AAP in damage control mode

Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 7
As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today went into a damage control mode, party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal reached out to the dissidents — Yogendra Yadav and Shazia Ilmi — and acknowledged Yadav’s concerns, asserting that “differences have been ironed out”.

The party has unanimously rejected the resignations in its discussion. Both Yogendra Yadav and Naveen Jaihind retain their party posts. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said that the party would now focus on organisational restructuring, cadre building and expansion of political affairs committee (PAC).

Apart from strengthening its network, AAP would concentrate on the Delhi Assembly elections, said Kejriwal. “Yogendra Yadav is a very dear friend and a very valued colleague. Had long discussion with him…. Yog Yadav has raised some important issues. All of us will work on it,” tweeted Kejriwal.

He also reached out to Shazia Ilmi, who is in the US, in an attempt to convince her to return to the party fold.

“We will also try to get Shazia back,” he tweeted before the crucial AAP national executive committee (NEC) meet. Prior to the NEC meet, it is being said that Prashant Bhushan acted as a peace broker between Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav. “They are sensible people and all the misunderstandings have been cleared. Yogendra has agreed to withdraw his resignation. We will try to contact Shazia Ilmi when she is back from abroad,” Bhushan told The Tribune.

“There have been some differences but everybody was unanimous in opinion that resignations should be rejected. The issues raised by Yogendra Yadav were discussed. We hope Shazia will withdraw,” he said.

Dismissing comments from opponents regarding the AAP’s collapse, NEC member Prof Anand Kumar maintained: “It is a young party which is learning to institutionalise a system of challenge. The resolution of conflict has happened and the party is united under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP versus AAP as Yadav, Sisodia spar

Ananya Panda
Tribune news Service

New Delhi, June 6
Rift within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is out in the open following the recent “damaging” communication exchanged between AAP senior leaders, Manish Sisodia and Prof Yogendra Yadav, even as the party’s top leadership today dismissed such differences, saying “problems do happen in a newly-formed party”.

The communication between Sisodia and Yadav was discussed at party’s three-day national executive, which began this afternoon. Other issues which were discussed at the national executive included the party’s performance review in the Lok Sabha elections, organisational restructuring and recent resignations by top party leaders.

Tomorrow, the party is likely to take up the issue of constitution of its state unit in Punjab where the party grabbed four Lok Sabha seats.

National executive member Sanjay Singh said after the meeting: “The meeting was positive. The party will rethink on the resignations.”

While another leader and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan admitted to “organisational lapses”. “It is a new party and problems are bound to occur but the party is analysing slowly.”

It is understood that Shazia Ilmi’s resignation was discussed and the party has asked senior leader Anjali Damania to speak to her and convince her to return to the party fold. Besides Shazia, Captain Gopinath, too, quit the party and both cited lack of democratic functioning within the party as the reason for leaving.

Sisodia’s reaction comes in the wake of recent differences between AAP leaders Yadav and Naveen Jaihind who has also resigned from his position of NEC member. The resignations are yet to be accepted.

Yadav in his salvo has raised seven points such as concentration of power in the political affairs committee (PAC) and absence of mechanism for consulting volunteers and even bypassing the PAC in many decisions indicating that the party is suffering from a “personality-cult” and being operated as a one-man show.

Earlier, Sisodia had written to Yadav: “An ugly fight between you and Naveen Jaihind has been unfolding for the last 15 days. Sad that you have made your spat public and involved the media. The party is being humiliated. What is more that you want disciplinary action against Jaihind. You didn’t get your way so now you have dragged Kejriwal into your personal fight with Naveen Jaihind. When you wanted to be projected as the Haryana CM candidate despite opposition from other PAC members, Arvind backed you.”

“Are you trying to finish Kejriwal or you are trying to finish AAP,” he questioned.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP's false dawn

Can Kejriwal recover from great reverse?
S Nihal Singh

IS it all over for the Aam Aadmi Party that rose meteor-like in the Delhi sky to dazzle one and all in the assembly election bargaining itself into the driving seat on its debut? For many, AAP and its dynamo Arvind Kejriwal was the answer to everyone's prayers for a new kind of politics unsullied by underhand deals and caste and class arithmetic.

Then after 49 days in power, Kejriwal threw it all away chasing the chimera of national honours. What went wrong and how did the great promise AAP offered ended in shattered dreams?

There are several reasons for this modern-day tragedy, but the biggest was that Mr Kejriwal was carried away by his own success in his debut attempt at playing politics. Second, he did not draw the line between governance and agitation highlighted by his decision to sit in dharna on the streets of New Delhi as the city state's Chief Minister. Third, the theatricals that got him free lavish media coverage became an end in themselves.

AAP's success came so quickly that the new party hardly had time to put together a coherent programme, apart from the all-encompassing anti-corruption fight. Judging by the furrows made by such associates as Shanti Bushan on Kashmir and other ruminations of Kejriwal's supporters, there was no agreement in the party on its social and economic programme, much less an attempt at a coherent manifesto.

In a sense, Kejriwal was AAP, maturing in the Anna Hazare movement and splitting from his mentor by taking the political route. He had inspired many by launching his party and perhaps the rock star status he came to acquire went to his head. He had good men at his side of the ilk of Yogendra Yadav and Manish Sisodia, but he seemed to have formed a coterie in his decision-making process.

Warning signs came early even as some selfless workers from various fields sought to correct Kejriwal's propensity to take decisions without consultations, apparently guided by their impact, rather than logic. Some peeled away protesting that their voices were not being heard, but AAP's crisis became full blown after the results of the Lok Sabha elections were out, with one of the party's live wires, Shazia Ilmi, leaving the party in protest.

The crucial point to discover is whether the reverses in the general election represent the end of a brave experiment. True, AAP won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, its total tally in fielding hundreds of candidates, but that was due to the double whammy of the Bharatiya Janata Party singed by the anti-incumbency attached to the Akali Dal and the low opinion of the Congress-led Government at the Centre.

One can only speculate how things would have been different had Mr Kejriwal indulged in less theatre and more diligent work in running the Delhi Government while waiting to attempt a national role five years later. It would have made evident sense if AAP had devoted itself to resolving the capital's various problems, rather than indulging in political grandstanding.

One would hope that Mr Kejriwal and his loyal associates have learnt their lessons the hard way and will now get down to rebuilding the party from the ground up in Delhi and would use its token representation in the new Lok Sabha for advocating realistic policy alternatives. Unlike its spectacular debut, the party lost all seats in Delhi to the BJP although it did increase its vote share.

Sometimes, Mr Kejriwal gave the impression of a drowning man clutching at straws as when he tried to revert to ruling the state again with Congress support, until even the greatly diminished Congress said a firm 'no' after having suffered continuing insults by AAP. With the BJP cock-a-hoop after its great victory, AAP will have to go back to the drawing board to plan a new strategy.

However, AAP must face the fact that it is a much diminished party than in its earlier avatar. It has lost its sheen and will need to work twice as hard to convince the voters that it would govern, if given another chance, instead of indulging in theatricals. But Mr Kejriwal will have to convince himself that an insurrectionist form of political policy has its limits. It seems AAP forgot to change gears once it became the ruling party, courtesy the Congress.

Mr Kejriwal can spend his time usefully while preparing for fresh elections to the Delhi assembly by undertaking two tasks. One would be to frame a coherent policy framework for his party. Anti-corruption is eye-catching, but hardly a programme. From his periodic forays, largely to quell protests, the impression Mr Kejriwal has given is of a vaguely left-oriented policy guided by what has come to be known as Nehruvian socialism. He will, in that case, have to put flesh on the bones and specify how his programme differs from those of other parties.

In various degrees, the Congress and the Left parties lay claims to versions of socialism, despite the policies they follow in practice. And wouldn't AAP be harking back in a country that seems to have gone past the clichés of the past? These are valid questions to consider in presenting a manifesto for the party.

Perhaps the most difficult task for Mr Kejriwal and his team will be to re-energise the people who voted for them in the first instance in the Delhi elections. Mr Kejriwal has apologised for the manner in which he abandoned office, but he will need to do a lot more to reassure the Delhi voters that he is a wiser man after his spectacular reverses in his Lok Sabha misadventure.

AAP must realise that the party's birth was greeted with so much enthusiasm because it promised a new kind of politics to a people tired of the shenanigans of too many politicians. Judging by the conduct of AAP, it proved to be a false dawn and many old enthusiasts are still recovering from the shock.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Kejriwal apologises for resigning as Delhi CM

NEW DELHI: Three months after quitting as Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday apologised to the people of Delhi and the country for “resigning midway” and said the party will gear up for elections.

The AAP chief, who had quit as Chief Minister after a 49-day stint, said the chances of his party forming a government in Delhi were negligible in the current scenario.

“I apologise to the people of Delhi and the country for resigning midway,” he told reporters.

