LESSON 43
Polling for first phase of Lok Sabha elections tomorrow
New Delhi (PTI): Polling for the first
phase of Lok Sabha elections will be held on Wednesday in 124
constituencies spread over 24 States and Union Territories.
While all 20 seats in Kerala, 11 in
Chhattisgarh and two in Meghalaya would go to polls in a single phase
on Wednesday, polling would be held in 13 out of 40 seats in Bihar, 16
out of 80 in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra 13 (48), Andhra Pradesh 22
(42), Jharkhand 6 (14), Orissa 10 (21), Assam 3 (14), Arunachal Pradesh
2 (2), Manipur 1 (2) and Jammu and Kashmir 1 (6).
The lone seats in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Mizoram and Nagaland would also be covered.
Voters casting their vote in the first
phase will have to wait for more than a month for the results as
counting will be taken up only on May 16.
Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa will also be held simultaneously on Wednesday.
While elections will be held in 154 out
of a total of 294 assembly constituencies in Andhra, 70 out of 147
assembly constituencies will go to polls in Orissa.
Tight security arrangements have been
made for the polls with Central paramilitary forces being deployed
along with the security forces of the States.
State borders have been sealed to prevent movement of criminal elements and liquor.
Other phases of Lok Sabha polls are due on April 23, 30 and May 7 and 13.
Delhi: The political party founded by Kanshi Ram on 14 April 1984 to
represent the underprivileged castes now has a good chance to put its
leader in the prime ministerial chair later this year.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) completed 25 years on Tuesday, just two days
prior to the start of the 15th general election. Some analysts believe
this election could be critical in defining the next phase of the
party’s growth and, depending on the outcome, project its leader
Mayawati as the next prime minister.
parties and other non-Congress, non-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)
parties that agreed to form an alternative third political front are
hoping that Mayawati would join them to stake claim to form the next
government.
moment has arrived, analysts caution that future growth will depend
crucially on the ability of the BSP to back up its social engineering,
wherein it has been able to coalesce various caste groupings under the so-called Sarvajan Samaj with welfare programmes.
BSP, which is the only political party that has by choice declined any
pre-poll alliance, is so focused on the general election that it has
even ignored its important milestone.
Lok Sabha will be our celebration. Our endeavour to get as many as MPs
in Parliament should not get distracted,” said Ambeth Rajan, BSP member
of Parliament and the party’s national treasurer.
a party that had forfeited its deposit in 222 constituencies in 1989,
the BSP is fielding almost 500 candidates for the April-May elections
to the 545-member Lok Sabha. Mint had reported on 2 April that
the Congress is expected to field around 400 candidates and the largest
Opposition party in Parliament, the BJP, will contest 430
constituencies.
rapidly improve its finances, giving it a financial power comparable
with national parties such as the BJP and the Congress. As Mint
had reported on 30 September, after a review of the party’s income tax
submissions, the balance sheet of the BSP—which was elected to power in
Uttar Pradesh in 2007—on 31 March 2002 showed fixed assets of Rs98,000.
The following year, it jumped to Rs58 lakh and by the end of 2005-06,
it rose to Rs11.73 crore.
its electoral numbers. According to figures made available by the
Election Commission of India, the BSP got 23.19% votes in the 2002
assembly polls and 24.67 % in the 2004 general election in Uttar
Pradesh. It won 206 of the 403 seats in the May 2007 assembly
elections, winning 30.43% of the votes in the most populous state,
which had long been a bastion of the Congress, the BJP and the
socialists.
Research Associates, a New Delhi-based research consultancy, the
party’s vote share rose from 4.5% to 6.5% in Chhattisgarh; 4.8% to 11%
in Madhya Pradesh; 2.5% to 14% in Delhi; and from 3.2% to 7.6% in
Rajasthan in the recent state elections.
its initial growth was based on consolidating the Dalit vote, it has
gradually begun to attract Muslim votes. The success of the party in
the Uttar Pradesh polls was managed on the ability of Mayawati to bring SC/STs and Brahmins on the same platform.
are the only party that works for all the needy—be it the backward
community or the exploited or the economically backward upper castes,”
argued Rajan.
professor in the department of political science at Delhi university,
sees a similarity between the rise of the BJP—which had won only two
seats in the 1984 elections, but became the single largest party in
1996—and the BSP.
find three reasons for the BSP’s growth. First of all, it is because
the social base of all the political parties has now become fragmented.
