bit low till now, but will pick up soon with the first phase of nominations," he said. Natto has already received orders from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, which will go to the polls on April 17, the first phase in West Bengal. Bikash Majhi, another trader at College Street who also deals with orders from other states, says it is customary for bigger parties of any particular state or region to place the biggest order. "Orders have started coming in since the last week of February. Once Holi is over, we expect to receive more orders from the districts," he said.
"It is our family business for the past 25 years. Every time during elections whether its the Assembly, civic or Lok Sabha polls, we get orders from various political parties for flags, paper stickers and other campaign material," said Naren Saha, another trader. Though Saha didn't elaborate on his profit margin, he said prices of flags have gone up with the rise in prices of raw material. "During the last Assembly elections, we sold flags for about Rs 10. Now it is nearly Rs 20," he said. But, Saha points out at the shortage of manpower during Lok Sabha polls to cope with the rush of orders. "Most of the manpower comes from Bihar and Jharkhand. During Assembly or other elections, we don't face shortage. But, during the Lok Sabha elections, this is a perennial problem as artists get engaged in their hometowns with their own states also going to the polls," he said. The age-old traders of campaign materials are also facing competition from new technology in their business. "Earlier it was all handmade stuff and use of printing machines, so the cost was more. But with new technology, many small shops have sprung up who use DTP and other methods to print more material at cheaper rates, eating into our pie," says Majhi. The story is nearly same for those dealing with mikes and sound systems. With the ongoing board exams and the restrictions on use of loudspeakers during campaigns, their business has taken a beating. "Once the exams are over we will receive orders for loudspeakers and mikes," an upbeat Ranjan Das of Das Sound told PTI. 

MULTI LINGUAL CAMPIGN IN KASARGOD

The campaign in Kasaragode Lok Sabha seat in Kerala-Karnataka border has turned "multi- lingual" as the area is a meeting place of various dialects. Multi-language skills of candidates and party workers also count in the north Kerala constituency since as many as seven languages including Malayalam and Kannada are spoken by the voters. Command over these languages has become inevitable for seeking vote in the pockets of linguistic minorities in the district, which at many points share borders with Karanataka. The constituency, where Kannada speakers account around 35 per cent of the population, has people speaking Tulu, Konkani, Marathi, Urdu and Byari, besides Malayalam. The contestants and campaigners switch from one language to other depending upon the places they tour. If the candidates themselves are not well-versed in these languages, their local followers will help them communicate in the respective dialect and seek vote. Wall writings and poll posters in multiple languages are common here during the time of elections. Parties also used to rope in local leaders, fluent in these languages, for throughout campaigning. The main contestants in Kasargode are CPI-M's sitting MP P Karunakaran, T Siddique of the Congress and K Surendran of the BJP. Surendran said he could communicate in Kannada and Tulu languages besides Malayalam. "I can speak Kannada and Tulu as fluently as Malayalam. Local functionaires and worker are helping me in campaigning in the areas where other languages are spoken," he told PTI. He said they also bring out posters and graffiti in different languages to appeal to the linguistic minorities. The multi-lingual campaign can be mainly seen in panchayats like Manjeswaram, Meencha, Mangalvadi, Kumbala, Puthige, Kumbadaje, Karadukka, Enmakaje, Badiyadukka and Bellur. The issues of linguistic minorities also figure in the campaigns of major political parties in the area.

MODI...FROM VARANASI - A STRATEGY

Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi is part of BJP's strategy to garner votes in the Hindi heartland, party National General Secretary Ananth Kumar said today. On Modi contesting from the second constituency in Gujarat as well, Kumar said, "Let us wait for the surprise" till March 19 when Modi's home state list of candidates comes up before the BJP's Central Election Committee. "...this (contesting from Varanasi) is one of the most important steps in BJP's election strategy," he told reporters after inducting former Mayor of Lambeth, London, Dr Neeraj Patil into the party. Noting that Uttar Pradash has 80 Lok Sabha seats and adjacent Bihar 40, he said Hindi heartland had more than 120 seats and whichever party wins two thirds of these seats can win 272 plus seats to form the government. Illustrating the geographic location of Varanasi and how it can help Modi to influence neighbouring regions of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, he said, "This will also help us win a good number of seats in Uttarakhand, Delhi and Haryana regions." "...the fight of Narendra Modi from Varanasi is a strategic fight as we wanted to send a message to the entire Hindi heartland that our Prime ministerial candidate is going to contest from among them..." On Rahul Gandhi's comment describing as "premature" BJP's assertion that the Supreme Court-appointed SIT and courts had given clean chit to Modi in the post-Godhra riots case, Kumar said, "This reflects Rahul Gandhi's knowledge about our judicial system; it shows how much maturity he has..." Neeraj Patil is a Kannadiga NRI who was the First Mayor of Asian origin in the London Borough of Lambeth from 2010 to 2011.