“We had a meeting and we have decided to gear up for elections. We will go among the people, will hold various meetings in Delhi in the coming days. We will apologise to people of Delhi in meetings and gain their trust to ask them to support us with complete majority,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of forming a government again, Kejriwal said, “There were possibilities but none can be seen feasible at present to form the government.”

Kejriwal had on Tuesday met Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and asked him not to dissolve the assembly anytime soon, saying it will hold public meetings across the city to know whether the party should form the government again.

However, the Congress, which had supported the Kejriwal government earlier, had refused to support them again.

The AAP had won 28 seats in its debut assembly elections in December last year and had later formed the government with outside support from Congress’ eight MLAs.

BJP along with its ally Akali Dal’s one MLA had won 32 seats in the 70-member Assembly. The number of BJP MLAs has come down to 28 as three party legislators Harsh Vardhan, Ramesh Bidhuri and Pervesh Verma have been elected to Parliament.

The government led by Kejriwal had resigned on February 14 after the party’s pet project — the Jan Lokpal Bill — could not be passed due to opposition from the BJP and the Congress.

President’s Rule was imposed in Delhi on February 17.

Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had not favoured dissolution of the 70-member Delhi Assembly as recommended by the Council of Ministers headed by Kejriwal and kept the Assembly in suspended animation.

The BJP has also said that it would prefer a fresh election than forming a government through “manipulation”. — PTI

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Fledgling AAP stuns rivals, bags 4 seats

Its candidates defeat heavyweights Dhindsa, Preneet, Gulshan and Dharamsot Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made an impressive entry into Punjab politics. For the past several decades, traditional mainstream parties, such as the SAD, the Congress and the BJP, had occupied the centre stage. The fledgling AAP has now stunned them with its performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Bucking the Modi wave, AAP has registered impressive wins on four seats even as its rivals, both the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress battled anti- incumbency.

The SAD's performance is almost a repeat of the 2009 elections. It has won the same number (4) of seats. While it has retained the Bathinda, Ferozepur and Khadoor Sahib seats, it has lost from Faridkot and won the Anandpur Sahib seat instead. The BJP has won two seats this time. It has won Gurdaspur and Hoshiapur seats but lost the Amritsar seat. The BJP suffered a humiliating defeat in Amritsar where its star candidate Arun Jaitley lost by more than 1.10 lakh votes to former CM Capt Amarinder Singh.

The Congress has fared badly, winning only three seats. It had earlier held eight seats. Party big guns sPartap Singh Bajwa, Sunil Jakhar and Ambika soni and Perneet Kaur had to bite the dust. Whereas the AAP got 24.5 per cent votes, the SAD got 26.3 per cent, the Congress 33 per cent and the BJP 8.7 per cent votes.The remaining vote share went to the Independents.

The combined vote share of the SAD-BJP alliance is 35 per cent. AAP seems to have taken away 8 per cent votes from the SAD, that had got 34.75 per cent votes in the 2012 Assembly elections, and 7 per cent of the 40 per cent votes secured by the Congress in 2012. The AAP may have also eaten into the BSP and PPP vote share, (4.3 and 5.17 per cent respectively). The combined AAP-Congress vote share is about 57.5 per cent, far more than the ruling SAD-BJP alliance.

The vote share of the SAD (Amritsar), headed by Simranjit Singh Mann, this time was below 0.5 per cent. Mann got about 14,000 votes from Khadoor Sahib where the vote share of Independents and others was about 5 per cent. AAP candidates defeated political heavyweights Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Preneet Kaur, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.

The youth played a pivotal role in AAP's success. The party, that attracted the the poor sections, women, employees and farmers, has done well in the constituencies with a rural character such as Sangrur, Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib.

Bhagwant Mann, who joined the AAP in March this year after parting ways with PPP leader Manpreet Badal, contested from Sangrur. He defeated SAD veteran Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa with a huge margin of over 2 lakh votes. Party candidate Prof Sadhu Singh (Faridkot) defeated SAD's Paramjit Kaur Gulshan by more than 1.70 lakh votes and Dr Dharamvir Gandhi vanquished Union Minister Preneet Kaur in Patiala. In Fatehgarh Sahib, AAP's Harinder Singh Khalsa defeated Sadhu Singh Dharmsot of the Congress and Kulwant Singh of the SAD candidate.

In Ludhiana, AAP candidate HS Phoolka, lost to Congress' Ravneet Singh Bittu with a thin margin. The performance of its candidates in Anandpur Sahib, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar was not bad either.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

A month after egg and ink, Kejriwal wins over Banarasis

Brajesh Kumar , Hindustan Times Varanasi, May 08, 2014

As Jitendra Mishra negotiates his autorickshaw through pot-holed roads in Varanasi, a mere mention of the electoral tempo, which is rising by the day in the temple town, gets him talking about the Modi versus Kejriwal battle.

And against the popular perception that Modi will be a clear-cut winner, he is confident Kejriwal will pip Modi to the post.

"You may laugh when I say Kejriwal will win, but mark my words, he will make history here in the holy city," he said.

Later in the evening at Chetganj, a congested locality not far from Beniyabagh, the venue for Modi rally which now stands cancelled, a group of shop-owners dismiss Mishra's contention and said any prospect of Kejriwal defeating Modi is unimaginable.

They, however, concede Kejriwal has won a number of Banarasi hearts.

"Irrespective of the result, one must admit Kejriwal is a good man and his time will come soon," said Ramanand Srivastava, who runs a cyber café in Chetganj.

What links the unabashed Kejriwal fan Mishra and strong Modi supporter Srivastava is a mutual admiration for the AAP leader.

And this is no mean feat for the leader of a fledgling party who only a month ago faced a hostile reception from this holy city.

On March 25, the day Kejriwal landed in the city for his first rally and road show, Modi fans greeted him with eggs and ink and neutral locals jeered him for running away from responsibility in Delhi.

So what changed in one month?

The locals said the new party has given a new meaning to election campaigning and claimed that they had never ever witnessed such a sincere effort by any political party.

BJP's former corporator from the city Sadhna Vedanti agreed AAP had edged passed them as far as public meetings and door-to-door campaign is concerned.

"They did start the trend but we have caught up," she told HT. District electoral office records confirmed the same. As compared to BJP's 140 public meetings AAP held 208 meetings in the constituency till May 5.

Led by Kejriwal who has held innumerable public meetings and road shows, the party has knocked every door in every lane and bylane of Varanasi.

A senior AAP leader who wished to remain anonymous said Kejriwal, whose day begins at 7 am in the morning and ends at midnight, holds six to seven meetings every day including road shows.

"In each of his meeting he meets more than 5,000 people and these meetings are a two-way dialogue which gives the people a sense of participation unlike other high-profile leaders who deliver monologues," he said.

Other than the interactive public meetings by Kejriwal, his volunteer force of more than 10,000, who have flooded the city, go door to door seeking support for their leader.

At different roundabouts, one can find young volunteers in white AAP cap holding banners and distributing pamphlets.

As the day of the reckoning nears, the AAP brigade is happy it has fought well, irrespective of the outcome.

Source Link: http://www.hindustantimes.com

AAP impact can’t be ignored: Dayal

Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 8
Joginder Dayal, CPI leader, today said he disagreed with the chief minister that the AAP bubble would burst soon. He said AAP was not a bubble but a tsunami that would wipe out traditional parties such as the SAD.

Dayal, a member of the CPI's national executive, said it appeared that Parkash Singh Badal, despite being in politics for 60 years, was not aware of the ground realities in the state.

"The way AAP, that did not have an organisation in the state, campaigned in the elections surprised leaders of well-established parties," he said.

Dayal urged the Left parties to look at the AAP phenomenon favourably. He

is the first national leader of the mainstream Left parties to make a statement in support of AAP.

He has urged the Left leaders to review their stand on the fledgling party. “The Left should be flexible in its approach towards AAP which has caught the attention of the youth and marginalised sections,” Dayal said.

Sumail Singh Sidhu, AAP convener, Punjab, said his party was here to stay and was determined to cleanse the corrupt political system in Punjab. He claimed that AAP would emerge as a force to reckon with.

"We thank the people who stood by us in the Lok Sabha elections," he added.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Kejriwal's request for dissolution of Delhi assembly needs more attention - Hindustan Times

Kejriwal's request for dissolution of Delhi assembly needs more attention - Hindustan Times

Book Akali MP for seeking votes in Panth’s name: AAP

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 7
A day after the police arrested an advocate for sending an “offensive” SMS to Faridkot MP Paramjit Gulshan, advocates in the city are up in arms against the MP and the district police.

They boycotted the courts and staged a dharna in front of the SSP’s office today.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too joined the protest. It has demanded that the Election Commission should take notice of a large number of pre-recorded voice messages sent by the Akali candidate across the constituency on April 13.

The party alleged that one such pre-recorded voice message, generated on the mobile number of Dr Rupinder Singh, son-in-law of Paramjit Gulshan, reportedly seeking votes on the name of the Panth, was received by a large number of voters in the nine Assembly segments of the constituency on April 13.

