PHASE VII

CROREPATI CANDIDATES

MODI DEPUTES CLOSE AIDE TO HELP ADVANI WIN

After ensuring that his former mentor L K Advani will contest from his traditional Gandhinagar seat, BJP's PM nominee Narendra Modi has now thrown his weight behind the party patriarch and deputed his trusted aide Anandiben Patel to ensure Advani sails through to win his sixth term. Advani, who had opposed Modi's ascension as party's PM pick, had expressed his desire to contest from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh this time but backed off apparently after Modi prevailed upon top party leadership. The reluctant contestant, however, is totally dependent on BJP machinery for the elections even though Modi is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Advani's victory with a huge margin. Congress has given ticket to local candidate Kirit Patel, the former MLA of Visnagar. According to party insiders, the move is aimed at giving a sort of walkover to Advani with a belief that the 87-year-old may somehow act as a counterbalance to Modi. The only problem the BJP poll managers may encounter is to maintain the lead for the BJP veteran who had won by a margin of over 1.2 lakh votes in 2009. Though Advani campaigned here for a maximum of five days due to his busy campaign schedule nationwide, his family members, including daughter Pratibha and son Jayant, have been campaigning relentlessly. Gandhinagar will go to polls on April 30 in a single-phase poll for all 26 seats in the state. In a bid to dispel reports on his 'soured' relation with Advani, Modi has deputed Anandiben Patel, the senior-most minister in his cabinet, to handle the responsibility of his campaigning. While Patel has been campaigning extensively in the seat for Advani, Modi had also held one rally in support of the former deputy prime minister here. Advani first won Gandhinagar seat in 1991 and later in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009. Though Advani has won seven Lok Sabha elections, but he had not contested from Gandhinagar when he entered Lok Sabha in 1989 for the first time.
"Advaniji will win with a huge margin from the seat. There is no doubt about it. Every BJP worker in the constituency is making all-out efforts to make the party leader win," BJP spokesperson Navin Patel said. Hinting that the "wave" in favour of Modi will ensure that a large number of people from the seat will also vote for Advani, Patel said, "When the entire state wants Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to become prime minister, people of Gandhinagar will also vote for this purpose in large numbers." However, he clarified that differences between Advani and Modi is a past "as both the leaders have time and again praised each other publicly". In the constituency with a population of 15.55 lakh, BJP had won five out of total seven Assembly segments and Congress only two in 2012 Assembly elections. The constituency includes three Assembly segments of urban Ahmedabad city, namely Ghatlodia, Vejalpur and Naranpura, which have been traditional strongholds of BJP, and the party is eyeing a huge lead for Advani from these areas. Congress nominee Patel is campaigning hard in the BJP stronghold and trying to woo the Patel community, besides Thakore bloc which falls under OBC and is numerically strong in this seat. "Our candidate will win this politically important constituency," state unit Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said. "The biggest factor which is in our favour is that Patel is a local candidate whereas Advani, being a national leader, has not worked for the constituency or tried to solve the problem of people. We are sure people will vote for Patel," he said. Patel is holding door-to-door campaign and also public meetings everyday to gain acceptance among voters. AAP has fielded a builder Rituraj Mehta. A total of 18 candidates are in the fray in the seat. 

INDIAN ELECTIONS...A NICE AFFAIR

Netherlands' ambassador to India Alphonsus Stoelinga today said here that he admired the election process in the country. "While focusing on the result, we should not forget about the process of conducting the election. I admire the election process. It is also remarkable that Indians will be giving votes through EVM machines. In my country, we still use the piece of paper to cast our votes," Stoelinga said. He was here to inaugurate Visa Facilitation Services centre of the Netherlands government. Asked about BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Stoelinga refused to comment. "Modi is a PM candidate and we will accept the outcome of this election. I should not comment on the quality of any candidate," he said. "India needs to focus on building infrastructure, such as roads, ports and railroads. There is also a need to build more educational institutes and schools at all levels," he said, adding that his country was willing to help India in several sectors including agriculture and sports. "In the next ten years, India needs to double it's agricultural production. Holland can play a crucial role if India wants to move into that direction. We are one of the four partnering countries in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015. "Apart from agri business, our companies want to play a crucial role in sectors like sports, irrigation, ports, education and tourism," said Stoelinga. He also noted that Gujaratis were enthusiastic globe-trotters. "When it comes to travelling, share of Gujarati travellers is on the rise. Among the total number of international travellers from India, 30 to 40 per cent are from Gujarat... Holland is also becoming favourite for Indian students and businessmen. This VFS centre will surely help them and save their time too," he said.

I FEEL LIKE A BOY COMING TO MOTHER's LAP

"Overwhelmed" by the "love and blessings" showered on him by people of Varanasi, BJP's Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi today vowed to make the temple town the spiritual capital of the world, rid the holy Ganges of pollution, besides helping the struggling weavers. After culmination of his massive road show, in which tens of thousands of people participated ahead of filing of nomination, the BJP leader tried to strike an emotional chord saying he was feeling like a small boy coming to his mother's lap. "After coming here, I felt neither BJP has sent me nor I have come here. I am here because Mother Ganga has called me. I am feeling like a small boy coming to mother's lap. I pray to God to give me strength so that I can serve this city," Modi said after the three-hour-long road show. The BJP strongman said he will make sincere efforts to make Varanasi the spiritual capital of the world. "I hope God gives me the strength to stand up to the expectations of the people here and do a lot for the people of Varanasi. "I had got the opportunity to serve Sabarmati river and if I get a chance I would like to do the same for Mother Ganga," he said. Touching on weavers community of Varanasi, he said there was a need to introduce modern technology in the sector which could be made popular world over. "It (silk industry) is our pride.I think there is a need to upgrade technology, design and marketing." "I believe that our weavers can compete with China," he said. Modi said there was a need to improve infrastructure in the city. During the three-km long roadshow from Lahurabeer to Kachhari Road, people showered Modi with flower petals and blew conch shells as he waved to large crowd standing on both sides of road as well as those perched on balconies and rooftops. Election for Varanasi constituency will be held on May 12.

COUNTRY DON't NEED OXYZEN FROM MOTHER & SON

In a fresh salvo at the Gandhi family, Narendra Modi today said the country could not be run by a government working on "oxygen from mother and son" and a "dead, feeble and fractured" regime was not needed. "The country needs a strong government at the Centre to pull it out of the destruction done by UPA. A dead, feeble, fractured government is not the need of the hour," the BJP prime ministerial candidate said at an election rally at Hoshiarpur. "The country can't be run by a government which is working on oxygen from mother and son," he said, without naming Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Modi said, "In the past 10 years, she (Sonia) has only worked on securing a better future for her son (Rahul)...she is only worried about his future and not about the country." "The mother and son have destroyed the country," he said, adding, "Congress has played fraud with the people." He also took a jibe at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying, "I am surprised that Manmohan Singh worked here (Punjab)...he did teaching work...but he did not care to pay back to the place to which he belongs." He said people were fed up with "hollow promises" of the UPA government. "My intentions are clear...I will bring change in your life," he said. On the issue of black money stashed away in foreign banks, Modi said a BJP-led NDA government would bring this money back. "I am surprised that people in Congress start shivering whenever there is talk of bringing back black money," he said. In an apparent reference to Amarinder Singh, he said, "A former Congress chief minister had been exposed after it became known that he had account in a foreign bank." "From where did this money come...today or tomorrow he will have to answer," he said. At Pathankot, Modi accused Congress of joining hands with NGOs to run a one-point programme to stop him from coming to power, but said they would fail due to the "hurricane" of support for BJP. In the backdrop of inflow of drugs from Pakistan into Punjab, he cautioned that India's enemies who failed to break up the country, have resorted to narco-terrorism as part of their nefarious designs to destroy the youth.