HOLI..A TOOL TO REACH PEOPLE

With the Lok Sabha polls knocking at the door, candidates cutting across party lines today used Holi, the festival of colours, as a tool to reach out to the people of their respective constituencies. Holi, which is celebrated as 'Doljatra' in this part of the country, is celebrated with dance and songs. Trinamool Congress MP and candidate from Howrah Prasun Banerjee celebrated Holi in his constituency with party supporters and locals. "Just like other festivals, I prefer to celebrate Holi with the people of my constituency. Today there is no place for politics, its only colours all the way," Banerjee said. "I am happy to celebrate this day with the people of Howrah. Hope this festivity would prevail on May 16 (the day of counting of votes)," BJP candidate from Howrah and veteran actor George Becker chuckled. Just like candidates of Howrah, CPI(M) nominees from Jadavpur and Kolkata North, Sujan Chakraborty and Rupa Bagchi respectively, were also seen celebrating Holi in their seats. However, both Chakraborty and Bagchi denied Holi to be a public relations exercise before polls and stressed it is just a festival. "Rather than PR exercise before polls, it should be treated just as a festival which we all are celebrating together," Chakraborty said. "Today there is no place for politics. We are all here to celebrate the festival," Bagchi said. Some celebrated the festival in their hometown. Trinamool candidate from Krishnanagar Tapas Pal and CPI(M) candidate from Mathurapur Rinku Naskar preferred to stay in their localities and celebrate the festival.

Rs.750/- only...not 750 crores

At a time when several crorepaties are seeking entry into Parliament, a candidate with a total asset of just Rs 750 has filed nomination papers in Kerala for the April 10 Lok Sabha polls. Biju, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) candidate from Kottayam, has declared in the affidavit that his cash in hand is Rs 500 and the available balance in a local co-operative bank is Rs 250. The 46-year-old social worker also said either he or his spouse has no immovabale property, motor vehicle or jewellery, official sources said. Shajar Khan, another SUCI candidate who filed nomination from Thiruvananthapuram, has stated that his total cash in hand is Rs 1,500 and the total assets including the price of motorcycle and bank balance is Rs 26,800. He said that he has no jewellery or immovabale properties. Filing of nominations of Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha seats began yesterday and the candidates of mainstream political parties are expected to file nominations in the coming days.

CHAI PE CHARCHA MAY RUN INTO TROUBLE

BJP's 'Chai pe charcha with NaMo' programme may run into fresh trouble with Election Commission over norms which hold that any kind of allurement to voters during the poll process is not permissible as per law and the model code. BJP proposes to organise the third phase of 'Chai pe charcha with NaMo' across the country on March 20 when its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will take up queries on farmers' issue. The programme has already run into trouble with poll officials in Uttar Pradesh who have registered a case against some BJP leaders for alleged enticement of voters during a session in which they distributed free tea to the public in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Poll authorities said they considered the serving of tea as enticement of voters. "Any kind of allurement or enticement of voters during the poll process is not permissible as per law," UP's Chief Electoral Officer, Umesh Sinha, told PTI. Top poll officials said that a case was registered under provisions of IPC against certain local BJP leaders at Kotwali police station at Mohammadi in Lakhimpur Kheri district. Sources said that BJP leaders had obtained permission from UP's Chief Electoral Officer for holding the 'Chai Pe Charcha' programme on March 8 at a tea stall in the area. But Sinha said that permission was granted for the event to take place as per the provisions of the Model Code. But poll officials reported that free tea was served to participants at the discussion, which was construed as bribing the voters. But the view in Nirvachan Sadan, EC's headquarters here, is different with poll officials saying that serving a cup of tea worth Rs 2 cannot be termed enticement. "The money (spent on serving tea) can be added to BJP's poll expenditure," said an official. But UP CEO Sinha holds a different view. "There is no ban on holding of such events with prior permission... But anything which is in violation of the Model Code of Conduct will not be permitted at such events. "Appropriate action would be taken in cases of any violation," Sinha said, adding that any kind of free distribution by political parties will be regarded as an attempt to entice voters. Asked about the EC action, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a party briefing that while they would examine the matter, the poll panel should consider allowing new campaigning styles which are in sync with the changing times.