Offended, Faridkot advocate Jagdeep Singh Bajwa reportedly replied to the recorded message with an SMS and made some offensive remarks against the MP.

On April 24, Gurpreet Singh, Paramjit Gulshan’s PA, lodged a complaint with the police. A case was registered under Section 66-A of the Information and Technology Act and Section 125 of the Representation of People’s Act.

But on May 6, the police added a non-bailable offence, hurting the religious feelings of a person (Section 295-A) in the FIR and Jagdeep Singh was put behind bars.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

People will soon lose faith in AAP: Badal

Aman Sood
Tribune News Service

Rakhra (Patiala), May 7
Appreciating the Election Commission for doing a commendable job in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that reports of money having been distributed in Bathinda to woo voters were false and part of the propaganda against the SAD. Nevertheless, his party would win big in Punjab, he claimed.

On the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) prospects in Punjab, Badal said: “The people of Delhi have seen their style of working and very soon people in Punjab will discard the party too."

For the anti-incumbency sentiment, the CM blamed the Congress-led UPA Government, which, he alleged, had failed to release enough funds for the state for completion of developmental projects. Badal was here to attend the bhog of the death anniversary of Cabinet Minister SS Rakhra’s mother, Jaswant Kaur. Denying that efforts were made to bribe voters, he asked a mediaperson if he had been a witness to such malpractice. He claimed that sitting MP Harsimrat Badal had worked hard in her constituency and would, hence, be re-elected.

“I am not saying so because she is my daughter-in-law. She worked hard in her constituency and the state government cannot take the credit away from her.” On Manpreet Badal’s future, he said he was ready for a pact, “but that’s possible if he wants it too.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Dr. Kumar Vishwas Meeting In Village Hargaon, Amethi U.P

Aam Aadmi Party gains ground in Punjab | GulfNews.com

Aam Aadmi Party gains ground in Punjab | GulfNews.com

AAP may have hurt BJP vote bank most: Survey

Manmeet Singh Gill
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 4
The local satta bazar is favouring Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh over BJP’s Arun Jaitley, as is revealed by the betting rates. The satta rate for Amarinder is Rs 10/13.50 and for Jaitley Rs 10/24.

As per the satta rules, if a punter bets Rs 10 on Amarinder’s victory, he takes home Rs 13.50, if he wins. In case Jaitley wins, he takes home Rs 24 for a bet of Rs 10.

A survey by a political science professor at Guru Nanak Dev University shows that AAP may have damaged the BJP vote bank more than that of the Congress.

The survey, conducted by Assistant Professor Dr Harpreet Mangat and her student Sukhpreet Kaur, shows that first-time voters in the constituency preferred AAP over the Congress and the BJP.

Of the total first-time voters, 36.5 per cent voted for AAP, 28.04 per cent for the Congress and 16 per cent for the BJP.

The survey shows both the SAD and the BJP losing a larger number of votes in these Lok Sabha elections than during the 2012 Assembly poll.

“The Congress seems to have lost almost one-third of the votes while the BJP may have lost a whopping 62 per cent,” Mangat said.

She said 55 per cent of the voters who had earlier voted for the Congress may have opted for AAP this time.

The remaining 35 per cent may have opted for the BJP. The remaining 10 per cent may have opted for other parties, pressed the NOTA button or not voted at all.

The BJP seems to have lost 70 per cent of its votes to AAP and 30 per cent to the Congress. Mangat said it was a small sample survey and most of the voters interviewed were from urban areas. The scenario could be different in villages.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP leaders head to battlefield Varanasi

Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4

As the poll heat in Punjab got over on April 30, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists from the state have now left to campaign in other states, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is fighting a high-decibel battle against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Varanasi.

Volunteers have also left for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the hill states where the elections are to be held on May 7.

A team of volunteers has reportedly been sent from Sangrur to Hamirpur to campaign for AAP candidate Kamal Kant Batra, mother of martyr Capt Vikram Batra, awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously for his valour in the 1999 Kargil War.

Bhagwant Mann, AAP candidate from Sangrur, said he was campaigning in Bazpur (Uttarakhand) for Balli Singh Cheema, candidate from Nainital. “Cheema’s songs played a pivotal role in building the movement in the 1990s for the creation of Uttarakhand. I have also campaigned in Haldwani, Nainital and adjoining areas. A large number of Punjabis live there,” said Mann.

Balli, a Hindi poet and an activist, has his roots in Punjab but his family is settled in Bazpur.

“I will next move for Amethi to campaign for AAP candidate Kumar Vishwas, who is contesting against Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani,” he said. From Amethi, he will go to Varanasi. AAP’s Bathinda candidate Jassi Jasraj is campaigning for Subhash Chander in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

Already, a team of AAP volunteers led by Prof Manjit Singh and Kultar Singh Sandhwan has reached Varanasi.

“We have started campaigning for Kejriwal and response is beyond our expectations,” said Prof Manjit Singh, member of the AAP campaign committee in Punjab. “If required, we will call more volunteers from Punjab to Varanasi,” he said.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

ATTACK ON PARTY CANDIDATE

AAP’s Ambala candidate joins protest in Patiala

Panchkula, May 2 Surinder Pal Singh, AAP candidate from Ambala, expressing solidarity with Dr Dharamvir Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Patiala who was injured in an attack on the polling day on April 30, joined the protesting party activists at Patiala.

SP Singh first joined the AAP volunteers at Zirakpur where they held a protest and then participated in a dharna being organised in Patiala seeking strict action against the perpetrators of violence.

The AAP leaders and workers have demanded registration of an FIR for attempt to murder against the attackers.

In a press note, Singh alleged that the police was biased towards the ruling party in Punjab and hence was not registering the FIR under appropriate sections.

He demanded strict action against the Superintendent of Patiala police for adopting delaying tactics in an effort to hush up the case. — TNS

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

She gave this to me

Post by Yogendra Yadav.

AAP sting shows Akalis buying votes

Vote rate: Rs 500 each; Video has been shot in Kauni village in Gidderbaha area of Faridkot Lok Sabha segment
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, May 2
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab unit has uploaded a 11.25 minute video on its official Facebook page showing some Akalis allegedly distributing money among the voters on the polling day.

The video, the party claims, has been shot in a village in Gidderbaha assembly constituency.

A few men are purportedly interacting with village residents at a house in Kauni village, asking them to cast their votes in the favour of scale (takkadi) and get Rs 500 for each vote. A policeman in uniform too can be spotted in the video.

Some people can be are heard saying, “Kaake nu de de. Sukhe nu vi dva de. Jihna di parchi hai oh lai lo. Eh Kala Singh di nooh hai. Ik vaar vote paa lo baad ch de dyaange. Ehna da naam likh lo. Tere kol 500 rupaye hai nhi. Ek vaar lyaayi. Takkdi te paa aayi. Gaddi ch chad. Chhad aaune haan. Hun vote paayi dhyaan naal. Parchi ton bina paise nahi milde… (Give money to Kaka, Sukha and others. She is Kala Singh’s daughter-in-law. Cast your vote in favour of scale (SAD symbol) and then we will pay Rs 500 to you. Note down their names).”

The man who shot the video had first made a telephonic complaint to the Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Muktsar, alleging that some supporters of SGPC member Navtej Singh Kauni were distributing money at Kauni village. Thereafter, a team headed by local SDM and several other officials went to the village to verify the facts, which has been also shown in the video.

In the video, Navtej Kauni has also been shown speaking to someone over the phone, saying, “Oh ji, SDM Gidderbaha sign karvaun aaya. (The SDM came for some signature).” He later hands over the phone to the Gidderbaha SDM, who says, “Complaint hoyi hai. CD banaayi hai kise ne, bheji hai. Dikha taa ohne audio, video. Ehna naal kar lo gall (Someone has prepared a CD and lodged a complaint).”

Later, someone says, “Chaar-panj bandeya ton likha lo ke either naa kise ne paise vande te naa hi litte (Get noted by four to five persons that no distribution of money took place here).”

When contacted, Gidderbaha SDM Hardeep Singh Dhaliwal said, “I went to Kauni village on the polling day and spent nearly an hour there to verify the facts, but the complainant who had shot the video did not turn up. He was called again, but failed. So, I have not seen the video. But, the villagers present there said they had not accepted any money from any political party or person.”

The SDM said, “Even Navtej Singh Kauni was called to give his statement as he was being accused of sending his supporters to bribe the voters.” On the other hand, the complainant, who did not wish to disclose his identity, said, “I was told to appear before the entire village and show the video, which was not possible.”

Sumail Singh, AAP’s convener of campaign committee in Punjab, said, “The video was provided to us by a resident of Gidderbaha, which was uploaded on the party’s Facebook page to make the people aware about what happened during the polls.” He said Prof Sadhu Singh, who contested from Faridkot parliamentary constituency, had been told to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission.

Kauni, when contacted, said, “I am in a meeting now. All I can say at the moment is I had no role in any incident of buying of votes.”