If the Congress earlier represented the SC/STs, Muslims and the
underprivileged, they have realized that it was not doing good.
Secondly, due to the introduction and successful implementation of
reservations and good education makes these sections empowered, which
is articulated by the BSP at this stage. And now the possibility of
Mayawati becoming the prime minister has become an emotional point for
the Dalit constituencies,” said Chakraborty.
did not see a bright future for the party unless it combines social
engineering with programmes. “There are other parties vying for these
constituencies. Mayawati, personally, is not very democratic. If the
BSP wants to flourish, she has to prove as good administrator, who
delivers developmental packages. Sloganeering can win you votes, but it
cannot provide sustainability.”
analysts believe that the recent turn in Uttar Pradesh politics could
yet scupper the BSP’s strategy. While logically the polarization forced
by the inflammatory remarks against Muslims by BJP candidate from
Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi, would shift the minority vote towards the
BSP—at present the dominant political force in the state—in practice
this may not be so.
get any advantage in terms of Muslim support unless some miracle
happens at the last moment,” said a senior Left leader.
Press Information Bureau
(C.M. Information Campus)
Information and Public Relations Department, U.P.
C.M. greets people on Ambedkar Jayanti
Lucknow : April 13, 2009
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Ms. Mayawati has
extended her heartiest felicitations and good wishes to the
people of the State on the 118th birth anniversary of the
architect of the Indian constitution and messiah of weaker
sections and the exploited, Bharat Ratna Bodhisattva Baba
Saheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
In a message issued here today, the Chief Minister
said that Dr. Ambedkar strived for the cause of SC/STs,
backward, have-nots, minorities and the exploited people.
He was responsible for inclusion in the Constitution, the
provision of providing social justice and equal opportunities
to all, irrespective of their caste and creed. This society
would forever remember his contribution for the victims of
injustice and exploitation, she added.
Ms. Mayawati said that Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar wanted
to establish an egalitarian society in place of social system
based on inequality. She said that on the occasion of his
birth anniversary we should make resolve to fulfil his
dreams by following the path shown by him. It would be a
true homage to him, she added.
*********
State Government orders high-level inquiry
into the case of Indian Justice Party
Lok Sabha candidate’s death
A.D.G. Padman Singh rushes to
Jaunpur for inquiry
Stern action to be taken against guilty persons
Lucknow: April 13, 2009
Taking serious note of the death of Indian Justice
Party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Jaunpur under
suspicious circumstances, the State Government has
ordered a high-level inquiry into this case. Additional
Director General of Police Mr. Padman Singh, who has
rushed immediately to Jaunpur by Helicopter, will head
the inquiry.
The State Government has directed the inquiry
team to hold the inquiry in an honest and impartial
manner, so that the persons found guilty prima-facie
after inquiry could be sent behind the bars without any
delay by taking stern action.
********
Women MPs, MLAs too have criminal records
Guess what? Kerala, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are the states with the highest percentage of women legislators with criminal records while Assam, Jharkhand and Rajasthan are some of the cleanest, says a study.On the whole, about 13 percent of women legislators in states and 14 percent of women MPs in the 14th Lok Sabha had criminal records, says the study by PRS Legislative Research based on affidavits filed by candidates with the Election Commission up to 2007.
The study by the independent research initiative suggests that women leaders don’t lag behind when it comes to having criminal records or amassing wealth.
A total of 51 women are in the 545-member Lok Sabha while 280 are women among 4,120 legislators across all state assemblies.
The survey shows that 83 percent women legislators have criminal records in Kerala, while the figure is 25 percent for Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
The other states that have women MLAs with criminal records
are Madhya Pradesh (22 percent), Karnataka (20 percent), Tamil Nadu (19
percent), Haryana and Orissa (18 percent), Maharashtra and Punjab (17
percent), Uttar Pradesh (13 percent), Andhra Pradesh (eight percent)
and West Bengal (six percent).
However, in 11 states, women legislators do not have any kind of criminal record. The states are Assam, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.