POLLING TIME INCREASED BY 2 HOURS

The Election Commission has decided to grant two more hours to people to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Highly-placed sources told PTI that the EC has finalised grant of two more hours to enable the people to exercise their franchise in non-Naxal-affected areas, including hill areas.
While in non-Naxal affected areas, polling would be held between 7 AM and 6 PM, that in Naxal-hit areas would be between 7 AM and 4 PM, the sources said. In hilly areas, the poll timings would be 7 AM to 6 PM.
The decision, the sources said, will be notified in a day after the Commission officials return from its poll-preparedness exercise in Assam, which goes to polls in the first phase starting April 7.
The increase in poll time comes in view of a quantum jump in the number of voters across the country and the trend of bigger turnout in recent elections, sometimes leading to long queues at polling stations till late in the evening.
The full Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and Election Commissioners H S Brahma and Nasim Zaidi, have already discussed the issue and will give final nod before the issue of notification in this regard.
Polling duration currently is of nine hours, which has now sought to be increased to 11 hours.
EC feels since the elections will be held in summer, more voters will turn up to exercise their franchise towards the evening when the weather cools. That would likely lead to long queues at polling stations as voting draws to a close. A total of 81.4 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections which begin on April 7 and end on May 12. Of these voters, a total of about 10 crore are those whose names have been newly added on electoral rolls. The last Lok Sabha polls had a total of 71.3 crore electors.

DMK, AIDMK GEAR UP FOR BATTLE

Two major Dravidian parties, AIADMK and DMK have already plunged into the poll battle ground in Tamil Nadu, while the much touted BJP led grand alliance still immersed in parleys with partners and the Congress left in lurch scouring for a strategy.
With about three weeks remaining for the issue of notification by electoral authorities to set in motion the poll process on March 29, AIADMK's poll preparations were in a full swing with the party supremo Jayalalithaa after completing first round of electioneering and setting out on second and final phase from today.
Jayalalithaa, the only star campaigner for AIADMK, will be traversing across the state from Chidamabaram today and winds up her electioneering in Chennai on April 21, the day the public campaign ends.
DMK, donned the poll battle gear since yesterday after announcing candidates for all the 40 seats it and its allies would contest in Tamil Nadu and also the lone seat in neighbouring Puducherry and unveiled manifesto, promising to fight for the cause of Tamils, an issue which would be the main plank of all political outfits in this election.
DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, affectionately called "dalapathi" (Commander) by partymen, is launching campaign from March 14 and his father M Karunanidhi, the party supremo, was expected to tour some key segments in the state.
The initial euphoria that surrounded the formation of a formidable alliance involving BJP, DMDK, MDMK and other local outfits seemed to have hit the shaky ground, in the backdrop of lack of agreement on seat sharing among partners.
Sources in BJP say, some of the players like actor turned politician Vijayakanth's DMDK and Vanniyar community strong man PMK's S Ramadoss have been insisting for same constituencies in pockets of Tamil Nadu, which has become a bone of contention in finalising the seats.
Though there is some semblance of political activity in various other parties, the plight of Congress is pathetic as the Sonia Gandhi led party has been pushed to corners in the backdrop of Dravidian parties refusal to forge tie up for the polls.
The Congress High Command, which is in dark and groping for poll strategy was yet to announce its plans for Tamil Nadu where it won nine seats in alliance with DMK in 2009. 
Apprehending that its poll prospects might doom on Tamils issue if it continued electoral relations with Congress, Karunanidhi-led DMK remained firm on snapping ties in this election. Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan today said he would not be contesting but campaign in all the 39 constituences in the state, indicating that Congress might put up candidates on its own. The front ranking Congress leaders representing Tamil Nadu were yet to break their silence over the poll preparations and probably want the High Command to take a call. The poll scenario was expected to become clear in about a week time in Congress and BJP-DMDK led camps. 