What’s in the video

• A few men, believed to be Akalis, are shown interacting with the residents at a house in Kauni village in Gidderbaha
• The Gidderbaha assembly segment is part of Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency
• There was a three-cornered contest between sitting MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (SAD), MLA Joginder Panjgrain (Congress) and Prof Sadhu Singh (AAP)
• The villagers, in the video, are asked to cast their votes in favour of scale (takkadi)
• In return, the villagers are assured Rs 500 for each vote; a policeman in uniform too can be spotted in the video
• During his Punjab tour, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had urged his supporters to expose illegal means like use of money and liquor to influence voters
• The video has been uploaded on AAP’s official Facebook page

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP may play spoilsport, admits Congress

AICC Punjab in charge Shakeel Ahmed says the new party has made the elections hard to predict
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30
As Punjab voted today in a crucial election to 13 parliamentary constituencies, the mood in the Congress camp in Delhi was upbeat with top leaders pinning a world of hope on the Akali Dal-BJP-ruled state. But one thing the Congress was constrained to admit despite all its enthusiasm about election results in Punjab is the emergence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state and its potential role as a spoiler.

Speaking to The Tribune today, Shakeel Ahmed, Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab, admitted that AAP was a significant force in the state and was making the contest hard to predict in several seats.

“AAP is certainly a force to reckon with in Punjab. I have to admit that because I sensed it personally from my travels across the state during election campaigning. We are expecting a significant result in Punjab and if we get less than our expectations, AAP would have done us the damage. They are not only affecting urban votes in many areas but are also affecting the rural votes,” Shakeel said.

The Congress leaders are hoping to improve their 2009 tally when the party had bagged eight seats. “Anti-incumbency against the Akalis is huge and that gives us a formidable edge in the state. We are very hopeful but AAP’s gains would have to be watched,” he said, adding in a lighter note that Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP seems to be following him to every state.

Ahmed is also the Congress general secretary in charge of Delhi where AAP surprised everyone by emerging the second largest party in the 70-member state assembly, relegating the Congress to the third position with merely eight seats.

AAP has fielded candidates in all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. These include comedian-actor Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur, lawyer HS Phoolka in Ludhiana, cardiologist Dharamvir Gandhi in Patiala, Sucha Singh Chhotepur in Gurdaspur, eye surgeon Daljit Singh in Amritsar, Himmat Singh Shergill in Anandpur Sahib, Harinder Singh Khalsa in Fatehgarh Sahib, Sadhu Singh in Faridkot, Yamini Gomar from Hoshiarpur, Satnam Paul Kamboj in Ferozepur, Bhai Baldeep Singh from Khadoor Sahib, Jasraj Singh Longia from Bathinda and Jyoti Mann from Jalandhar.

Congress leaders privately admit that Mann, Chottepur, Phoolka, Gandhi, Baldeep Singh and Daljt Singh are impacting Congress results in the seats they are contesting.

In Sangrur, for instance, sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla had to request for Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s rally at Barnala to brighten his prospects, with Bhagwant putting up a great fight here.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Varanasi fight not a battle of prestige, but one to save nation, says Kejriwal

Varanasi, April 27
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has said his fight against BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi is not a “battle of prestige” but one to save the country from corrupt forces. Kejriwal said the party’s electoral win in Varanasi and Amethi would be “enough to shake up the country” even if the rookie party does not win 100 seats in the Lok Sabha poll.

“Modiji brought me to Varanasi. And this is not a battle of prestige, but one to save the country from corrupt forces like the BJP and the Congress,” Kejriwal told IANS after his hectic and back-breaking campaigning in the temple town.

In Amethi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Kumar Vishwas against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Asked whether it was purely out of electoral reasons that he decided to contest in Varanasi, Delhi's former Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal said: “It is not so... Wherever the Aam Aadmi Party enters once, it maintains an everlasting tie with that place and its people. We have come to Varanasi and we will never leave it.”

Varanasi will go to the polls May 12. The contest between the Gujarat chief minister and Kejriwal is the most keenly-watched contest, in which the former seems to have the upper hand. Both the leaders filed their nomination papers accompanied by large numbers of supporters and their cavalcades.

Modi's road show - a day after Kejriwal's - was joined by thousands, sending out a strong signal of his popularity. Besides Modi, Congress' Ajay Rai is another contender. Asked about the number of seats AAP was hoping to muster in the house of 543, Kejriwal said: “We will get what people will give. I am not worried about the results. “Imagine you seeing news on TV and coming to know that both Modiji and Rahul Gandhiji got defeated. “The Congress will be destroyed and BJP will cease to exist,” he added. As to why the over a-year-old party did not wait for the 2019 General elections, Kejriwal answered: “People said we should have contested 30 seats (in Lok Sabha) and gradually taken the graph higher, but that is conventional politics. "Had we waited till 2019, the country would not have been there,” he said. Perhaps, the biggest challenge for Kejriwal is to justify his resignation from Delhi's chief ministership to the voters of Varanasi.

“You have only one point against me that I resigned from the post of Delhi Chief Minister. But I did no corruption whereas Modiji is the agent of Ambani. “All I have to do is to convince people, and they are getting convinced,” Kejriwal told IANS.

“The comparison is between the one who resigned, and the one who is looting the country,” he said. After running the Delhi government for 49 days, Kejriwal and his Cabinet quit the government over the defeat of the anti-graft Jan Lokpal bill by the BJP and the Congress in the Assembly. Despite all the challenges in the Hindu holy city, Kejriwal is confident of winning against Modi. “My political assessment is that the BJP will not get more than 160 seats and Modi will not become Prime Minister. BJP's president Rajnath is waiting for the right opportunity.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP can upset calculations of bigwigs

Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 27
If the political aficionados of the area are to be believed, the underwater current of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could upset the calculation of the two major parties, the Congress and SAD in the Anandpur Sahib Parliamentary constituency.

“Undoubtedly, the main contest seems to be between Congress stalwart Ambika Soni and Shiromani Akali Dal old war horse Prem Singh Chandumajra. But one can not take AAP lightly here,” said Harminder Singh Mavi, state president of Panchayats Union, Punjab.

Even local leaders of both the Congress and SAD admitted that AAP could fetch a good number of votes from both urban and rural areas. Interestingly, the leaders of both the parties claimed that the AAP factor will not disturb their vote bank but affect their rival.

The AAP leaders too are confident of good performance. “People are fed up with both the BJP and Congress and want change. As we are getting good response during our election campaign from rural and urban areas of the constituency, we are hopeful of good results,” said Ajit Singh Bhambra, convener of AAP in Mohali. The party is hopeful that most of the silent voters, neutral ones and youngsters will favour them.

The AAP party got a shot in arm today when several Akali Dal Taksali leaders and activists announced to join the party at Kumbhra village. The residents of Gadana village too have announced their full support to the party.

While Congress activists and local leaders are confident of huge backing of voters due to SAD’s anti-incumbency factor and big political stature of Ambika Soni in comparison of her rivals. Prem Singh Chandumajra is confident of getting a sizeable number of votes for him being local. “People will reject Ambika Soni as she is a paratrooper,” said Chandumajra, who along with his family members and supporters is in no mood to leave any stone unturned to win.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Drugs devouring youth, but leaders unconcerned: Yadav

AAP leader blames ruling alliance, Cong for ills facing Punjab Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 24
Waving from an open jeep under a scorching sun, AAP ideologue Yogendra Yadav arrives to a grand welcome at Urban Estate, Patiala, on Thursday. As soon as he gets down from the vehicle, he is swarmed by AAP supporters. Without wasting any time, he settles on a green carpet laid on the ground. Supporting an AAP cap, a boy jostles through the crowd to offer him a glass of water. “Please make way for me, Yadavji needs to have medicine,” he tries to convince those surrounding the AAP leader.

As Yadav has lunch, the party’s Patiala candidate, Dr Dharamvir Gandhi, tries to brief him about the main issues concerning the constituency. But, Yadav appears to be in the know of things, appearing he has been keenly following the developments in Punjab. His stint at Panjab University, Chandigarh, for a few years in the 1990s, probably, has kept his interest in the state alive.

Though he can speak Punjabi, he communicates better in English and Hindi. Attired in a light-grey ‘kurta pyajama’, the usually soft-spoken Yadav adopts a tough stance while mounting attack on the SAD-BJP government and the Congress. He takes to participatory pattern to involve the audience in the dialogue.

Without naming anyone, he raises questions to seek replies from the audience: “Who is patronising the sale of drugs in Punjab? Who has hijacked the public transport? Who is minting money by selling ‘reta-bajri’ (sand and gravel) at a high premium?” Those present name some politicians in unison.

Appearing charged by Yadav’s speech, the audience, including some retired IAS and IRS officers, blames certain SAD-BJP leaders for the wrongdoings.