The survey
names seven women MPs with criminal charges, and topping the list is
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati who has in the past been
booked for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. She is no longer
an MP as she is now Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
There are two from Kerala — the Communist Party of India-Marxist
(CPI-M) P. Satheedevi and C.S. Sujatha — booked for unlawful assembly
and rioting. Also in the list of women MPs ‘with criminal charges’
based on affidavits filed in 2004 is Suryakanta Patil from the
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), accused of misusing a
charitable institution.
Two Shiv Sena MPs are there too, Narhire Kalpana Ramesh for wrongful
restraint and Bhavana Pundlikrao under the Bombay Police Act.
Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury appears in the
list for obstructing a public servant in discharging his duties.
Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of the Association for Democratic
Reforms and National Election Watch, said he is not surprised by
the findings.
‘It is easy to see that such women are either the wife or a relative
of an influential politician. How did they come on top in politics - by
depending on men. In such a situation, it is not surprising to find
them involved in corruption or criminal cases,’ said Bairwal, whose
organisations work for improving governance and strengthening democracy.
He said a very small number of women are selected by political
parties to fight in elections. ‘There is no democratic method involved
in selecting them. If more women are selected, I am sure they will
focus on issues that would make a difference,’ Bairwal told IANS.
The survey
also states that many women legislators are richer than their male
counterparts. Over 30 percent of women MPs have assets worth more than
Rs.1.5 crore. The figure is 14.3 percent for members of legislative
assemblies (MLAs).
Similarly, 26 percent of women MPs have assets between Rs.50 lakh and Rs.1.5 crore while the figure is 21 percent for MLAs.
In Himachal Pradesh, most women MLAs’ assets have been put at more than Rs.1.5 crore. ‘Three of the five women MLAs in Himachal Pradesh have household assets worth more than Rs.1.5 crore.’
“Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is contesting against the
Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPM) in West Bengal. Mayawati’’s
party is contesting against Janata Dal- Secular (JD-S) in Karnataka,”
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded candidates in 12 of the 13
constituencies going to the polls Thursday. It has not put up anyone in
Akola from where Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) president Prakash
Ambedkar, the grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, is contesting.
BSP at 25 - travelling the electoral road to victory
Lucknow, April 13, When it marks its 25th birthday Tuesday, the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) — one of India’s youngest political parties —
will have plenty to celebrate.
In a country where parties decades old are in struggle mode due to
growing fragmentation of the Indian vote, the BSP has mastered the art
of winning elections and scripting history.
And, with an aggressive SC leader Mayawati leading it, the BSP is
now in overwhelming command of Uttar Pradesh, having captured power in
the country’s most populous and politically crucial state on its own in
2007, stunning its supporters and foes alike.
The unpredictable Mayawati, determined to win all the
state’s 80 Lok Sabha seats, has set her eyes on the prime minister’s
post.
The BSP is also fighting almost all Lok Sabha seats across the
country, giving sleepless nights to parties much older to it and also
to political leaders more experienced than her.
Yet, when it all began, no one even remotely thought that the BSP would travel so fast — and this far.
It was on the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar April
14 that Kanshi Ram founded the BSP 25 years ago — with a mission to
give the mass of SC/STs a political platform he said they lacked.
He had begun as a social activist by organising the Backward and
Muslim employees in the central government under an organisation he
named Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF).
That was in December 1978.
In three years, he roped in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
government employees and formed the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh
Samiti, which popularly came to be known as DS-4.
The huge response he received to DS-4 from those who had always felt
marginalised by upper castes, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, gave rise
to his political ambitions.
Kanshi Ram then toured Uttar Pradesh extensively with a select band
of supporters on bicycles, urging SC/STs to unite. It was a quiet
revolution that largely went unnoticed in the mainstream media then.
Once the BSP was launched April 14, 1984, there was no looking back.
History was made on June 2, 1995 when BSP took power in Uttar
Pradesh, with the feisty Mayawati, a teacher from Delhi, becoming the
chief minister.
Political pundits had thought Kanshi Ram would become the chief
minister. Instead, the BSP supremo chose to coronate his protege
Mayawati.
His deteriorating health led Kanshi Ram to declare Mayawati as his
political heir. Mayawati formally took over the reins of her party on
Sep 15, 2003 as its national president.