HIGH STAKES ON KHAMMAM

In Khammam Lok Sabha seat in Telangana, it is a clash of high contrast between capitalists and a communist leader, and this is a constituency where settlers in significant numbers from different regions could tilt the scales in no small measure. This is also a segment where Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is not counted among strong contenders for the April 30 elections to the Lok Sabha and Assembly in Telangana. Sitting MP Nama Nageswara Rao of TDP, founder of the Rs 3,000 crore infrastructure firm Madhucon Group, is engaged in a tight contest with YSRC's P Srinivasa Reddy, also a businessman, and CPI Andhra Pradesh Secretary K Narayana. Congress left the constituency to CPI as part of their seat-sharing arrangement. Nageswara Rao trounced Renuka Chowdhary of Congress, which had no alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, by a margin of over one lakh votes riding on the back of his and TDP's popularity. This time around he is pinning his hopes on factors such as 'Modi wave' and Telugu cinema superstar Pawan Kalyan extending support to NDA and Seemandhra settlers. BJP and TDP have struck an electoral truck in Telangana and Seemandhra. "People believe that development of the new state, Telangana is possible only with TDP in power. I come from a farmer's family and am aware of problems of poor people here," Rao said. Bordering coastal Andhra, Khammam has a substantial number of voters from those districts, and they may hold the key. TRS, BSP and Lok Satta have put up their candidates but political pundits expect that the main fight will be among the three contenders. Political temperatures have shot up in recent days as YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and his sister Sharmila addressed public meetings in the constituency boosting the morale of the their candidate. 
Though YSRCP is perceived as "very weak" in Telangana, the party is eyeing support of settlers from Seemandhra region but there are other candidates in contention for their votes. CPM, which unequivocally opposed bifurcation of the state has extended support to YSRCP. Tammineni Veerabhadram, CPI(M) Telangana secretary, defended the move as strategic saying they would support YSRCP on the grounds that it is "anti-Congress and anti-BJP". CPI, however, bets big on Narayana's clean image, party's organisational strength in some areas and the pro-Telangana sentiment. "Only Congress and CPI stood firmly for Telangana state creation. Since Congress has given the new state there is not much anti-incumbency factor also. Though CPM sails with YSRCP, some of the party cadre (CPM) is still supporting Left ideology which may favour me," Narayana told PTI. TRS too has fielded a candidate, Budan Baig Shaik, who is banking heavily on minority votes in Khammam, which consists of seven assembly segments - three for general candidates and rest reserved for those of SC and ST. 

YSRCP FACE TOUGH FIGHT IN KADAPA

A battle for prestige is on the cards in this YSR family stronghold, which was represented four times by the late Chief Minister and twice by his son Jaganmohan, as traditional Congress supporters are looking at TDP as an alternative after the junior Reddy parted ways with the national party. Andhra Pradesh, which will be formally bifurcated in June to create the new state of Telangana, is scheduled to vote for Lok Sabha polls in two phases on April 30 and May 7. Election Commission is also simultaneously holding polls to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on the two dates -- April 30 in the Telangana region followed by Seemandhra on May 7. "So far, people were voting under threat. Now, they do not want to support the same people and instead would prefer TDP," claims Satish Kumar Reddy, who is challenging Jaganmohan for the Pulivendla Assembly seat. Satish Kumar, who is also a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, further stressed that TDP's vote base here was gradually increasing. In the Lok Sabha byelections here in 2011 after he quit Congress and resigned as the party's MP, Jaganmohan won the Kadapa seat by a staggering margin of more than 5 lakh votes as the candidate for his new outfit. But political observers are sensing a change in voters' attitudes this time. While Jaganmohan is contesting in the Assembly polls from Pulivendla, his cousin Y S Avinash Reddy is the party's nominee for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat. Although Jaganmohan, who is said to be eyeing the Andhra Pradesh chief minister's post, is tipped to sail through in the Assembly poll contest as he is facing no major opponents, the going may not be easy for YSR Congress as it looks to retain the Kadapa parliamentary seat. R Srinivasa Reddy is the Telugu Desam Party candidate for this seat with the outfit going into polls in Andhra Pradesh as an ally of BJP. Voters in the larger Kadapa parliamentary constituency are said to be divided this time between YSR Congress and TDP following the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. With sizable presence of Muslim and Christian minorities, YSR Congress is hopeful that the voters from these communities will rally behind Jaganmohan's party but traditional Congress supporters are said to be betting on TDP, led by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

NO PARTY TALK ABOUT CHILD RIGHTS

Every second child in India is malnourished, but the issue does not feature high on the priority list of most parties with only five of the 10 major political outfits in the country making a mention of the matter in their election manifestos ahead of Lok Sabha polls, according to a report. As per the analysis of manifestos of 10 major political parties by CRY -- Child Rights and You -- only five have mentioned malnutrition in their manifestos. While Congress, CPI, CPI(M) and NCP have spoken about measures to reduce malnutrition and BJP has committed that it will eradicate malnutrition on a mission mode, parties like Aam Aadmi Party, AIADMK, DMK, SP and TMC have made no mention of how to tackle an issue as grave as malnutrition, CRY said in a statement. The apathy by political parties is striking amid the grim statistics of the nutritional status of Indian children today with every second child in the country being malnourished, the report said. The major political parties who were analysed for the report are Congress, BJP, DMK, AIADMK, CPI, CPI(M), SP, TMC, AAP and NCP. Only four parties -– BJP, CPI, DMK and CPI(M) have incorporated a separate section for children in their manifestos. However, there is barely any consistency on the issues covered in these sections, with some focusing on early childhood, others on protection issues and still others only on education and skill development, the report added. "Children constitute one third of the country's population, yet they remain one of the most neglected segments by our political parties, because they do not form a votebank. It is disappointing to see that grave issues like malnutrition do not even gain an adequate mention in their manifestos," said CRY CEO Puja Marwaha. As part of its election advocacy campaign, 'Vote for Child Rights', CRY had presented a charter of demands to political parties and urged them to put an emphasis on child rights issues in their manifestos. Over 170 representatives of top political parties like Congress, BJP, NCP, AAP, DMK, AIADMK, TMC, CPI, CPI(M), etc. were approached by CRY which shared with them the demands along with the status of the children in India report, the organisation said.

MEN OF CRIMINAL RECORD CONTEST IN PORBANDAR

Call it a quirk of fate or political inevitability of times, but main contestants in the fray from the very birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat have a string of criminal cases against them and are leaving no stone unturned to ensure each other's defeat in polls. Sitting BJP MP Vitthal Radadia is locked in a fierce contest with NCP candidate Kandhal Jadeja, son of "godmother" late Santokben Jadeja who once headed an underworld enterprise. Both Radadia and Jadeja, who is the sitting NCP MLA from Kutiyana constituency, have a number of cases pending against them including those of serious crimes. Radadia had won the seat on Congress ticket in 2009, but switched his loyalty to BJP ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections. He was re-elected as an MP in the bypoll held subsequently. Radadia had hit the headlines when he pointed a gun at employees of a toll booth when asked to pay the road tax, when he was a Congress MP. The seat went to NCP as part of arrangement between the alliance partners Congress and NCP. Of the total 15.23 lakh voters in this constituency, 4.20 lakh are Patel votes, while 1.25 lakh voters belonged to Mer community. While Radadia is a Patel, Jadeja belonged to Mer community. To undercut Jadeja's influence in his community, BJP has made their sitting MLA from Porbandar Babu Bokhiria the incharge of the seat, who is considered to be another strongman in that area. Bokhiria was convicted by a court in a land mining case but a higher court has stayed the order of the lower court. This leaves Jadeja in fight against virtually two candidates--the other being Bokhiria. Out of the seven assembly segments, Porbandar, Kutiyana and Manavadar have decisive Mer population, while seats like Gondal, Jetpur, Dhoraji and Keshod have sizable population of Patels. 