Yadav then alerts the supporters: “The ruling combine is facing huge anti-incumbency and its leadership is in panic. They will resort to all kinds of foul means on the polling day. You must remain watchful. Stay outside the polling booths from morning till late evening.”

The AAP leader now raises more questions, this time targeting the SAD-BJP alliance: “Will you elect the MPs of the SAD-BJP coalition, the government which has failed to protect your children from drugs? Will you support the leaders whose parties have allowed the sale of sand and gravel in black market and permitted the sand mafia to flourish?”

Punjab’s one generation has fallen victim to militancy whereas the next is being devoured by drugs, and the ruling coalition appears unconcerned, he alleges.

Yadav next takes on the Congress, describing the party’s rule at the Centre as a “period of record scams”.

“While the Congress is projecting its vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the country’s heir apparent, the BJP claims only Narendra Modi can guide India’s future. But in reality, both are unfit to rule our democracy. While Rahul symbolises dynastic politics, Modi is a dictator. Both believe in corporatisation. Rahul has been creating anti-BJP fear among the minorities whereas Modi is for complete domination of a particular community,” he quips.

Yadav now turns to the youth, considered to be AAP’s main support base. “I have seen an astonishing shine in the eyes of the Punjabi youth. It is a signal that the broom (AAP symbol) will sweep the nation. Punjab has always remained at the forefront of various movements and the same will happen this time too,” says Yadav as he concludes his address. He dismounts from the stage, shakes hands with a few supporters. The crowd rushes towards Yadav and waves at him as he gets into his jeep again, to proceed to his next rally.

‘Response better than that in Delhi, Haryana’

Patiala/Sangrur: Claiming that miracles did happen, like the one that happened in the 2013 Delhi assembly poll where the AAP drubbed major political outfits, party leader Yogendra Yadav today said the AAP’s prospects in Punjab were better than that in neighbouring Haryana and Delhi.

Yadav, who contested from Gurgaon, said given the support to AAP in Punjab, elections in Punjab would no more be bipolar between the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress. “AAP will play a decisive role in Punjab politics,” he said. The AAP leader started his roadshow from Banur along with party’s Patiala candidate Dr Dharamvira Gandhi. After passing through the streets of Banur and Rajpura, he halted at Urban Estate, Patiala, to address a rally. He discarded the theory that AAP was only doing the work of eating into the vote share of various political parties in Punjab. In Sangrur, Yadav held a rally around 8:30 pm. He claimed that Bathinda candidate Bhagwant Mann would win by a record margin.

Appeal for sting ops

Chandigarh: Alerting Aam Aadmi Party supporters about the alleged distribution of drugs, liquor and money and use of muscle-power to influence voters by powerful political parties in the state, party leader Yogendra Yadav said they should use the Delhi technique in Punjab. "We prepared teams of volunteers to resort to sting operations to gather evidence of distribution of liquor, money and drugs in New Delhi Assembly elections and politicians behind it," said Yadav.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Silent, neutral voters will go with AAP, says Yadav

Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 24
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Yogendra Yadav kicked off his election campaign in Punjab by holding a roadshow here this morning.

In around two hours, his roadshow covered the town and surrounding areas, including Kharar and Banur.

A former journalist and a member of the core team of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Yadav rode an open jeep while canvassing for Advocate Himmat Singh Shergill, the party’s candidate from the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.

In his 10-minute address at the Phase V market where the roadshow culminated, Yadav said the AAP provided an option to those voters who wanted a complete change in the system and a corruption-free government.

He targeted candidates of the Congress and the BJP-SAD combine claiming that they have looted the country by turns. “If voted to power, the AAP would provide you a corruption-free government,” claimed Yadav, adding that the silent and neutral voters would go with the AAP.

Earlier, Yadav was accorded warm welcome by the party’s supporters at Phase XI, the starting point of the roadshow. His cavalcade passed through Phases 10, 9, 8, 7, 3B2 and Phase 5. Later, Yadav left for Kharar and Banur. From there, he was reportedly scheduled to go to Patiala, Sangrur and Bathinda.

Poll code violated?

While the local AAP leaders boasted about participation of over 100 vehicles in the roadshow today, the fact has brought the party’s show under the scanner of district electoral office authorities.

The party had sought permission for only five vehicles and two rickshaws for the roadshow. Confirming this, Mohali SDM-cum-Assistant Returning Officer Lakhmir Singh said, “We got the information that the number of vehicles in the roadshow was much more. We would see the video footage of the show and an action would be initiated in case there was any violation of the model code.”

No traffic chaos

With AAP activists also regulating traffic at various points on the route of the roadshow, no traffic jam was reported during the campaign today. The participants adhered to the traffic rules and did not jump red signals.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

अमेठी में राहुल और बनारस से मोदी के हारने के बाद कांग्रेस-बीजेपी टूट जाऐगी-अरविंद केजरीवाल

अमेठी, 20/4/2014

अपने तीन दिवसीय दौरे पर अमेठी आये आम आदमी पार्टी के राष्ट्रीय संयोजक अरविंद केजरीवाल ने कहा कि अमेठी से राहुल गांधी और बनारस से नरेन्द्र मोदी के हारने के बाद कांग्रेसी और बीजेपी टूट जाएगी। तीन दिवसीय दौरे के पहले दिन अमेठी और गौरीगंज विधानसभा क्षेत्रों में दौरे के दौरान लोगों से मुलाकात के दौरान अरविंद केजरीवाल ने कहा कि अमेठी के लोगों का उत्साह देखकर साफ समझ आ रहा है कि अमेठी से राहुल गांधी की हार तय है और डॉ कुमार विश्वास कम से कम 2 लाख वोटों से जीत हासिल करेंगे।

दिल्ली के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री केजरीवाल ने कहा कि बनारस की जनता ने मोदी को नकार दिया है। बनारस में आम आदमी की जीत तय है और यहां हमारी भारी अन्तर से जीत होगी। केजरीवाल ने कहा कि पूरी कांग्रेस को आज भ्रष्टाचार की जननी के तौर पर देखा जाता है। देश में कहीं भी बड़े घोटाले होते हैं कांग्रेस के लोग शामिल दिखते हैं।

अमेठी में सड़क, बिजली, पानी, शौचालय जैसी समस्याओं पर बोलते हुए अरविंद केजरीवाल ने कहा कि पूरी अमेठी को देखकर महसूस नहीं होता कि ये एक वीवीआईपी सीट है। यहां के सांसद राहुल गांधी ने विकास के नाम पर कुछ नहीं किया। 49 दिनों की अपनी सरकार के बारे में बताते हुए अरविंद केजरीवाल ने कहा कि केवल 49 दिनों में दिल्ली में बिजली और पानी के दामों में कमी का फैसला ऐतेहासिक था। देश के राजनीतिक इतिहास में ऐसा कभी नहीं हुआ जब किसी भी राजनीतिक दल ने इतनी जल्दी फैसले ले लिये हों।

अमेठी से आप के प्रत्याशी डॉ कुमार विश्वास ने "दो दो जगह से लड़ता है, मोदी हमसे डरता है" नारा देते हुए कहा कि असल में मोदी आम आदमी पार्टी से घबराये हुए हैं। इसलिए उन्होंने दो-दो जगह से पर्चा दाखिल किया है। डॉ विश्वास ने कहा कि आम आदमी पार्टी को अमेठी की जनता स्वीकार कर चुकी है और ऐसा कोई कारण नहीं होता कि अमेठी से आप के प्रत्याशी की सीट न निकले।

अरविंद केजरीवाल ने अपने तीन दिवसीय दौरे के पहले दिन शुरुवात टीकर माफी स्थित स्वामी परमहंस महाराज आश्रम में पहुंचकर माथा टेककर की। इसके बाद उन्होंने भादर, अयोध्यानगर, पीपरपुर, दुर्गापुर, रामगंज, ढेमा बाज़ार, संग्रामपुर , बढगांव, बिशेसरगंज, अमेठी, बारामासी चौराहा औरगौरी गंज में रोड शो और जनसम्पर्क किया। सभी क्षेत्रों में लोगों ने राष्ट्रीय संयोजक अरविंद केजरीवाल का फूल-मालाओं से स्वागत किया और समर्थन देने का भरोसा जताया। इसी बीच अरविंद केजरीवाल संग्रामपुर स्थित कालिकन धाम में भी पूजा-अर्चना करने गये।

दुर्गापुर में स्थानीय लोगों ने अरविंद केजरीवाल से शिकायत करते हुए कहा कि दुर्गापुर को अमेठी लोकसभा क्षेत्र के अन्तर्गत रखा गया है। जिससे आम लोगों को करीब 40 किलोमीटर दूर गौरीगंज में अपने विधिक और कानूनी कार्यों के लिए जाना पड़ता है। जबकि सुल्तानपुर केवल 12 किलोमीटर दूर है। इसलिए उनके क्षेत्र को सुल्तानपुर से जोड़ा जाए। अरविंद केजरीवाल ने दुर्गापुर के स्थानीय निवासियों से बातचीत की और आश्वासन दिया कि डॉ कुमार विश्वास आपके क्षेत्र से सांसद चुने जाते हैं तो वो इस समस्या का समाधान जरुर करेंगे।

Source Link" http://aamaadmiparty.org

Moderate polling in the sixth phase of LS poll

NEW DELHI: Moderate polling was recorded in 117 seats spread across 11 states that went to polls on Thursday.