Mayawati proved her mettle when she led the BSP, even in the absence
of Kanshi Ram, to an unprecedented victory in Uttar Pradesh in the 2007
assembly elections.
With her style of working, the undaunted Mayawati
moves on, obsessively focussed on her ultimate goal - to rule India.
BSP will get 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh: THREE BASKETS STUDY CIRCLE survey
New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) will make major gains in Uttar Pradesh, bagging all the 80,seats,
while the Samajwadi Party will lose in a big way in the Lok Sabha
polls, according to an opinion poll by THREE BASKETS STUDY CIRCLE.
The survey said the BSP, which won 19 Lok Sabha seats in the 2004
polls, is likely to get all the 80 seats in the 2009 elections. The
Samajwadi Party’s strength is likely to be reduced to 0 from the 38 it
won in 2004.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress would also lose
all the seats in the state.
The survey has also given two seats to others. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats.
The survey conducted among real voting people in the state, said BSP
leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati emerged as the most
popular leader in the state with 100 percent people in favour of her.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav trailed with 0 percent.
As Elections Near, Tightrope Awaits in India
Supporters of Kumari Mayawati, the Aboriginal Inhabitant of Jambudvipa, the is, the Great Prabuddha Bharath, yet an outcaste leader of Uttar
Pradesh state, the most populous in India, listened to her speak at a
rally this month in Palwal.
Elections for the 543-member Parliament start Thursday
Kumari Mayawati, the Aboriginal Inhabitant of Jambudvipa, the is, the Great Prabuddha Bharath, yet outcaste leader of the state of Uttar
Pradesh, promises an expansion of set-asides in government jobs.
BSP to move court against MLAs who joined Congress
‘most undemocratic, unconstitutional’: Mayawati
BSP not just a political party but also a mission, says party supremo
To accord reservation to deserving communities in higher judiciary, private sector
JAIPUR: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Tuesday said her
party would shortly move court seeking disqualification of the six
sitting BSP MLAs who crossed over to join the ruling Congress in
Rajasthan earlier this month. She accused the Congress of hatching a
conspiracy to “injure the BSP and damage its vote bank”.
Addressing an election rally at Vidyadhar Nagar stadium here, Ms.
Mayawati said the induction of the BSP MLAs into the Congress was “most
undemocratic and unconstitutional”. She called upon the people in the
State to give a “befitting reply” to the Congress by voting against it
in the Lok Sabha elections.
Ms. Mayawati said the BSP was not just a political party but also a
mission and added that any MP or MLA deserting the party “goes alone,
does not take away a single party worker with him and cannot win any
election as a candidate of another party”.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister pointed out that under the
anti-defection law the MLAs or members of a national political party
could join another party only if their original party or its faction
merges with the latter. She took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot for facilitating the crossover of BSP MLAs to Congress.
The Congress secured a majority on its own with its tally rising to
102 in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly after the six BSP MLAs –
Rajendra Gudha, Rajkumar Sharma, Giriraj Singh, Ramesh Meena, Murarilal
Meen and Ramkesh Meena – submitted to the Speaker an affidavit on April
4 declaring that they had joined the Congress Party.
Ms. Mayawati affirmed that the BSP, if elected to power at the
Centre, would eradicate poverty and extend reservation to the poor
among the higher castes. She said her party was in favour of giving
Scheduled Tribe status to Gujjars, for which she had already written to
the Centre.
“Neither the previous Bharatiya Janata Party regime in Rajasthan nor
the present Congress-led Government or the UPA Government at the Centre
is serious about fulfilling the legitimate demand of Gujjars,” said Ms.
Mayawati referring to the Gujjar agitation for reservation in the ST
category.
The BSP supremo said her party had committed itself firmly to the concept of “Sarvajan hitay, sarvajan sukhay”
(protect the interests of all, provide benefits to all) and was working
for promoting harmony among all faiths, castes and creeds. She accused
the UPA Government of completely ignoring the Rajinder Sachchar
Committee’s recommendations for welfare of Muslims.
Ms. Mayawati said the BSP would accord reservation to the deserving
communities in higher judiciary, private sector, State Assemblies and
Vidhan Parishads if elected to power at the Centre.