EC EYE ON BLACK MONEY IN POLLS

The Election Commission has created a multi-agency grid of revenue and security intelligence agencies to regularly update it about suspected financial movements as part of measures to curb use of blackmoney in Lok Sabha and assembly polls. In a first-of-its-kind measure, the EC has created a board of senior officials drawn from ten financial and security intelligence departments which will meet twice a week at 'Nirvachan Sadan', the EC headquarters here, to generate common leads and flag suspect money instances. The agencies that have been pooled in for the task include Income Tax intelligence and investigations, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau and the snoop wings of border guarding forces of SSB and BSF and those of CISF and the Railway Protection Force. "The officials in-charge of intelligence in these respective departments will meet twice a week at the EC headquarters and take stock of all cases reported in view of the measures enforced by the poll body keeping in mind blackmoney instances," a senior official privy to the development told PTI. This is the first time that these officials will be holding meeting sessions with the EC in comparison to previous times when they would only generate and send reports, the official said. The EC has also asked these agencies to compile their respective information in a standard format so that the poll panel is updated about the use of illegal money and other inducements in the polls. 
A comprehensive report prepared after these meetings would be shared with the respective Chief Electoral Offices of various states and Union Territories. Sources said EC has put maximum stress on reports generated by the FIU and I-T intelligence in this regard as these two agencies are mandated under law to obtain information from banks and other financial intermediaries across the country. Apart from the revenue agencies, the intelligence wings of the Border Security Force will keep an eye on movement of cash, fake currency and drugs from across the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders while the same would be done by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) along the Nepal and Bhutan borders. 

POLLL EXPENSES RISE 20%

The per person expenditure on conducting Lok Sabha polls have increased 20 folds - from 60 paise in the first general elections in 1952 to Rs 12 in 2009.
Considering expenditure in absolute terms, Rs 10.45 crore was spent in 1952, while Rs 846.67 crore was the amount government spent for 2009 polls.
The data is based on Election Commission and Law Ministry websites.
Cost wise, the 2004 Lok Sabha election was the heaviest on government exchequer with about Rs 1,114 crore spent in the exercise. In this election per voter cost too was the highest as government had spent Rs 17 per elector.
There was an increase in the election cost by 17.53 per cent vis-a-vis the 1999 general elections despite the fact that there was reduction in number of polling stations by 11.26 per cent.
In first six Lok Sabha polls, cost per elector was less than a rupee, but coming elections saw a massive hike in election expenditure.
The reasons for the hike could be attributed to the fact that several political parties have jumped into electoral fray and even the number of Independents contesting polls have increased.
Voter awareness campaigns, distribution of voter slip ahead of election date, use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the first time in the 2014 LS polls may increase expenditure further.
The entire expenditure on actual conduct of elections to Lok Sabha is borne by the Centre. But, expenditure towards law and order maintenance is taken care of by respective state governments.

ICAI HELPING HAND TO EC

POLITICAL FUNDING MORE TRANSPANT

Accounting regulator ICAI will assist Election Commission in ensuring that "sound accounting principles" are followed in the financial statements of political parties to make election funding more transparent.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India had provided assistance to the Election Commission on accounting and auditing of political parties in the Assembly elections last year.
Various issues related to election spending were discussed today at a workshop, 'Election Expenditure Monitoring and Auditing and Accounts of Political Parties', organised by the Election Commission of India.
Auditors of the major political parties and ICAI representatives participated in the meeting.
A presentation on 'Guidance Note on Accounting and Auditing of Political Parties' was made by the ICAI.
Among others, the note has recommended that accrual basis of the accounting has to be followed by the political parties in the preparation of their financial statements, according to an ICAI statement.
Besides, the grouping of chartered accountants has recommended that general purpose in financial statements of a political party should comprise of balance sheet, income and expenditure account, cash flow statement and notes forming part of financial statements.
ICAI President K Raghu said the endeavour of the institute and the Election Commission would go a long way in establishing sound accounting principles for the political parties.
"This will ensure transparency and accountability in party funds and election expenditure," he added.RENT