Nearly 40 per cent of the electorate cast their vote in the first seven hours of polling in 117 constituencies in 11 states and Union Territory of Puducherry amid stray incidents of violence which left a policeman dead in Assam and 13 others injured in other states.

The fate of 2076 candidates will be decided by 18 crore voters in the polls in which stakes are high for Congress, BJP and a number of other parties like AIADMK, DMK, NCP and Shiv Sena.

Prominent candidates in the fray include Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sushma Swaraj, Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja, Salman Khurshid and Shahnawaz Hussain

In all, elections to 349 of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be completed in today’s exercise in the nine-phased poll. Polling for the remaining 194 seats will be held on April 30 (89 seats), May 7 (64) and May 12 (41).

Counting of votes will take place on May 16.

Polling was stopped at five polling booths in Assam after violence in Kokrajhar parliamentary seat left a policeman dead and one injured.

Officials said a Border Security Force (BSF) platoon deployed in village Balapra and Harbhanga for poll security duties opened fire to save election officials and police personnel after a group of 40 people tried to capture a booth.

Violence was also reported in Dausa in Rajasthan where a mob of 50 people tried to entered a polling booth in Satha, leading the ITBP to open 14 rounds of fire in the air.

Five persons, including four photojournalists, were injured in Dausa when irate villagers clashed with security forces.

The photojournalists were part of a media team covering the polling in Dausa constituency and were going to Satha village from Mahua town.

In Uttar Pradesh, over 36.62 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first six hours in 12 seats to decide the fate of 188 candidates.

Three persons were injured following a clash between RLD and BJP supporters in Daulatpur village in Mathura. Both sides opened fire and indulged in brickbatting, police said.

In Jharkhand, four Congress workers were injured in a clash with supporters of the Marxist Coordination Committee during polling in Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency.

An estimated 28.03 per cent polling was registered in the initial hours in four Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand.

An incident of stone pelting was also reported at a booth in Anantnag Parliamentary seat in south Kashmir, which had witnessed an attack on political workers recently.

Voter turnout was impressive in Tamil Nadu which witnessed about 40 per cent of the electorate exercising franchise till noon.

Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, MDMK founder Vaiko, Union Minister in the PMO V Narayanasamy seeking re-election in the Union Territory of Puducherry, Tamil actors Rajnikant and Kamal Haasan were among the early voters.

Expelled DMK leader M K Alagiri, Union Finance Finance Minister P Chidambaram, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin and Kanimozhi were other promiment personalities who exercised their right.

Maharashtra witnessed top corporate honchos and Bollywood celebrities making a beeline to cast their vote.

Nearly 15 per cent turnout was recorded in the first few hours in 19 seats across Maharashtra in the third and final phase of elections in the state.

In the financial capital Mumbai, captains of industry, including Adi Godrej and Anil Ambani, were among the early birds from India Inc to cast their votes.

Bollywood stars Aamir Khan, Rekha, Vidya Balan, Sunny Deol, Sonam Kapoor added a dash of glamour to the voting process by casting their vote in different booths in Mumbai.

Over 34 per cent voter turnout was recorded in ten Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where voters will decide the fate of 118 candidates including Sumitra Mahajan and Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan.

An impressive voter turnout was recorded in West Bengal where nearly 51 per cent votes were cast till noon in six Parliamentary constituencies in the second phase of the five-phase election to decide the fate of 78 candidates.

While over 37 per cent voting was recorded till noon during final phase of polling in Assam’s six Lok Sabha seats, around 37 per cent polling was recorded till 1 PM in seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar.

In Rajasthan, an average 29 per cent voting was registered during the initial hours in five Parliamentary constituencies.

About 35 per cent of electorate cast their votes in the first three hours of polling in seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Chhattisgarh.

After starting out on a dull note, polling picked up in most parts of Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, but remained affected in Pulwama district.

Polling was briefly stopped at a polling station in Koil in Pulwama after some persons pelted stones on the booth, prompting police to fire warning shots. — Agencies

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Kejri pips Modi in Time poll

New York, April 23
Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal is leading the Time magazine's readers’ poll of 100 most influential people in the world with the highest percentage of “yes” votes, pipping BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and American singer Katy Perry.

With some three weeks left in India's marathon election, Indian politicians are dominating the list.

As of Tuesday morning, about 3,168,308 people had cast a 'yes' or 'no' vote for Kejriwal, while more than 5,075,588 had voted for Modi.

Till now, Kejriwal, 45, has received 71.5 per cent 'yes' and 28.5 'no' votes.

Modi (63) had a greater percentage of 'no' votes than any other influential personalities in the running, beating out both Perry and Justin Bieber for naysayers.

Modi has received 49.7 'yes' and 50.3 per cent 'no' votes.

Each year, Time publishes an editor-curated list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Before the issue comes out, TIME runs an online poll where readers can cast their vote for to where politicians, actors, musicians and athletes should rank on the list.

The top of the poll has otherwise been dominated by the entertainment industry figures. After Kejriwal and Modi, Egyptian military commander Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was the next world figure on the list.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi (43), with about 96,070 reactions, ranked 40th on the list. — PTI

100 most influential people in the world

• The AAP convener has so far received 71.5% ‘yes’ and 28.5 % ‘no’ votes; while Modi 49.7 % ‘yes’ and 50.3 % 'no' votes in readers’ poll for 100 most influential people
• Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is ranked 40th on the list with 96,070 reactions

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

It’s a fight against corruption, says AAP candidate

Our Correspondent

Mohali, April 23
Himmat Singh Shergill, AAP candidate from the Anandpur Sahib constituency, said today that his party was fighting against corruption. He sought answers from the Congress and SAD candidates to various scams that took place under the governments led by the two parties.

While talking to The Tribune, Shergill said Congress candidate Ambika Soni should give answers to various scams like the 2G, Commonwealth Games, Coalgate, Adarsh and others before seeking votes in the constituency. These scams involved lakhs of crores of public money.

Shergill said the Congress cleverly shifted Ravneet Singh Bittu, sitting MP from Anandpur Sahib, when he was to face the questions of the voters of the area.

Shergill said the truth behind Robert Vadra’s increase in wealth in a short time should be exposed before the people.

Launching an attack on the SAD-BJP government in Punjab, Shergill alleged that the Badals were involved in the sand and gravel scam in the state. The prices of these items had increased sharply due to the shortage created deliberately.

He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal did not have much property when he entered the political arena. Now, his family owned two five-star hotels, planes, transport companies and TV channels. Badal also gave ministerial berths to his family members.

The AAP candidate went from shop to shop in some areas seeking votes here today. He said a road show would be organised here tomorrow under the leadership of AAP leader Yogendra Yadav. It would start from Phase XI and terminate at Phase V, where a rally would be held.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP’s Jassi found guilty of dual votes

Megha Mann
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 23
The Mohali District Election Office has indicted Aam Aadmi Party candidate from the Bathinda seat and Punjabi singer Jasraj Singh Longia, also known as Jassi Jasraj, for having enrolled himself as voter at two places under different names. Jasraj faces a criminal case for dual votes. In his complaint to Returning Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav, Pradeep Singh Sidhu from Rampura had alleged that Longia had enrolled himself as voter at two places in his home district of Mohali. Jassi’s confidant Ram Singh Azad has announced support for the Congress-PPP-CPI candidate from Bathinda, Manpreet Badal. He alleged that a TV channel, known to be owned by the Akalis, had been giving Jassi a lot of air time to ensure that the anti-incumbency votes went to AAP and not Manpreet. The AAP candidate is enrolled as voter serial number 995, part 221, Mohali, under the name of Jasraj Singh Longia, resident of Sector 71 Mohali. He is also registered as voter serial number 736, part 212, Mohali, as Karan Jasvir of Sector 70, Mohali.

Yadav said it was being ascertained if, while changing his name from Karan Jasbir to Jasraj Singh Longia, the candidate had undertaken the necessary legal steps.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Ilmi defends her remark, says the tone and tenor was ironic

NEW DELHI: A day after creating a controversy over her statement that Muslims should become “communal for their own good, AAP leader Shazia Ilmi on Wednesday sought to defend herself, saying the remarks made had been picked up from a casual conversation and her tone and tenor was ironic.

“This comment has been picked up from a casual conversation and in an informal setting. It is quite clear from the tone and tenor of the comment that I am using the term secular and communal in an ironic manner”, she told reporters.

“Point is to simply say that the Muslim community has been allowed itself to be used far too long by the so-called secular parties. It would be better for the community to turn to their real-life material interest like education and employment,” she said.

