Apr 8 :The Election Commission on Wednesday said that the full commission will take a view on the replies submitted by the Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram and the BJP Leader Mr. Jaswant Singh on the notices given by the commission to them on violation of model code of conduct.
Briefing media the Deputy Election Commissioner Mr. R. Balakrishnan said that the full commission will meet on the issue once its members return to Delhi from their tours. He also said that the transcript of the controversial speech by Lalu Prasad Yadav in Kishanganj on his comments on Varun Gandhi has also been received and the Commission will take a stand on it after going through the speech.
He said that initial information has been obtained on a case filed at Badayun with the police by BJP’s Maneka Gandhi on Lalu’s comments on her son. He said that the details of the case are however still awaited from the Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh.
Mr. Balakrishnan said that 1,715 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of election for 124 Lok Sabha constituencies on the 16th of this month. The highest number of the 32 candidates each are fighting from two constituencies Mehboob Nagar in Andhra Pradesh and Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Highest number of 5 women each are also from these two constituencies.
The battle lines for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls has been drawn with the last date for withdrawal of nominations coming to an end. 141 Parliamentary constituencies spread over 13 states will be covered in this phase. Except the Inner Manipur constituency, which will go to the polls from 22nd April, polling will be held in all other 140 constituencies on the 23rd of this month.
Star political leaders have hit the election campaign trail with the first phase of Lok Sabha elections is only eight days away. Senior BJP leader L. K. Advani on Wednesday files his nomination in Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Mr. Advani is seeking re-election for the fifth time from there. Later, he said that he will go to the people with the promises of good governance, development and security.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi campaigned in Kerala on Wednesday and charged Left Parties with living in the past. Addressing a meeting in Trichur on Wednesday, she cautioned the public about the designs of political parties who want to divide the country on the basis of religion. She criticised the BJP for failing to address the issue of terrorism adequately. Her son and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi campaigned in Orissa. Addressing a meeting in Baliguda, he criticised the Navin Patnaik government for failure to mitigate the plight of tribals, farmers and downtrodden. He said clashes took place in the name of religion in Kandhamal and elsewhere and the state government was reasponsible for spreading of disharmony and hatred.
The Congress on Wednesday dismissed completely as baseless the allegation of in justice to Gujarat by the UPA government with regard to allocation of central funds. In a document released by the party based on the information collected through Right to Information, the congress said that the UPA government had allocated to Gujarat more than double amount given by the NDA government to the state during its tenure.
CPI leader A. B. Bardhan says, the goals of forming a non-Congress and non-BJP government at the Centre will be realised, as the people had experienced both of the non-performing governments. He said in Hyderabad that the Alliance of TDP, TRS, CPI(M) and CPI in Andhra Pradesh and all the other alliances forged in different states are trying to bring about this change at the centre.
JDU leader Nitish Kumar has backed BJP leader L K Advani’s proposal to enact a law to bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks. He said in Garwah, Jharkhand that if NDA is voted to power it will the.
Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal on Wednesday filed his nomination from Kanpur parliamentary constituency. Jaiswal is seeking re-election from the constituency for the third time.
In Rajasthan, BJP has opposed the order of Chief Election Officer for not giving permission to some advertisements against Congress. Chief Election Officer ordered to remove controversial hoardings indicating Chief Minister, Ashok Gallot.
In Assam, a convoy of the Election Commission’s observers in central North Cachar Hills district was ambushed on Wednesday by militants of Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) outfit. No one was injured in the attack. Director General of Police G M Srivastav told reporters in Halflong that the militants fired from top of the hills as the vehicles of poll observer A P Singh and his team passed through Jungum to Ungrangsho.
After the final withdrawal on Wednesday 274 candidates remain in fray for the first phase of election on April 23 in Karnataka. Seventeen constituencies are going to the poll in this phase. On the final day of withdrawal on Wednesday the number of nominations came down from 347 to 274 in this phase. For the next phase of election on April 30, fifty four nominations were filed on Wednesday. Prominent among those who filed their nominations were former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Devegowda from Hassan, former Chief Minister S Bangarappa of Congress from Shimoga and P C Gaddigowder of BJP from Bagalkot. On Thursday is the last day to file nominations in this phase where election will be held in eleven constituencies.