ELECT A LEADER WHO THINK ABOUT POOR

NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has hoped that the new Prime Minister will "not worry" about a "few industrialists" and run a government that thinks for the poor. "We are present here at the time of the elections which is a great time because it is the largest democracy in the world and a very stable democracy. Whether it is India Shining or Incredible India it has failed the poor of the country. So elect a government that thinks for the poor," Lord Paul said at a conference organised by University of Wolverhampton here on Wednesday. "Let us hope that whoever the Indian people elect (to be the Prime Minister) will do a good job... I hope that whoever wins, makes it a point not just to worry about a few industrialists but the 1.2 billion people of India," he earlier told PTI. He was asked about the prospects of BJP-led NDA coming to power under the stewardship of Narendra Modi. "It is from you people (media) that I learn who is going to be the next Prime Minister," he quipped.

MOTHER-SON-DAUGHTER LOOTY

A day after Priyanka Gandhi vowed to emerge stronger fighting the continued 'political' attacks on her husband Robert Vadra, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today took a dig at the Congress scion saying that her "family has been going strong" for the last 60 years and now its time to build a strong nation.
"You say that we will become strong...you (Gandhi family) are going strong for the last 60 years," Modi said addressing a rally in Kalol town of Gandhinagar district in Gujarat.
"But, the issue today is how to make our nation strong. When you want to make yourself strong, we (BJP) want to build a strong nation. For us, there is nothing supreme than the people's voice," said Modi without taking any names.
Modi was apparently referring to Priyanka's statement that Opposition BJP was wrongly targeting her husband on his alleged inappropriate land deals, but the attack will make her strong.
"When you watch TV, what do you see? Harsh words, humiliation of my family. A lot of things are said about my husband. I feel pained. I feel pained, not for myself, also not because you are humiliating somebody...the truth is not being told."
"The more they try to humiliate, the more will be my determination to fight back, the more they try to work for my downfall, the stronger I will get up," Priyanka said yesterday in Rai Bareli.
Modi accused Congress of diverting people's attentions from real issues, with wild allegations.
"On every question we raised, they just levelled more allegations against me. When nothing worked, Congress leaders brought in the issue of misuse of CBI. I think that Congress has lost their ability to put up an issue-based fight," he said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister also targeted other members of the Gandhi family and let the audience do the talking.
He accused the 'mother-son' duo of 'looting' the nation.
"Don't you think that after looting the nation, black money is stashed in foreign banks ?. Should we bring that money back ?" he asked to which the the audience replied in affirmative..." yes..yes". 
"Yesterday, Supreme Court lambasted the UPA government for not forming an SIT to bring that money back in India. I think that central government is hiding something from people," accused Modi referring to the court's observation on black money.
He also accused the Centre of heaping injustice on Gujarat.
"UPA government always did injustice to Gujarat. For last 7 years, Centre has been sitting on Narmada project file, making it difficult for us to bring Narmada waters to the parched region of the state", claimed Modi who is campaigning in Gujarat today where single phase elections will be held on April 30.
Advani is contesting from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat. 

PRINCIPLES LETTER DRAW FLACK

An advisory sent by the Principal of St Xavier's College to his students that is sharply critical of Narendra Modi's 'Gujarat Model' of development sparked a controversy today and prompted a miffed BJP to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission.
Father Frazer Mascarenhas, however, defended his action, saying his note was not against any specific individual or party. The note, which drew mixed reactions, also praises the flagship schemes of Congress-led UPA Government.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Mumbai tomorrow, the note also advises students not to support leaders who are a threat to secular fabric of India. "The prospect of an alliance of corporate capital and communal forces coming to power constitutes a real threat to the future of our secular democracy," it said.
As a row erupted over his remarks and its timing and with BJP demanding its withdrawal. Father Mascarenhas said, "I have not mentioned any particular individual or organisation in my communication. It was intended only to serve as a broad understanding before students exercised their right to vote." "There's nothing more to the letter," he told PTI. The principal's email to his students which is also posted on the college website reads, "All the Human Development Index indicators and the cultural polarisation of the population show that Gujarat has had a terrible experience in the last 10 years."
The communication also acknowledges Congress's Food Security and Rojgar Yojana schemes.
Efforts like the Rojgar Yojana and the Food Security Act have been called "election sops", the note said, adding, "some of our best social scientists like Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze have supported these as necessary in the emergency economic situation the country and the world is facing."
Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar said his party had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, objecting to the principal's remarks, observing it was a violation of the model code of conduct.
"If he is trying to influence the minds of students who have come to learn from his institution, then it is certainly wrong," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said in Delhi.
Father Mascarenhas, however, got the backing of leaders of Congress, NCP and the National Conference who said he is free to express his views.
"He(Father) has every right under the Constitution to express his views," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
"If religious leaders, yoga teachers, media personalities and business tycoons can express an opinion why not college principals," asked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and NC leader Omar Abdullah.

ELECTRICITY AS ELECTION TOOL

In a country where electricity is stolen or not billed to the amount that can light up all of Italy for a year, an American researcher claimed today that power is used as a tool to influence elections, particularly in the largest Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Based on a case study of the state, the University of Michigan in a research study said that during elections electricity is used to win votes. The major research, published in the "Energy Policy" journal, the university researcher found that power losses increased by three percentage points just before the polls. "The paper offers a political explanation on electricity loss and why it persists in plain sight," said Brian Min, assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan. "In short, elected political leaders benefit at the polls when their constituents receive more electricity," he added. In UP, 29 per cent of all power sent out from 1970 to 2010 was never billed for, presumably lost to theft, billing irregularities, and technical losses. This cumulative loss amounts to some 300 million megawatt-hours, enough to power all of Italy or South Africa for a year, the research claimed. Min said the study shows that incumbent candidates are more likely to win re-election in areas where power losses are allowed to increase. "Political factors affect line losses in ways that technical and economic factors alone cannot explain," said Min, who analyzed data from the 2002 and 2007 elections in UP. Rates of line loss in UP are higher today than they were in the 1970s, despite policy interventions, regulatory reforms and increased efforts to prosecute power theft. Line losses were highest in western UP, home to strong political families. In Hathras and Mainpuri districts, 50 per cent of the power is being lost or not billed. In contrast, the lowest line loss was in Gautam Buddha Nagar at 13.6 per cent, which includes Noida, a commercial area with many multinational company offices. According to the study, the immediate need to win votes overlooks the systematic challenges that take money and time to solve. "Politicians focus on getting their constituents electricity...But the government has not been able to address the investments needed to build new power plants that might alleviate the power crisis," Min said. Rural areas don't have meters and usually pay a flat rate for electricity. The study suggests that meters should be used in the countryside because that might reduce the partisan manipulation of the energy sector. Before elections, many villages are limited to 12 hours of electricity per day. But during the vote, the supply goes up to 18 hours or more without any change in revenue, the study said.