Ilmi said that her statement was being distorted and misconstrued.

“It is to be noted that I am making a plea to vote for a candidate who is not a Muslim and in the name of a leader who is not a Muslim. I am shocked to see that a statement like this can be so distorted and misconstrued as communal and inciting hatred.

“My party and I have always stood against any form of communalism and I shall continue to do so,” she said.

Ilmi found herself at the centre of a controversy on Tuesday over her remarks that Muslims should become “communal” for their own good when they vote this time and not be “too secular”.

“Don’t be much secular. Muslims are too secular and they should become communal. They are not communal and do not vote for themselves. Arvind Kejriwal is ours. Muslims have remained secular for long… have voted for the Congress and helped them win. Don’t be so secular and look at your house (community) this time.

“Other parties have their vote bank intact and Muslim votes split. This is a controversial statement, but we should look at our own interest,” Ilmi had said in a video that surfaced on Tuesday. The party, however, has distanced itself from the remarks made by her.

“All our representatives should be careful in their choice of words so that there is no scope for misinterpretation,” the AAP said in a message posted on its Twitter handle. — PTI

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Kejriwal files nomination, takes potshots at Modi, Rahul

VARANASI: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today filed his nomination for the high-profile Varanasi Lok Sabha seat and accused Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi of spending huge sums of money in the ongoing electoral battle which, he said, was all about eliminating corruption.

The anti-graft crusader submitted his documents to the Returning Officer after a two-and-a-half-hour roadshow which was attended by the top brass of the AAP, hundreds of party volunteers and a large number of people.

Kejriwal, who led his fledgling party to a spectacular performance in the Delhi Assembly poll last year, filed four sets of nomination papers.

Before entering the fray from the holy city, the AAP leader held a roadshow describing the polls as a fight to "save democracy" and appealed to the people to bring a change in the political system.

"This is not my fight. This fight is for those who want to eradicate corruption. The fight is for those who want to see the Ganges clean. This is a fight to have good roads in Varanasi and eliminate poverty," he said.

Kejriwal accused BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, his formidable opponent in the battle for Varanasi seat, and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of spending huge sums of money on electioneering, saying the ongoing exercise is all about "eliminating corruption and ensuring inclusive growth".

"I was told Modi is spending Rs 5,000 crore in the election. Gandhi is also spending a lot of money. You watch TV, read newspapers, see billboards, they are there and everywhere.

"So much money has been spent on advertisements. This is black money. The people who are giving the money will make at least Rs 5 lakh crore if he (Modi) captures power and it will be people’s money," he said. — PTI

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Kejriwal slams Modi, Rahul for their 'helicopter democracy'

VARANASI: Pitching his 'aam-aadmi' credentials, Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday hit out at Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi for their "helicopter democracy" while projecting himself as an "honest" alternative.

On his way to file his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha poll from this holy city, the AAP leader highlighted the "massive" spending in the advertisement campaigns for BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Congress vice-president and asked people to decide what kind of democracy they want.

"Somebody was saying that Modi is spending Rs 5,000 crore in advertisements. Gandhi is also spending a lot of money. You watch TV, read newspapers, see billboards, they are there and everywhere. If he (Modi) is elected to power, he will make at least Rs 5 lakh crore.

"I am a fakir. I have no money. I will run a campaign on your money. You decide what do you want," he told a road show.

Accusing Gandhi of cheating the people of Amethi, Kejriwal said people told him that they kept electing the "family" member in hope their constituency will be developed. "Nothing happened and they feel cheated," he said.

"They (people) don't get to see him. They see only his helicopter flying in the sky. I hope it does not happen in Varanasi that you are pointed to a flying chopper and told that your leader (Modi) is there ... You decide if you want helicopter democracy or somebody who goes to villages and mohallas" he said.

Kejriwal is contesting against Modi in the high profile UP constituency. — PTI

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Witty comedian takes up ‘broom’ to clean the system

Minna Zutshi
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, April 22
It's a warm and sunny morning that turns cloudy for some time before the sun reclaims its position. But weather is the last thing on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Bhagwant Mann's mind.

Mann, who is contesting from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, has more than 200 villages to cover for his campaign. He has already visited 300 villages, a no mean feat. His vocal cords are giving way. They need rest, he has been told. But his priority is elections. And the comedian-turned-politician is taking his new role seriously. After his switch from the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) to AAP, he has had to answer uneasy questions like why he quit the PPP to join AAP. By now, he has become adept in tackling these questions.

Mann's public meetings start around 6 am. But his day starts at 4.30 am. He is a 'net' person. He checks e-mails, posts messages on his Facebook page, talks on Skype and reads e-papers even before the sun is up. "This is my routine. It is not poll-centric. I have been doing it for years. The only difference is that now most of my supporters from abroad discuss elections and our talk veers around the polls."

At least one hour is devoted to meetings with party workers and supporters to discuss the day's schedule. By 1 pm, Mann has covered around eight villages adjoining Sangrur city. Next is a meeting with members of the District Bar Association. Even as he speaks like a consummate politician, his perfect comic timing is hard to miss.

Man(n) on a mission

Before addressing the gathering of advocates, he asks them to switch off their mobile phones. "The mobiles were meant for emergency. We are now living in a perpetual state of emergency," he says, poker-faced.

The next moment, he looks solemn. There is a rather strident note in his voice. The Akali Dal-BJP government is interested in keeping the masses uneducated, he alleges, while trashing the "pro-poor" schemes of the government.

Mann says: "The bridges (in Punjab) are desperate for their inauguration. The bridges are ready. Their inauguration awaits politicians' nod." He addresses the issue of brain drain, blaming the political leaders for having failed to provide jobs to the youth. "The youth are leaving their motherland for foreign shores. Instead of making the economic and political conditions in the state conducive for the youth to stay back, the Badal government was seen reassuring the people that they will take up the visa issue with the British government," he says in a voice laced with sarcasm.

Training his guns on Congress candidate Vijay Inder Singla, he claims that 95 per cent villagers in the constituency say they have never seen Singla (who is the Sangrur MP) visit their village.

A brief interaction with the advocates follows. Mann is asked why he quit the PPP to join AAP. His argument goes: "The Congress is the root cause of corruption and Manpreet Singh Badal forged an alliance with it. The Congress also approached me and offered me the Rajya Sabha ticket from Maharashtra. But I declined. I told them that I am on a mission, not on a commission. I joined AAP unconditionally."

Broom talk

At a meeting at Bhindran village, Mann's speech is shorter. His gestures are louder and more emphatic. "Drugs are ruining our children," he thunders. He narrates a tale from the animal kingdom to draw a comparison between the BJP and the Congress. The bottom-line: "For those who want to rid the country of corruption, here is a chance. Clean the morass with a broom."

The next stop is at the nearby Ghabdan village. Here, Mann makes fun of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's penchant to have his photo affixed on various things that are doled out to the underprivileged as part of the state government's welfare schemes. He takes a dig at Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal's promise to make Punjab a California of India: "There is no need to turn Punjab into California. Let's make it a rangla (colourful and happy) Punjab."

Criticising the Badal government's "publicity overdrive" vis-à-vis kabaddi tourneys, he again delves into his repertoire of witty tales.

Raising the pitch for a change in governance, he says, "A broom is used to clean the house. It is also 'used' when a woman desires to teach a lesson to her drunkard husband."

As the day's campaign in rural areas draws to a close, Mann has covered close to 20 villages. He's ready for the road show in the city. He wants to visit each and every village and also reach out to the electorate in urban areas.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP effect hard to miss

Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 21
While the AAP impact on the SAD manifesto is hard to miss, it also appears to be a balancing act between two schools of thought, one represented by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the other by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal. Taking a cue from AAP, the SAD manifesto declares: “Punjab is now the first state in the country to embrace a culture of governance in which the citizen is the king”.

With AAP attacking corruption, the SAD has declared that it is committed to providing a clean, transparent, responsive and accountable administration.

Responding to AAP's criticism of the VIP culture, the SAD says it is committed to "creating an environment in which every citizen feels and is treated as a VIP." It also talks of effective measures to check corruption and black money.

The use of a strong words against the Congress point to the CM's hand in shaping the manifesto. Badal has always had the Congress as his first target. The manifesto says: “Successive Congress governments at the Centre and in Punjab treated the state almost as a colony and its brave and patriotic people as subjects and systematically looted and discriminated against them”.

When contacted, the primary author of the manifesto and SAD general secretary, Harcharan Bains, said: “Panthic agenda is the foundation of SAD's political ideology and the manifesto has been built on it”.

The SAD has devoted a full chapter to Congress-bashing. It has raised the issues of non-transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi-speaking areas to Punjab, denial of big projects, discrimination against the Punjabi language and Delhi riots.