RESTRICT OPENION POLLS

The Election Commission has pressed the Law Ministry to take a call on "restricting" opinion polls by writing to it just days before the Lok Sabha polls were announced, but the government seems to be in no hurry to take a decision on the issue. In a letter addressed to Secretary Legislative Department in the Law Ministry last week, the EC referred to its proposal to amend the law for restricting publication of results of opinion polls and lamented that no action has been taken so far. "It may be recalled that the Commission had made a proposal to amend the law for restricting publishing the results of opinion polls. However, no action has been taken on the proposal which was initially made in 2004. "...in view of the issue raised in the complaint of the Indian National Congress, the Commission would like necessary action to be taken by the government on its above referred proposal," the poll panel has said. The government, however, seem to be in no hurry to take a call on the issue. It has referred the matter to the Law Commission which is already examining the broader issue of electoral reforms. "The Law Commission is already examining the issue of electoral reforms. Opinion polls are part of larger issue of electoral reforms. Therefore, the matter has been referred to it," a senior government functionary to PTI. Existing law allows EC to ban opinion polls just 48 hours prior to voting. The poll panel has proposed that there should be prohibition on publication and broadcast of the results of opinion polls starting from the date of notification of elections till the completion of the last phase of polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. A ban on opinion polls could require amendment to the Representation of the People Act.
The ruling Congress had recently made a complaint to the EC on a sting operation carried out on some of the organisations engaged in conducting opinion polls. It had alleged that the organisations conducting opinion polls agreed to manipulate the results by tweaking the figures. The Law Commission headed by Justice (retd) A P Shah has said it will be able to give its report on electoral reforms in April or May, when the country will be in the middle of Lok Sabha elections. The next government at the Centre and the 16th Lok Sabha can now take a call on the recommendations of the panel which advises government on complex legal issues. On February 12, Law Minister Kapil Sibal informed the Lok Sabha that government will take a final call on banning opinion polls only after consulting "stakeholders" after the Law Commission submits its comprehensive report on electoral reforms. "The issue of electoral reforms in its entirety, which, inter alia, includes ban on opinion polls and advertisements in print media on the day of the polls, has been referred to the Law Commission for its recommendation. "...on receipt of the report of the Law Commission on electoral reforms, the matter will be further examined in consultation with the stakeholders," Sibal had informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath yesterday said that it is for Parliament to decide on banning opinion polls. "We never hesitate to use powers that we can. However, the issue of opinion polls is to be dealt with by the lawmakers. They have the legislative competence," he had said. Prominent parties which sought a ban or restriction on opinion polls ahead of Lok Sabha elections include Congress, CPI-M, BSP, NCP, SP, AIADMK, DMK, JD-U, SAD and Shiv Sena. BJP, however, says there should be no ban as this would fall in the realm of a restriction on fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression.

EAGLE's EYE ON POLL EXDPENDINTURE

The Election Commission (EC) today sought help of the Income Tax (IT) department in Bihar to keep a watch over poll expenditure of candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. Teams of IT officials would be posted in each of the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies to monitor expenditure by the candidates and political parties, an EC official said.
A control room has been set up in Patna to coordinate with all the teams. The movement of candidates and party officials at airports would also be under the watch by the taxmen. "IT cells at the Patna and Gaya airports would check all scheduled and non-scheduled flights so that cash or objectionable things were not transported by the contestants or their supporters. Helicopters would also be checked," said Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan. The move is an outcome of a meeting between Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ajay V Nayak and IT Director (Investigations) Kumar Sanjay here today. Talking to PTI, Sanjay said, "These measures by the IT department will help curb the use of black money in the general elections here. We will go after suspicious money or bullion." Meanwhile, nine cases were registered against candidates in Nalanda, Katihar, Buxar, Bhojpur and Muzaffarpur districts of Bihar for violation of the Model Code of Conduct. These relate to the defacement of public property, flouting of rules related to loudspeaker use and holding of political meetings.