PHASE 6 POLLING

CAN HE MARRY @ 66

FORTUNE IN BALLOT BOX
An Independent contesting from this Lok Sabha seat has promised to chase illegal migrants out, open gyms and help youths get married besides himself ending a vow and entering into the wedlock if he is elected. Kamal Uddin, 66, is a bachelor and has vowed not to get married until he wins an election. So far, he has fought seven elections –four assembly and two zila parishad. This is his first shot at Lok Sabha polls and he is up against sitting MP Ismail Hussain of Congress, Chandra Mohan Patowary of BJP, AGP's Phani Bhusan Choudhury and Sirajuddin Ajmal of AIUDF among others. Polling for this seat is on April 24. Though he has not regrets about being a bachelor all these years, Kamal Uddin, feels May 16 might ultimately be his 'D-day'. "I am sure people will vote for me overwhelmingly and elect me," he told PTI. Asked what makes him so confident, Kamal Uddin, who is a class IV pass-out and once a blacksmith, says it is because of his association with the people and his resolve to end their miseries. He has been circulating a pamphlet which mentions 15 election promises. Among them are helping youths of marriageable age tie the knot, providing livestock to poor women, constructing an international airport in the district, chase illegal migrants and open gymnasiums in all blocks of the district. He has also promised to marry if he wins.

ELECTION vs GDP

AVERAGE AGE OF MP's

JET OPERATORS FACE PARKING CRUNCH

The charter plane industry may be going through a purple patch due to extensive use of private jets and choppers by campaign-hopping politicians but the operators say their "booming business" has been affected to some extent by a crunch of parking slots at major airports like Mumbai and Delhi. A number of leading charter operators said though they are having a "good time" because of elections, the problem of "shrinking" parking space has come out as a major area of "concern". According to industry figures, around 520 aircraft and choppers are currently in operation under non-schedule airline across the country and the total volume of business in the election season is likely to be between Rs 350-400 crore. The difficulty is more acute in places like Delhi and Mumbai airports as the operators of these have not increased the parking space for non-scheduled airlines for the past few years. R K Bali, Secretary of Business Aircraft Operator's Association (BAOA), an umbrella body of non-scheduled operators (NSOPs), said that a lack of policy framework on part of the government was impeding the growth of the sector and alleged that the problem of parking at Delhi airport was "artificially created". "Currently the non-scheduled operators can park only 28-30 aircraft in Delhi airport which needs to be increased at least to 50 immediately considering the volume of business," he said. Critical of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs the airport, Bali said it had five years back proposed to increase the parking space for private jets and choppers to 100, but nothing had been done so far. He said the parking space for private jets and choppers has been planned to be cut to 16 from 24 in terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport at Mumbai. According to DGCA figures, 130 non-scheduled airlines are operating in India out of which 40 are big operators having four to five private jets which ferry people abroad also.

Bali said there must be "balanced infrastructure development" to encourage charter plane operators as the sector has huge potential to grow further. He said BAOA is going to hold a meeting with the Delhi airport authorities within a month on the issue of parking. A leading non-schedule operator said lack of adequate infrastructure like helipads and runways in small cities was affecting the growth of the charter business, besides hurdles of parking space in major airports. "We need a long-term plan of action to encourage the charter industry so that it can expand its wings and contribute significantly to the economy," he said. Seeking reform in the sector, Bali said the government in 2007 had imposed a duty on import of aircraft which had a negative impact on the business. "This is a capital investment. You are not manufacturing the aircraft in India. Why are you putting custom duty on it? More aircraft coming to India will generate more employment in India. First create ability to manufacture aircraft and then gradually put the duties," said Bali. Another operator, who did not wish to be named, said the US and almost all Western countries have separate infrastructure and rules for the charter plane sector and India should take inspiration from those models. On the growing incidents of flouting of safety norms by pilots of private jets and choppers, the operator blamed it on politicians. "A pilot would always like to strictly follow the safety norms as at the end of the day he would be very careful about his own life. The pilots are not at fault. It is the politicians who pressurise them. That's the main problem," he said. The BAOA had earlier this month objected to DGCA's surprise checks on pilots saying its public observations "misrepresent the proven safety consciousness prevailing among NSOPs and private aircraft operators. During the past month, DGCA has been conducting surprise checks on non-schedule operators.

CHIRU's PRESENCE A BOON OR BANE

Megastar K Chiranjeevi, fondly called as Amitabh Bachchan of Telugu cinema, is staring down the barrel in this pilgrim hub as many angry voters, who sent him to Andhra Pradesh assembly five years ago, now paint him as a villain who couldn't prevent the state's bitter split. This may mark a fall from grace for the 58-year-old Chiranjeevi, now campaign committee chairman for Congress in Seemandhra region and Rajya Sabha member, who had plunged into politics amid huge fanfare nearly six years ago. However, the anger among various segments of voters here has raised questions on whether his presence would be boon or bane for Congress' sitting MP Chinta Mohan, seeking to retain the seat going to polls on May 7. The iconic actor's failure to persuade Congress high command to stop the division of Andhra Pradesh, his disconnect with local population and unfulfilled poll promises have turned the 'reel hero' into a 'real villain' in the famed hill shrine situated in Rayalaseema region, voters allege. Chiranjeevi, however, defends himself saying sentiments of Seemandhra people were not considered when the Telangana Bill was passed in Parliament. Asked whether the presence of Chiranjeevi in Tirupati would be a boon or bane for the party in the ensuing polls, Tirupati Congress candidate Mohan refused to comment. "No comments," said Mohan, who has been re-nominated from here. Simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and undivided Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly would be held in Telangana region on April 30, followed by Seemandhra on May 7. On the other hand, BJP, which has tied up with TDP, has fielded Karumanchi Jayaram and YSR Congress has nominated V Varaprasad Rao in this reserved parliamentary constituency. Although Chiranjeevi's regional outfit Praja Rajyam Party failed to make grand debut in 2009 state elections and all its candidates lost in Lok Sabha polls the same year, the actor won the Tirupati assembly seat by a margin of about 10,000 votes. He surprisingly lost from Palakol, from where he hails. Later, Chiranjeevi merged Praja Rajyam Party with Congress and went on to be nominated to Rajya Sabha. He was inducted into the Cabinet as Minister of Tourism. Disappointment over the actor-turned politician's decisions and performance is writ large on the faces of some voters and fans here. "I regret wasting my vote by casting it in favour of Chiranjeevi's party," said Chandrasekara Reddy, a differently- abled resident of Tirupati. "I used to spend up to Rs 1,000 for buying a ticket for his movies. But he has betrayed us with numerous promises and by ultimately failing on all counts. Of late, I skip the television channels when they show his visuals," a visibly angry Reddy said. 
Chiranjeevi went on to become a superstar of Telugu films from humble beginnings, in a career spanning over three decades. Another local, Chandru from M R Palle alleged that Chiranjeevi did not do enough to redress public grievances. Stressing that he was not a follower of the "darling of the masses", Chandru said he had voted for the actor as his friends had requested him to do so. "The last time I saw him in Tirupati was during a massive rally in the temple town, where he launched his party, a few years back. Thereafter, he was not visible in the town except on television screens," he added. Locals now doubt whether they should have supported him. "I voted only for Chiranjeevi and not for Congress. Is it fair to merge your party by getting votes from those opposed to it?" another Tirupati resident asked. 

LADEN vs MODI

BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi now has another contender for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat --"Osama Bin Laden". Meraj Khalid Noor, lookalike of slain al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden has announced his decision to enter the fray from the temple town to what he claims, is to check "communal forces" spreading its tentacles in the country. Noor who hails from Patna earned popularity when he campaigned for Ramvilas Paswan-led LJP and Lalu Prasad's party RJD earlier wearing the attire of Osama, and sporting long beard like him. He has floated his own group now named "Ram India" for establishing communal harmony in the country. Alleging that the two leaders "used him" for their own political gains, Noor said today that he has decided to float his own group to take the fight for continuation of communal harmony in the society. Addressing his members, Noor made the announcement yesterday to contest against Modi at Varanasi. He announced that he will file his nomination a day before his "target" (Narendra Modi) on April 23 at Varanasi. Noor, a businessman-turned-politician who is tall and bears uncanny resemblance to the former al-Qaeda chief has appealed to his supporters particularly the Muslim youth to accompany him to Varanasi for the big fight. He said that it is not a question of win or loss in the polls but "our aim is to not let a divisive force take root in the holy place of Varanasi known for brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims."

