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Countermand polls contested by prisoners: Patna HC

          Patna: In a significant order, the Patna High Court on Friday directed the Election Commission to consider countermanding elections in constituencies contested by prisoners, whose voting right have been suspended under the election laws. A division bench comprising HC Chief Justice Ravi S. Dhawan and Justice Shashank Kumar Singh passed the order while hearing two PILs seeking disqualification of those who had entered the poll fray from jail and whose voting rights were suspended by the election laws. The bench also ordered the Commission to consider countermanding elections in the constituencies where proclaimed absconders had cast their vote. The EC should act and act with speed and take a decision on these issues before declaration of results of the polls, the Bench said. A host of alleged history-sheeters, including RJD strongman Mohammed Shahabuddin, LJP general secretary Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Independent MLA Rajan Tiwary and supremo of the banned Ranvir Sena, a private militia of landlords allegedly responsible for several massacres, Brahmeshwar Singh, are contesting the election from behind the bars.

Allow us to exercise our right to vote, demand policemen (Go To Top)

          Dehradun: These men in uniform help conduct the elections in the world's biggest democracy in peaceful manner, but the Indian policemen themselves are denied the right to vote. They say that their leaves are cancelled and their battalions are always shuttling from one constituency to another, far away from their homes where they are listed as voters, to ensure that poll violence does not take place, making it impossible for them to cast their vote. "Due to frequent transfers, what happens is that we are posted somewhere else, our names figure in the voter list of some other place, and we are on duty at some third place," said Sub-Inspector S.P. Sharma of Uttaranchal police. Years of being uninvolved in the voting process have also caused many of the policemen to be indifferent towards the elections.

           The Election Commission, on the other hand, says that policemen have no reason not to participate in the democratic process, with the option of postal ballot being made available to them. "The Election Commission of India has provided the postal ballots in which those people in the armed forces and policemen who are posted at some other place from their hometowns, will be able to cast their votes," said Ravi Shankar, Uttaranchal Chief Electoral Officer. The parliament recently passed a law granting armed forces personnel the right to vote by proxy, in addition to the alternative option of exercising their franchise by the postal ballot. The law was passed as the postal ballots were mostly delayed and often not accounted for except for the record books.

Vajpayee, Sonia to campaign in MP (Go To Top)

          Bhopal: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Madhya Pradesh today. While Vajpayee will campaign in the Chhindwara constituency of the state, Sonia Gandhi will be touring Bhind, Ujjain and Chattarpur. Chhindwara is the seat of Congress stalwart Kamal Nath, who faces Union Minister of State for Coal and a staunch Uma Bharti loyalist Prahlad Patel. This constituency has a sizeable Gond tribal vote bank and the BJP is trying to win over the community to ensure a smooth ride for its candidate.

RJD opposes repoll demand in Chapra (Go To Top)

          Patna: Bihar's ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has raised strong objections to the BJP's demand for countermanding elections to the Chapra Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, which is being contested by its chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and Union Civil Aviation Minister and BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy. The RJD has alleged that the Central government and the BJP are putting pressure on the Election Commission to order a re-poll in the constituency. It said that such a move would set a bad precedent and raise doubts about the credibility of the EC. The RJD also said that a joint delegation of secular parties would soon meet the Election Commission and urge it to take a fair and honest decision. On Thursday, the Election Commission ordered an inquiry into allegations that Laloo's men had rigged the polls in Chapra. The RJD retaliated by filing an FIR against Rudy, accusing him of instigating violence in Chapra on polling day. The EC has decided to send a two-member team to conduct an inquiry into incidents of booth capturing. Once the factual position is known, a decision to countermand elections or not will then be taken.

Lookalike campaigns for Vajpayee (Go To Top)

          Lucknow: A man who is supposedly a lookalike of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is campaigning for him in his Lucknow constituency. Shailender Singh Sharma, is a worker in Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sharma dresses, walks and even speaks like Vajpayee. His speeches are heavily laden with long pauses and sudden bursts of verbosity. Only one thing goes against him. His face only faintly resembles Vajpayee's. This junior "Atal", as he is fondly known as, is just 28 years old and is pursuing business management studies from nearby Allahabad university. Sharma is busy delivering speeches and attending public meetings in those places where Vajpayee is unable to visit. Vajpayee faces opposition's joint candidate, Ram Jethmalani in Lucknow.

Buoyed by exit polls, Congress focuses on northern states (Go To Top)

          Bhind (Madhya Pradesh): Boosted by a strong showing in exit polls the Congress on Friday continued its massive election campaign in northern states, which will poll in the last two phases of the ongoing general national elections. Leading the campaign, the party chief Sonia Gandhi addressed a series of public rallies in Madhya Pradesh, where all the 29 constituencies vote on May 5 and 10. Gandhi alleged that the BJP-led NDA coalition had failed to deliver corruption-free governance. "Five years before they (BJP) had promised a government free of corruption but their has been the most tainted regime ever," Sonia said at a public rally. The party also announced that Sonia would be its choice for prime minister if it wins the election. Sonia has been attacked for her foreign origin by the BJP. After playing down the issue of who would be prime minister for most of the campaign, the Congress now says there is no other contender in the party.