ELECTION HEAT IN AP

With the Election Commission announcing the schedule for general and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, parties in the soon-to-be-divided state have got into poll mode hitting the campaign trail in right earnest. Though the reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh, paving way for formation of separate Telangana state, has already been gazetted, the elections would be held for the undivided state on April 30 and May 7. The main opposition TDP and YSR Congress, projected to be front-runners in Seemandhra, are ahead of others in kicking off electioneering. TDP has attracted the highest number of leaders in Seemandhra, mainly from Congress which is believed to be staring at a humiliating defeat at the hustings. Former ministers G Srinivasa Rao, T G Venkatesh, E Pratap Reddy and MLAs B Satyananda Rao, Adala Prabhakar Reddy and Sridhar Krishna Reddy are among Congress leaders who have either switched over to TDP in recent times or in the process of doing so soon. Several other heavy-weight Congress leaders are also expected to join the TDP in the days to come. TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu has been addressing 'Praja Garjana' (roar of people) meetings at different places Seemandhra, seeking to showcase his development agenda. YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has been touring the state for long, earlier in support of united Andhra Pradesh, and now in the run-up to the elections. Former minister Dharmana Prasada Rao and other Congress leaders have joined YSRC much ahead of elections. The beleaguered ruling Congress, being projected by Opposition parties as villain of the piece for its determined push for the division, is said to be mulling constituting two separate PCCs for Telangana and new Andhra Pradesh. 
Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, a key member of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on division, has toured Seemandhra and also Telangana in the last one week trying to allay the fears of Seemandhra over bifurcation. Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu has also held public meetings in Seemandhra since the passage of Telangana bill in Parliament on the themes of "Modi for PM" and on the efforts made by his party to secure a development package for the region. A late entrant into the fray, former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who resigned as Chief Minister protesting the State's division on February 19, has announced his decision to form a new political party at a public meeting to be held at Rajahmundry on March 12. In Telangana region, TRS is on a high following the passage of the bill for formation of separate state and it has ruled out merger with Congress and even refused to commit to an alliance with the national party. At least four TDP MLAs have joined TRS since the passage of the bill and the party plans to undertake a massive campaigning for the elections. Leaders of the ruling Congress have taken out rallies in the region to thank party president Sonia Gandhi for getting the Telangana Bill passed in spite of "tremendous obstacles". TDP, trying to cope with the competition from TRS and Congress, has promised to ensure social justice in Telangana, which had seen the domination of feudal landlords. BJP is trying to gain foothold in Telangana having consistently supported the separate statehood demand.

WIVE's BATTLE FIELD KHAGARIA

The Khagaria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar is all set to see an interesting in-house battle with Lalu Prasad giving RJD ticket to the second wife of a local strongman whose first wife is a JD(U) legislator from the same place. Prasad has given RJD ticket from Khagaria to Krishna Yadav, second wife of local strongman Ranbir Yadav. His first wife, Poonam Devi Yadav, is JD(U) MLA from Khagaria and both are biological sisters. But, the two denied any "dharam sankat" because of this.
"I am in JD(U) and will work for the party," Poonam Devi Yadav told PTI over phone. She said there was no rift among them over the issue and they love each other.
Krishna Yadav, a national athlete in her youth, was also all praise for her elder sister. Both live under same roof in Khagaria. "People of Khagaria will decide the election results," she said exuding confidence of her victory.
Ranbir Yadav is a convict in the 1985 Lakshmipur-Taufir diara carnage in which nine people were killed. He has completed his jail term.
He said there was no fight within his home and said even Poonam Yadav will vote for Krishna Yadav.
Krishna Yadav, who is Khagaria district board chairman, told PTI that her elder sister herself had sought JD(U) ticket for her from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The CM had suggested to talk to National President Sharad Yadav, who is MP from neighbouring Madhepura, in this regard. "But since nothing came from him, I accepted the offer from Lalu Prasad to contest from RJD," Krishna Yadav said. Ranbir Yadav had hit the news when he had brandished a sten gun to escort Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the dias in Khagaria in 2012 amid violent protest by contractual teachers who had also hurled slippers at the CM.

VOTE THROUGH SMS

The State Election Commission is planning to encourage voters to exercise their franchise through text messaging. A meeting was held today with mobile service providers in this regard, a state EC spokesperson said. The service will roll out 3-4 days before the election commences, asking people to vote without fear. Though the messages will be in English language, efforts will be made to draft them in local languages too, for instance in Bengali for a greater reach among voters, according to SEC officials.
The state election commission has also said movies or soap operas featuring any film or television artist who is contesting polls cannot be screened within the jurisdiction of the constituency where the person is contesting from, within 48 hours of the election. There cannot be any display in private television channels also for the period, the Commission said, adding there also cannot be propaganda in government channels from filing of their nominations. Two awareness officers from the Election Commission was expected to arrive in the state in a day or two, they said. 