BENARAS CHANGED INTO A POLL CAPITAL

Ghats and galis of Benaras have always been familiar with hordes of locals and tourists, but presence of over 50,000 political volunteers -- working for various parties -- seems to have made this city the 'poll capital' of the country. A large majority of these volunteers have come from outside Varanasi and, interestingly, candidates fielded by most major political parties for this Lok Sabha seat are also being termed 'outsiders', including BJP's Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal. Congress candidate Ajay Rai is a Varanasi local, but currently he is an MLA from Pindra assembly constituency, which is nearby but outside this Lok Sabha seat. Samajwadi Party's Kailash Chaurasiya is a sitting MLA from nearby Mirzapur assembly constituency. Kejriwal, who served as chief minister of Delhi, is already being termed by his opponents a 'deserter who has come from Delhi', while there is also a talk about Modi possibly leaving the Varanasi seat, even if he wins from here, to retain Vadodara, the other seat from where he is contesting Lok Sabha polls. Notwithstanding these apprehensions, all parties are leaving no stones unturned in their poll campaigns and the activities are expected to further heat up with the filing of Modi's nomination on April 24. Rai and Chaurasiya have already filed their nominations, while Kejriwal is expected to do so on April 23. BJP leaders said a final list is being drawn for public meetings of top party functionaries from across the city, while Rai has already appealed to Gandhi family members and other top party leaders to come for campaign. SP leaders also expect party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to come here, while BSP is finalising plans for a visit by Mayawati. AAP's Kejriwal came here last week and will stay till polling on May 12. According to figures given by leaders of various parties, the cumulative number of party workers and volunteers working for different candidates at present exceeds 50,000 and this could soon touch the one-lakh mark. That could mean an average of one volunteer for every 10 voters coming out to cast their votes. Varanasi is estimated to have nearly 16 lakh voters and a turnout of about 60 per cent would roughly mean 10 lakh people coming out to vote. 
Adding to the presence of a large number of people working for different candidates, hundreds of mediapersons are here to cover this high-profile battle, while many corporates have also sent their representatives to keep a close watch on the trends emerging on a daily basis. BJP's national spokesperson Nalin Kohli, who is camping here for the polls, said, "Varanasi has become political capital of these elections with Modi contesting from here and the interest would grow further in coming days. "This entire election is being fought by BJP on one hand with the agenda of development and, on the other hand, with an agenda of anti-Modi-ism by the rest of the parties," he said. Kejriwal has already said that a defeat for Modi in Varanasi would ensure that the Gujarat Chief Minister does not become Prime Minister, while other parties have also focussed their campaigns so far on Modi. Volunteers from different parties have begun marching across the city in large numbers, while Rai also held a roadshow with a huge convoy of party workers and supporters on the day of his nomination filing on April 17. Modi is expected to hold a roadshow covering about 2-km before filing his nomination papers. The party is already working to ensure that the number of people present for that runs into tens of thousands, BJP leaders said here. BJP has taken a huge lead in terms of the number of 'volunteers at work' in Varanasi and their strength is already estimated to be over 35,000, according to leaders within the party and in organisations related to it. This includes about 5,000 local youths and a similar number of party workers from Varanasi, while resources have been pooled in from many adjoining districts, as also from different parts of the country, including the far-south. However, it is the members of ABVP, the student wing of BJP, and the cadre of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as well as many other related organisations, which contribute the most to the total number of people working on Modi's campaign here, according to local BJP leaders and senior functionaries of RSS and ABVP. Besides, a large number of 'standalone Modi' supporters are also already here and this component would grow manifold once polling is over in Gujarat.  

The numbers are expected to increase further for all parties as volunteers are expected to be brought in from different parts of the country once Lok Sabha polls in those areas are over. Polling in Varanasi would be held in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, which is spread over nine phases and began on April 7. Among other parties, AAP has also brought in a large number of volunteers from Delhi and expects more people to join in from other states in the coming days. AAP leaders also said that students in Varanasi, which has five full-fledged universities and colleges affiliated to a sixth one, Poorvanchal University, are working as its volunteers. Congress' Rai has also roped in volunteers and supporters from his assembly constituency and other adjoining areas in large numbers -- which, however, come a distant second to that of BJP and Modi at the moment. Similarly, parties like SP and BSP also have a strong cadre presence, while another regional party, Apna Dal, has deployed its workers in support of Modi after entering into an alliance with BJP. CPI(M) candidate Heera Lal Yadav is also in the fray and all Left party workers are campaigning for him, while Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has brought in party workers from West Bengal for its candidate Indira Tiwari. According to a local BJP leader, the party has roped in workers and functionaries from over 80 wards in Varanasi, while all its local MLAs, corporators and elected panchayat members and their respective supporters are working throughout the Lok Sabha seat, which comprises five assembly constituencies. In a way, this huge influx of people has added to the traffic jams and are making it inconvenient for the locals, but this also means good business for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and other traders. The local population of Varanasi city itself is over 10 lakh and the density is high at about 2,500 people per square kilometre. Besides, the city attracts a huge tourist influx -- about 30 lakh domestic and over 2 lakh foreign tourists a year -- mostly for being an important holy place for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, among others. Varanasi, also known as Kashi and Benares, boasts of about 100 ghats along Ganga river and thousands of galis or alleys throughout the city. A temple or some religious place can be seen at every corner.  

POST GRADUATE MP's

SEPARATE STATE BUNDELKHAND

PROMISE BY CONGRESS CANDIDATE

Terming his rival contestant Uma Bharati a 'pravasi chidiya', sitting Congress MP from Jhansi Pradeep Jain has assured the voters here that his party will ensure a separate Bundelkhand state, which, he said has not even found mention in BJP's poll manifesto. Asserting that Congress has always been in favour of smaller states like Telangana, Jain, also Union Minister of State for Rural Development, blamed the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments for poor implementation of Centre's relief package for the drought-affected Bundelkhand region. Claiming that Bharti's promises on creation of a separate state were "mere words", Jain, in an interview to PTI, said, "She is a 'pravasi chidiya' (migratory bird). She will fly away after the elections. She was also shunted out of Madhya Pradesh and in Uttar Pradesh people have also not accepted her." Bharati had recently promised voters a separate Bundelkhand state within three years, if BJP is voted to power at the Centre. "Her (Uma Bharati) statements on Bundelkhand are mere words. She is also promising voters that BJP will award Bharat Ratna to hockey legend Major Dhyanchand, but when the party was in power (1998-2004), nothing was done," said 51-year-old Jain, who in 2009 won the seat from Jhansi, a major town in Bundelkhand region. Spread over Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the Bundelkhand area comprises seven districts in UP and six in MP with a geographical area of about 7 million hectares. The region has about 10 parliamentary constituencies and around 30-40 assembly constituencies and is considered a major part of 'Hindi heartland'. In January 2008, a delegation led by the then Uttar Pradesh state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the demand for a separate Bundelkhand state. The delegation, which sought intervention of party Vice President Rahul Gandhi in the issue, demanded setting up of the Second States Reorganisation Commission for the purpose. BJP leaders have also pitched for a separate Bundelkhand state. "The creation of Bundelkhand is not in BJP's election manifesto. They are just lying to the people," Jain claimed. Bundelkhand has been in news for the past few years due to successive droughts, leading to numerous debt-ridden farmers committing suicides. The Union government in November 2009 had announced a Rs 7,266 crore package -a pet project of Rahul Gandhi- for the region. 
Sharpening his attack on BJP, Jain said the creation of Bundelkhand as a separate state "does not form part of BJP manifesto". A proposal to that effect was not passed in Madhya Pradesh assembly where BJP is in power since 2003, he added. "We will create Bundelkhand and Congress is in favour of small states. Telangana is the example of this and the party's stand is always in support for small states," he said. He claimed he had brought a proposal for Bundelkhand state in Uttar Pradesh assembly when he was an MLA from here but it was delayed by about a year and a half by the then state Chief Minister Mayawati. Asked about the poor implementation of the relief package in the region, Jain said agriculture is a state subject and the implementation is in the hands of state governments. However, there have been some gains like farmers were able to sow two crop cycles and some mandis (farmer marts) and dairies were constructed, he added. "Besides, there is corruption in the state governments in implementation of NRHM (National Rural health Mission) and mid-day meal schemes and it was here as well, but we have always raised this issue," Jain said. 