Reflecting Sukhbir’s school of thought, the manifesto talks of express ways, introducing the metro in cities, more domestic flights, recreational parks, superfast trains, IT, medical and education hubs and governance reforms.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Parties redraw strategies as AAP makes inroads into Malwa belt

An Akali Dal survey shows AAP getting 15% vote share in the Lok Sabha elections

Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 21
With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) making inroads into the crucial Malwa region of Punjab, political parties are now redrawing their campaign strategies to ensure a win at the hustings.

The Aam Aadmi Party seems to have a good following in Malwa. Significantly, seven of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies- Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Ludhiana- are in this region. With AAP eating into the traditional vote bank of the Congress and the SAD, these parties have been forced to change their poll strategies.

A survey conducted by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to assess the impact of AAP in Punjab, turned out to be an eye-opener for the party that had dismissed AAP as a fledgling outfit. Sources say the survey showed that AAP was likely to get a 15 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha elections with the anti -incumbency votes going to AAP.

Surveys by other agencies show AAP getting 13 per cent-15 per cent votes in the state. While the Akalis claim that the anti- incumbency sentiment against the Congress-led UPA Government will translate into votes for AAP, Congress leaders in the fray maintain that the anti-incumbency sentiment against the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab will work in their favour.

During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the SAD- BJP vote share in Punjab was 43.91 per cent (SAD’s vote share was 33.85%). The Congress had secured 45. 23 per cent votes.

As campaigning reaches a feverish pitch, it is evident that both parties are losing their vote share to AAP. If in Patiala, AAP is eating into the Congress votes, in Bathinda AAP candidate is hurting the prospects of the SAD candidate. In Sangrur, AAP's Bhagwant Mann is eating into the Congress as well as the SAD vote share. In Ludhiana, AAP candidate HS Phoolka is taking away the Akali vote share.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD president has now reportedly decided to focus on micro management to ensure that his party does well in Malwa. With nine days left for campaigning coming to an end, Sukhbir will be canvassing aggressively in the Malwa belt.

Party’s chief patron and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will be throwing his weight behind the party candidates in the Majha and Doaba regions.

Problem areas for SAD

• In Patiala, AAP is eating into the Congress vote share
• In Bathinda, AAP candidate is hurting the prospects of the SAD candidate
• In Sangrur, AAP’s Bhagwant Mann is eating into the Cong and SAD votes
• In Ludhiana, HS Phoolka is taking away the Akali vote share

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Kejriwal hits out at Rahul, Modi

Amethi, April 20
Arwind Kejriwal today reached Congress bastion Amethi to campaign for AAP's Lok Sabha candidate Kumar Vishwas, and said both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi must be "defeated" in the country's interest.

The former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief began his roadshow and corner meetings here backing Vishwas, who has been pitted against incumbent MP and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in the May 7 Lok Sabha polls.

Attacking Rahul and BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for their development claims, Kejriwal said their defeat would be in the interest of the nation and the people must end the tradition of dynasty politics.

He alleged that Gandhi family took the votes of Amethi people on sentimental ground, but never thought about the district's development.

Comparing his 49-day reign in Delhi with Rahul ten year rule here, Kejriwal said that he solved more problems in a short span than the Gandhi scion did in a decade.

"In Delhi, within a short span of 49 days, I solved so many problems, but Amethi is still loaded with issues related to portable water, poor power supply, typical roads and unemployment," he claimed.

Attacking Narendra Modi over his much touted Gujarat model, Kejriwal claimed, "people talk about Gujarat model, but development was no where to be seen in that state." Talking about the accusations leveled on him about being an "escapist", the AAP chief said, "I am not an escapist as Congress claims. I will put pressure on Congress here. (Mein yahan Congress ki chaati pe moong dalunga)." He said that his government in Delhi was running smoothly, but BJP and Congress did not let it happen. — PTI

Heckled by protesters

Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters were heckled by a group of women protesters during a road show in Ayodhyanagar. The women protesters raised slogans in favour of Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi and showed black flags to Kejriwal.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP candidate holds road show

Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 19
Intensifying the poll campaign, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from the Anandpur Sahib constituency, Himmat Singh Shergill, today held a road show in the town. As many as 75 vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers, passed through all the main markets of the town during the roadshow, which commenced from Phase VII at around 11 am.

As advocate Shergill practices in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, several of his colleagues were in attendance to support him.

Shergill was accompanied by Mohali AAP convener Ajit Singh Bhanwara and Balwinder Singh Kumbhra, president of the District Panchayat Union.

Appealing to the masses to vote for him to help eradicate corruption, Shergill said, “The leaders of both the main political parties exploited the country during their respective regimes. The time has come to uproot these parties for the country’s progress and for a corruption-free society.”

Meanwhile, the cavalcade passed through Phase XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, 3B2, V, IV, II, I and village Balongi.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Ajit Pawar threatening villagers: AAP to EC

PUNE: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has landed in a fresh controversy after a video purportedly featuring him surfaced in which he allegedly threatened to cut off water supply to a village if people there did not vote for his cousin Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for Baramati and former IPS officer Suresh Khopade has alleged in his complaint to Vadgaon police station on Thursday that Pawar issued the threat of cutting off water supply during an election speech at village Masalwadi on April 16, a purported video of which was aired on national television.

"If anybody from this village indulges in any trouble (failing to vote for Sule), I will cut off the water supply," he said in the dim and grainy TV footage after a villager reportedly insisted that he should announce a date to fix the water supply problem.

He also asked policemen to remove the villager even as somebody was heard desperately pleading "Sorry, Dada! Sorry, Dada". Ajit is fondly addressed as 'Ajit Dada' by his supporters.

Sule is seeking a second term from her father's pocket borough Baramati.

Assistant Police Inspector Vilas Bhosale said the police had received Khopade's complaint but no case has so far been registered against the Deputy CM.

He said the police and Election Commission officials would check the authenticity of the "poor quality" video before taking appropriate action.

"Due process will be followed after preliminary investigations into the complaint," he said.

Khopade, he said, had filed the complaint with the election officials and not the police as the video was shot during electioneering and related to alleged violation of the model code of conduct.

Bhosale said the concerned video had not been handed over to the police.

"Khopade made the complaint to the police belatedly on April 17 while the actual speech was purportedly made on April 16," he said.

The model code for elections prohibits campaigning 48 hours prior to the closing time for casting votes and Pawar could face the charge of violating the code as the video was purportedly shot just a day ahead of the poll on April 17.

Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule could not be contacted for their comments.

Water shortage is a major problem in the village and several others in the region and Ajit Pawar has often ruffled the feathers of the local people by his remarks on the issue.

"If there is no water in the dam should I urinate into it?," he had asked while responding to demands by a farmer agitating against inadequate availability of water in a dam in the area last year.

The NCP leader had followed up this comment laced with crass humour with another remark poking fun at load-shedding in the state, saying, "I have noticed that more children are being born since the lights go off at night. There is no other work left then."

As his remarks triggered outrage, Ajit had to tender apology in the legislative assembly. — PTI

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Gul Panag’s roadshow pulls crowds

Gurvinder Singh
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 17
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Chandigarh candidate Gul Panag today held a roadshow in favour of the party's Ludhiana candidate, HS Phoolka. Addressing the crowds, she asked people to vote for Phoolka who was honest and well-educated.

She said it for the first time that educated and honest people were contesting elections and they must not be let down. On AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal's decision to step down as Delhi CM, she said he had done so on moral grounds. “The resignation was symbolic - to tell the people that AAP would not bow to corrupt parties that had colluded to bring down the government,” she said. She said she and her husband had known singer Rabbi Shergill for several years and had convinced her to contest the elections.

Jalandhar: The AAP roadshow in the city, under the leadership of Rakhi Bidlan, received a lukewarm response. Bidlan (26) sought votes for party’s Jalandhar candidate Jyoti Mann (27). A thin crowd of 50 to 70 activists accompanied Bidlan’s cavalcade. Even outside educational institutions, there was little excitement among students. Bidlan and Mann both belong to the Balmiki community. The roadshow began from Lyallpur Khalsa College and ended at Company Bagh Chowk in the afternoon. Bidlan dismissed reports that Mann was a weak candidate.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

Left parties to support four AAP candidates

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 16 The state units of the CPM, CPI (ML) and CPI (ML) Liberation have decided to support candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party on four seats which these parties are not contesting.

CPM's state unit secretary Mangat Ram Pasla said the decision was taken to ensure strengthening of the sentiment against the Akali-BJP and Congress candidates.

The CPM and its allies in Punjab would support AAP candidates in Patiala (Dr Dharmavir Gandhi), Faridkot (Prof Sadhu Singh), Ferozepur (Satnam Paul Kamboj) and Hoshiarpur (Yamini Gohar).

Pasla said: "The voters are disillusioned with the Congress-led UPA in the Centre and the SAD-BJP coalition in the state. They want alternatives for both the options. Our aim is to back candidates who are opposed to these corrupt parties. AAP is a plausible alternative in the scenario."

"We had initially approached AAP for a coalition, but the latter preferred to go it alone. We will not support AAP candidates in other constituencies,” he added.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com