MAINTAIN SELF DISCIPLINE

EC TO JOURNOS

Election Commission has sought "active cooperation" of media houses and journalists to deal with the menace of paid news during elections.
"Commission has taken some well considered steps to deal with the menace of paid news in elections, after persistent requests were received from media delegations and other sections of society. These will remain in force as will other laws, instructions and certain regulatory mechanism which aim at ensuring that political parties and candidates do not make use of media in a manner that could vitiate election process.
"....However, knowing the immense capacity for self- discipline of the media, the Commission feels that with some personal attention from you, there will be no scope for complaint," Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath said in a letter to editors of media organisations.
The CEC said as the country was approaching the national elections, he solicited "active cooperation" of journalists and media groups in "ensuring that this milestone in the history of India's democracy becomes what we jointly wish it to be -- free, fair, peaceful, transparent and participative."
"Fair elections are about ensuring level playing field and keeping out undue influence. Needless to say, media in its various formats is perhaps the most prominent source of influence for citizens. Election Commission believes that opinion leaders like you could lead the efforts for protecting the precious level playing field during the din and bustle of election campaign," he said in his letter.
Sampath expressed hope that media fraternity would abide by the guidelines framed by the Press Council of India in this regard.
"I and my colleagues in the Commission believe that Lok Saba election 2014, is truly a national endeavour and in this spirit we seek your support in ensuring media practices that would strengthen the cause of free and fair polls and not handicap it in any manner," he said.
The poll panel has also proposed to the government to make paid news an electoral offence.

DON't MAKE COMMENTS HURT SENTIMENTS

Political leaders should not make comments which will hurt someone's sentiments during the electioneering for the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission said today.
Election Commissioner H S Brahma urged the campaigners of political parties and other leaders to refrain from making personal comments. "We would appeal to all the political parties, their star campaigners and other leaders that they should not use words which will hurt somebody. They should avoid using such comments," Brahma told reporters when asked about the EC's views on the subject. Political leaders at times use certain comments against each other and the EC has to then intervene and issue reprimands. The EC, which announced the schedule for the Parliamentary polls and those for the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha today, said the planning of polling days spread over nine phases have been done keeping in mind the aim to ensure that the maximum number of voters come out to vote. CEC Sampath said the poll panel has also taken care and prepared the schedule in such a manner that the vulnerable sections of voters are amply enabled to participate in the electoral process.

INDIA POLLS IN 9 PHASES

LS ELECTIONS FROM APRIL 7th to MAY 16th

The high-stake Lok Sabha elections pitting Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi in a virtual presidential-style contest with a number of other PM aspirants thrown in will be held between April 7 and May 12 on nine days, the highest number of phases so far. Counting of votes in all the 543 constituencies involving an electorate of 81.4 crore will be done on May 16, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath announced today at a press conference releasing the election schedule. Assembly elections will also be held simultaneously in the states of Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana region, Odisha and Sikkim. Flanked by Election Commissioners H S Brahma and S N A Zaidi, Sampath was at pains to explain the difference between nine polling days and phases saying the whole process from today to counting of votes on May 16 will be over in 72 days, three days less than it took in the last elections. The Model Code of Conduct for parties and governments comes into force with immediate effect, he said. Calling it yet another milestone in the history of Indian democracy, Sampath appealed to political parties and candidates to uphold the democratic traditions of the nation by maintaining high standards of political discourse and fair play in the course of their election campaigns. The first polling day on April 7 will cover six Lok Sabha constituencies in two states--Assam and Tripura--while the second on April 9 will cover seven constituencies in five states--Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

92 constituencies will go to polls in 14 states on the third day on April 10, while a small number of five seats in three states will be covered on the fourth day on April 12. The largest chunk of 122 Lok Sabha seats will go to polls in 13 states on April 17, the fifth day of poll, while the sixth day will witness polling in 117 seats in 12 states on April 24. The seventh day of polling on April 30 will choose representatives in 89 constituencies spread over nine states and the eighth day on May 7 will cover 64 seats in seven states. Polling will conclude on the ninth day on May 12 with elections in 41 constituencies in three states. Battleground state of Uttar Pradesh with the maximum of 80 seats that can tilt the scales will go to polls on six days on April 10, 17, 24, 30 and May 7 and 12. Andhra Pradesh, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats, will go to polls on April 30 and May 7. Elections in the respective assembly segments will be held simultaneously. The first day of polling on April 30 will cover 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats in the Telangana region and the second on May 7 will cover 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats in the Seemandhra region. Sampath explained that irrespective of the appointed day for the creation of the new state of Telangana, elections will be held in the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies as they exist today.
On the menace of 'paid news', he said the commission would keep a close watch on the expenditures of the candidates. There is no law right to now to deal with the issue and so the commission has proposed that it should be made an electoral offence, the CEC said.
To a question on banning opinion polls, he said it was for Parliament to decide while the commission has recommended to the government that the ban should be in force from the date of notification to the last day of election.