BJP's PRATIBHA KAMALAM

TELANGANA MANIFESTO

Free laptops for meritorious students, Rs one lakh cash award for girl students, separate budget for agriculture are among the promises made by BJP today in its manifesto for the Telangana region. Under 'Pratibha Kamalam' programme, the BJP promises to provide free laptops to top 25,000 students in the engineering common entrance test, top 500 rank holders in medicine and top 500 students in MBA common entrance test. Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy released the party's manifesto here. The top 2,000 girls from Engineering, Agriculture, Medicine Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) and top 100 girls from MBA-CET irrespective of their economic conditions would be given Rs one lakh as a cash award to promote education among girl child, the manifesto said. The party has tried to integrate the Telangana manifesto with its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's vision, Kishan Reddy said. As part of BJP's National Council meet, Modi spoke about creating 'Brand India' and he conceived five 'Ts' (Tradition, Technology, Tourism, Trade and Talent) towards the objective and the Telangana BJP has added transparency to them, he said. In recognition of the sacrifice made by those who reportedly committed suicide for Telangana, the BJP government would build a memorial for them and provide Rs 10 lakh or three acres of land to their families. The BJP government would ensure promise of nine-hour uninterrupted supply of quality power to farmers. In this regard, 85 per cent subsidy will be provided for solar pump sets both to individuals and the community. Also, it would make efforts to accord national status to Pranahita - Chevella irrigation project. About 3,000 old tanks in Telangana would be renovated. Simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and undivided Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly would be held in Telangana region on April 30.

MODERATE TURNOUT IN PHASE V

Moderate to high turnout today marked the polling in the fifth and biggest round of Lok Sabha elections covering 121 seats across 12 states amidst Maoist violence in Jharkhand where rebels injured four CRPF jawans, blew up a railway track and exploded bombs.
The highest turnout of 78.89 per cent was in the four constituencies in West Bengal, which has a total of 39 seats, while the lowest was recorded in Madhya Pradesh at 54 per cent.
In the key battleground state of Karnataka, where polling was held in the all the 28 seats today, the voting percentage was 66 per cent and in the 11 seats of Uttar Pradesh, electorally the most important state, the turnout was 62.52 per cent.
A good show for Congress in Karnataka could help it to check BJP's perceived surge nationally. In the previous Lok Sabha poll in the state, BJP had won 18 seats in the state but is struggling this time.
Congress had defeated BJP in last year’s state assembly polls, bringing to an end the saffron party’s only power centre in southern India.
Bangalore watched one of the keenly contested seats in the state where Congress party candidate Nandan Nilekani is pitted against BJP veteran Ananth Kumar. Polling in another important, Maharashtra, which has a total of 48 seats, 19 constituencies which went to poll today saw a turnout of 61.7 per cent. Today's polling decided the fate of 358 candidates, including Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former chief minister Ashok Chavan (both Congress) and senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde in Maharashtra. 
The fifth phase of polling was the largest single-day in the nine-phased election exercise and electoral fates of 1,769 candidates, including Nandan Nilekani (Cong), Maneka Gandhi, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda (JD-S), Union Ministers Veerappa Moily (Cong) and Srikant Jena, Supriya Sule and Lalu Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti, were decided. Viewed as a high stakes day by both BJP and its allies, which hold 46 seats and Congress and its partners having 43 seats, today's polling may decide which party will lead the race to form the next government. Polling in Uttar Pradesh decided the fate of 150 candidates, including Maneka Gandhi, Santosh Gangwar, Saleem Sherwani and Begum Noor Bano.
West Bengal holds the key to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's bid to position herself as a key player in government-formation at the Centre in the event of a fractured mandate.
Over 54 per cent polling was registered in seven Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, another electorally key state, today while 62 percent turnout was reported in six constituencies in adjacent Jharkhand despite Maoists' boycott call.
With completion of polling in the fifth phase, the exercise crossed the half way mark in the nine-phased elections to 543-member Lok Sabha.
Polling has already been completed in 111 seats in the earlier four phases in which voter turnout in most states has been higher than in 2009. 

CHANDRABABU EXPRESS DISPLEASURE AGAINST BJP

Endorsing reports that there was a "strain" in the alliance with BJP in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu today publicly expressed displeasure over the selection of candidates by the saffron party for the May 7 elections. He, however, did not say whether the alliance would continue or break. "We have aligned with the BJP to see that Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister and rid the country of the corrupt and inept Congress rule. The alliance was also in the interests of our state. But somehow the BJP has fielded very weak candidates in some places which will only benefit the rival parties," Chandrababu lamented, addressing a public meeting at Parvathipuram in Vizianagaram district this evening. He said corrupt forces like the YSR Congress should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation. Chandrababu, however, did not talk further on the alliance. But leaders of the two parties were hopeful that there would be no threat to the alliance "at this stage" as the misgivings would be sorted out. BJP AP unit president Kambhampati Haribabu told reporters in Visakhapatnam, where he is the Lok Sabha candidate, that some "small misgivings" were common between political parties. "Our alliance will not only continue but also win the elections handsomely. All issues between us will be sorted out by the top leadership," Haribabu said. TDP sources here said Chandrababu is returning to Hyderabad late tonight to discuss the alliance issue with BJP leader Prakash Javadekar. The TDP President was supposed to fly to Krishna district tomorrow morning after an overnight stay at Visakhapatnam. But he is coming to Hyderabad to sort out the impasse over the alliance and will go to Krishna district from here tomorrow. The TDP has allotted 15 Assembly and five Lok Sabha seats to the BJP in Andhra Pradesh as part of the alliance but the national party itself reduced one seat each and announced its candidates. The TDP leadership at the local level sent an alarm over the BJP's choice of candidates in particular Assembly segments saying the nominees were "too weak".

POSTER WAR ON KEJRI

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is fighting against Narendra Modi here in Lok Sabha polls, today faced a fresh round of attacks through posters, which wished for his "speedy recovery" along with prayers to give him a "sound mind". This is the second poster attack on Kejriwal ever since he arrived here on April 15, when posters were put out across the city including on railway station terming him as 'bhagoda' or desterter. While earlier posters contained the name of 'Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena', the new posters were released by a hitherto- unknown entity called 'Modi Firebrand National Front'. The BJP leaders denied having anything to do with both these organisations and on the contrary accused Kejriwal of indulging in cheap publicity stunts. The Firebrand front also issued a press release to local media, wherein it claimed to have organised a 'prayer meeting' for "sound mental health of Kejriwal". The front said that Kejriwal has been indulging in strange activities and illogical talks and therefore they organised this prayer meet and issued the posters to request people of Varanasi to pray for Kejriwal.

'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojna' MY DREAM

Wooing farmers, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today said if elected, his government will launch a mega irrigation project. The project will be on the lines of 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna' which was launched by the earlier Vajpayee government. "The way former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had initiated Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna for the development of villages, I have a dream of starting 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojna' for strengthening farmers," Modi said addressing a rally at Kukshi in the tribal-dominated Dhar Lok Sabha constituency. "This will help in strengthening farmers and making the country more self-reliant in the field of agriculture," he said. Blaming Congress for the backwardness of tribals, Modi alleged that in the last 60 years, Congress has not done anything for their welfare and development which is included in BJP's priorities. "Are the tribals not born in this country and have they not contributed in the nation's development?" he asked. Congress and other parties have failed to do anything for their development, Modi said, adding that he will ensure that their problems related to "Jal, Jungle and Jameen" (water, forest and land) are solved. The farmers are committing suicide in the country and nobody is bothered about them. "What has happened to the Congress party's slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan?" he asked. "When our government will come it will do justice to the farmers' future," he said.

CONGRESS QUESTION MARK ON OPENION POLLS

An opinion poll which for the first time projected majority for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha polls was "fixed and doctored", Congress alleged today.
Union Minister and senior Congress spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters that the opinion poll was carried out by some of the people who have been allegedly involved in the campaign of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Sharma claimed that a high ranking person from the firm that does work for Modi has started another outfit which has done the opinion poll shown on a TV channel on Monday.
Congress has been opposing opinion polls saying that they lacked credibility. To drive home its point, the party has highlighted that the opinion polls before the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls had predicted a victory for NDA, but the Congress-led UPA had emerged triumphant.
The latest opinion poll had predicted a clear majority for any pre-poll alliance projecting that NDA would get 275 seats in the 543-member House. This is 16 seats more than the poll had predicted last month.
BJP on its own would win 226 seats — the highest tally ever for the party and the best by any party since 1991, the opinion poll estimated. UPA would win just 111 seats, with Congress sinking to its lowest-ever tally of 92 seats, it had projected. 
Sharma said that coming out with "fixed and doctored" polls consistently is part of a larger design aimed at making mockery of democracy and to lower the morale of the rivals in the electoral battle. He wondered as to how could BJP think of a clear majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha by just contesting 445 seats. This is far away from ground reality. "A web of deceit (mayajal) is being created in which even respected channels are getting trapped", he said adding " today, Modi and BJP are doing false encounters with truth". In a dig at M J Akbar, Sharma said that people who had said in 2002 after the Gujarat riots that Modi deserves Nishan-e-Pakistan have now become "celebrated new entrants" to the BJP. Smriti Irani, who had denounced the Gujarat Chief Minister, is now a much talked about BJP leader while Murli Manohar Joshi has been denying the very existence of the Modi wave, Sharma said. 

FORIEGN OFFICIALS GET LESSONS ON POLL MANAGEMENT

As India goes through the world's biggest democratic exercise, senior officials from 19 countries are undergoing training on election management and related matters here under a novel initiative. Currently a batch of 30 senior officials from Bhutan, Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Maldives, Palestine, Sierra Leone South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Yemen are undertaking the training under the programme launched by Ministry of External Affairs. Apart from learning theoretical aspects of election management, the participants are also being given practical insights into the election management process as they have been taken to polling booths and control rooms. The training is being given by India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management - an advanced resource centre of learning, research, training and extension for participatory democracy and election management. The External Affairs Ministry had launched the programme last year for election officials of the foreign countries as part of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation initiative and already two batches had completed their courses. Government sources said there has been huge response to the training programme as around 70 senior officials of a large number of countries had expressed interest to be part of it out of which only 30 could be accommodated in the ongoing course. Impressed by India's election management system, the sources said some countries have even expressed interest in acquiring Electronic Voting Machines while some others have even contacted the Election Commission for other assistance. The Election Commission of India in 2011 had launched the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management.

FAKE GANDHIS

The BJP today described Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul as 'fake Gandhis' and questioned their rights to use the surname though the family has no relation with Mahatma Gandhi. "The Gandhi family has no right to use the Gandhi surname... They (Sonia and Rahul) are fake Gandhis," former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu said here. This (Gandhi) family has had nothing to do with Mahatma Gandhi, Naidu said alleging them of adopting the surname only to inherit the legacy of the architect of the freedom movement. Incidentally, by questioning the Gandhi family's right to use the Father of the Nation's surname, Naidu has inadvertently brought under scanner rights of his party colleagues like Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi to use it.

650 SCHEMES UNDER ONE FAMILY NAME

Under attack for pursuing personality-based politics by making Narendra Modi a fulcrum of its campaign for 2014 general elections, BJP today charged Congress with glorifying contributions of one family by launching a staggering 650 schemes in the name of Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. "It has been the Congress that has glorified contributions of one family by giving it credit for every thing taking place in the country before and after the Independence," former BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here. Giving an impression that no other leader other than one family did any good for the country, Congress launched 650 schemes in the name of three personalities - Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said. Naidu promised that the BJP-led NDA, in the event of being elected to power in 2014 general elections would review christening of all these 650 schemes in the name of members of one family.
"BJP will discuss all issues related to 650 schemes, including rationalization and christening of these schemes in the name of members of one family," he said. Rubbishing Congress charge that Modi has muzzled democratic functioning of the BJP by outsmarting all other top leaders to get himself declared as the prime ministerial nominee, Naidu said said the allegation was far from true as it was the party's decision to make the Gujarat chief minister its face for the general elections and the decision was taken in a democratic manner. "The charge of pursuing personality-centric politics does not stick at us.....it has been the trade mark of the Congress," he said recalling the late Congress leader D K Baruah's famous one liner in 1970s : "Indira is India and India is Indira."  
It was same the person (Indira Gandhi) who subverted parliamentary democracy by imposing Emergency in 1975 in the country and amending Constitution to protect the interests of her family, Naidu said and mocked Congress for claiming itself to be the flag bearer of deomcracy. He also reminded Congress about late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's remarks "when a big tree falls, earth shakes" after the outbreak of the anti-Sikh riots following his mother's assassination in 1984 to underscore his point that it was Congress which practised personality cult in politics. On Congress' jibe at Modi for not respecting seniors, the former BJP president alleged that the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress did not allow the former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's mortal remains to be brought at the AICC headquarters for paying tribute and her predecessor Sitaram Keshari was bodily lifted out of the party office to make way for Gandhi.
Alleging that the Congress leadership unceremoniously removed S M Krishna as External Affairs Minister and packed off another senior leader C K Jaffer Sharief, Naidu said Congress should not give sermon to the BJP about pursuing 'personality-centric politics' and being disrespectful to senior leaders.
Charging Congress with diverting attention from real issues by mounting attack on Modi by calling him "divisive", "dictatorial" and even bringing his family matters to fore, the senior BJP leader asked the main ruling party at the Centre to debate price rise, corruption, scams, black money, and introspect as to why it failed the country and its people for a decade. 
Claiming that a wave is sweeping the country in favour of the NDA that may turn into a storm as the poll process reached advanced stage, Naidu claimed that Modi-led government would come to power at the Centre with at least 300 seats from all regions including the southern states.
On the senior BJP leader M M Joshi's controversial remarks that the wave was in favour of the BJP and not Modi, the BJP leader said that his senior colleague had already clarified the matter.
"There is no difference between BJP and Modi and Joshi has clarified his remarks," Naidu said.
On Modi refusing to apologize for the 2002 riots, the former BJP president that said the Gujarat Chief Minister's successive victories in the assembly polls since 2002 vindicated Modi's stand on the issue.
When mediapersons persisted for his response on Modi's refusal to apologize for 2002 riots, Naidu sought to parry the question saying "please don't divert attention from 2014 general elections."
On Congress seeking Modi's apology for the riot, he asked it to introspect for a number of communal carnage taking place during its rule and said that that party had been in the habit of playing communal cards for electoral benefits.
On the controversy arising out of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's former Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru's book 'The Accidental Prime Minister', Naidu said BJP's allegation that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had been acting as extra constitutional authority to run the UPA government was proved correct.
"We have been saying for long that the PM presides, Madam decides," the former BJP president said.   

VOW....WHAT A COMPARISON

Aspiring to be a 'giant killer', Congress leader Ajay Rai says his record is better than BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the electoral arena as he has won five straight assembly polls as against just three won so far by the Gujarat Chief Minister. Modi, in his third term as Gujarat chief minister, is contesting his first Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi and Vadodara in Gujarat. Rai, a Congress MLA here, has also been a BJP member in the past. He had lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 when he had fought as a Samajwadi Party candidate. Exuding confidence about defeating Modi and others in the fray, including Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, he said he would eventually emerge as a "giant killer" as people of Varanasi want someone from among them to get elected and work for their welfare. "I think Modi has been an MLA for three terms while I have been an MLA for five straight terms, including a byelection. This way, I am in fact senior to Modi by two terms when it comes to electoral politics," Rai told PTI in an interview. Rai, who has been in active politics for over 18 years in the Varanasi area, also rejected any "Modi wave" here. "There is no such (Modi) wave. Had there been a Modi wave, BJP would not have tied up with Apna Dal (a regional party with a strong backward caste base). You win all seats on your own in a wave. The tie-up with Apna Dal itself proves there is no wave," he said. BJP has entered into an electoral alliance with Apna Dal, which is said to have a strong presence in the Purvanchal region, which includes Varanasi and adjoining areas.

CONGRESS, TRS WAR INTENSIFIES

With election temperatures rising in Telangana, the TRS and Congress seem to be at each other's throats as the war of words between the two main contenders in the region, set to become a new state on June 2, is showing no signs of abating. As voting nears for the Lok Sabha polls in Telangana (April 30), where simultaneous elections would be held for 119 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats, the barbs between TRS supremo K Chandrasekar Rao (KCR), Telangana PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah is getting nastier with both challenging each other for a debate on the backwardness or development of Telangana. The contrast can't get more stark than this. Not long ago, bonhomie marked the relations between the two parties after the Telangana Bill was passed by Parliament as there were expectations that they would merge or at least have an electoral alliance. But with TRS deciding to shut the door on Congress vis-à-vis both options and deciding to go it alone, the two parties seem to be in a no holds barred attack against each other. The hostility between the two parties which once considered closer on the 'ideological' platform scaled new heights in recent time after the TRS chief termed Lakshmaiah as the "agent" of Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, a Seemandhra Congress leader who vociferously objected to the formation of Telangana state. Reacting to this, Lakshmaiah described KCR as an opportunist and alleged that he sold TRS party tickets in the elections. Joining the chorus with his father, KCR's son K T Ramarao today demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi for "delay" in formation of Telangana. "Ten years back, Sonia Gandi promised Telangana if they come into power in both State and Centre. Now they (Congress) owe an explanation as to why it took ten years for the state formation. Due to the deal, many young people lost their lives," Ramarao fumed at Congress. He also demanded that the Congress apologise to the families of those lost their lives for the formation the state. 

MODI WAVE STRONGER THAN JANATA WAVE

Veteran BJP leader and former union minister Shanta Kumar today said that "Modi wave, sweeping the country" was stronger than Janta party wave of 1977 and claimed that NDA's march to power was unstoppable. "The post poll scenario would be totally different ... as Modi wave, sweeping the country is stronger than Janta party wave of 1977 and Congress would be decimated to double figure," he said while talking to mediapersons here. "The NDA is heading for clear majority and even if it did not get the magic number, Modi would be the next PM and even old allies like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would be left with no choice than to return to NDA," he said. When asked about the comment of senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi that there is no Modi wave but a BJP wave in the country, Kumar said that Modi was representative face of the BJP as Prime ministerial candidate and both the BJP and Modi are inseparable. Kumar lashed out at the UPA government for compromising with national security and said that the government had failed to procure modern arms and ammunition and other defence equipments inspite of availability of funds. Raking up the issue of black money of corrupt politicians stashed away in foreign banks, the BJP leader accused the UPA government of not taking any action to bring back the money as the money belongs to some top UPA leaders. "The NDA government would enact a law to bring back the black money from foreign bank and make it a cognisable offence attracting imprisonment upto ten years and provide for voluntary disclosure of black money and bringing the money back within a stipulated time," Kumar said. In the wake of recent startling claims made by Sanjay Baru, former media advisor to Prime Minister and P C Parekh, former Coal secretary in their books about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Kumar said the Prime Minister should immediately resign from the post.

BOLLYWOOD FOR A CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT

They might be a part of the world of fiction, but Bollywood celebrities are well in touch with the poll scenario in the country and are calling for a change. With Lok Sabha elections going on, several B-town celebrities insist that voting is essential and some have voiced their opinion on how their dream India should be like. Superstar Aamir Khan highlighted the importance of voting in his final episode of 'Satyamev Jayate 2' show last month.

I think the present government failed on most of the fronts, corruption happened directly or indirectly. I would definitely need a change in political system. We need a stable and strong government. I would urge everyone to vote. I want the government to look into the increasing prices, internal security and terrorism issues, have strong foreign policy. As a celebrity I would expect some changes in terms of tax for the entertainment industry.
                                                                  Anupam Kher 
 

I am yet to take a call on this (voting). We want to live in a happy country. After watching things on TV and reading about people, I think they are intelligent enough to make up their mind on whom to vote for and whom not to.
                Shah Rukh Khan 

I feel we need change (in political system). I think it is the sentiment that most people feel. There are promises being made when we are to vote. This time I hope more number of youths will vote. I feel and hope all the promises made will be lived upto. There are many issues and things that need to be addressed but I don't want to get into it. I would vote first and then fly to IIFA.
                                                     Deepika Padukone 

I would want India to stay corruption free... everyone is fed up of that main root problem and also the petrol prices. We as a nation are looking for change and are serious about it. I believe it is time for change and that change will come. My father, Shatrughan Sinha, has always taught us irrespective of the party whoever is doing well or delivering good one must vote for that party. 
                                                 Sonakshi Sinha
 

India badly needs a "modern Gandhi" today.Today the common man is not angry because of the corruption in the country, he is angry because he is a victim of corruption. Things like death due to negligence or a common man fighting the system to get his pension are very common phenomena in our country. I have tried to highlight these issues in my film. I feel Mahtama Gandhi was a great human being, a great leader, a great inspiration for the entire country and India badly needs a modern Gandhi today.
                                                            Prakash Jha 

We definitely need change. We need people who are positive and who will go out and do the needful.
                    Sunny Deol

I am going to vote and I think it is the responsibility of every Indian citizen to vote. Voting will help bring the right people to power, otherwise we don't have the right to complain about things.
                    Arjun Kapoor 

Voting is not only a responsibility but a duty as well. We as citizens of India must take care of our country and voting is the first step towards it.
                                 Varun Dhawan