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Congress candidates list for Sikkim assembly election 2024

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:17:51 +0000

Congress candidates list for Sikkim assembly election 2024.

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{os-gal-1} Kajal Agarwal

Bihar By-Poll: JD(U) Wins Both Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur Seats

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:24:20 +0000

The RJD was unsucceful in its attempts to expand its voter base.

Patna: The Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] retained both the Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly seats that had a by-poll on October 30.JD(U) candidate Aman Hazari won in Kusheshwar Asthan with a margin of 12,695 votes, improving the party’s previous margin of 7,222 votes. While the RJD and JD(U) seemed to be in a close contest, as the hours passed, the latter pulled away.

Kusheshwar Asthan, a constituency reserved for candidates from Scheduled Castes, is in the Darbhanga district. The JD(U) has held this seat since 2010. In the 2020 assembly elections, JD(U) candidate Shashi Bhushan Hazari won the seat. His death in July due to illness had necessitated the by-poll. His son Aman Hazari has now been elected.

In Tarapur, the battle was closely fought. The seat, which is in the state’s Munger district, has also been hed by the JD(U) since 2010. Mewalal Chaudhary had won the seat in the 2020 assembly elections. He died due to COVID-19 in April this year.

Until the 18th round of counting on Tuesday, the RJD was leading with a margin that had been narrowing with each round of counting. But from the 19th round, the JD(U) started leading. The JD(U)’s Rajeev Kumar Singh started pulling away around the 21st round, but the RJD surged back, cutting the lead to just 308 votes at one point.

However, after the 24th round, the JD(U)’s lead increased to 1,622 votes. The ruling party won a margin of more than 2,000 votes. In the 2020 assembly elections, the JD(U)’s margin in Tarapur was 7,225 votes.

Did RJD fail litmus test?

The by-polls were seen as a litmus test for the RJD to look beyond its traditional Muslims and Yadav (M-Y) support bases. According to sources, Tejashwi Yadav’s decision to field a Baniya candidate in Tarapur, despite knowing that the community had traditionally supported the BJP, was to gain new voters.

Similarly, in Kusheshwar Asthan, the party had tried to woo Musahars, a Scheduled Caste community which had voted for the NDA in the 2020 assembly elections.In Tarapur, the RJD’s calculation seems to have but the JD(U) also managed to increase its vote share. In the by-poll, the RJD got 44.35% of votes, which is an increase of 13% from the assembly elections. However, the JD(U)’s vote share increased from 36.93% to 46.62%.

A JD(U) leader who has been active on the ground told The Wire that the RJD’s decision to put up a Bbaniya candidate helped it make it a neck-and-neck contest. The leader, requesting anonymity, said that while the RJD also retained its traditional Muslim-Yadav base, the NDA was also able to retain the supports of upper-caste voters, its traditional vote base.

In Kusheshwar Asthan, Musahar and Paswan voters, especially women, supported the JD(U). In the 2020 assembly elections, Nitish Kumar’s party got 39.55% of votes which increased by around 6% in the by-poll.

In this constituency, the Congress seemed to suffer a major setback. In the assembly elections, the party’s candidate Ashok Kumar, as part of the grand alliance, got 34.26% of the votes. The Congress, which fought this election separately, got just 4.28% of the votes. The RJD got 36.02% of the votes.

File image of Rahul Gandhi with Tejashwi Yadav.

What helped JD(U)?

According to sources, a few factors worked in favour of the JD(U) in Kusheshwar Asthan.A local panchayat level leader, on the condition of anonymity, told The Wire, “The JD(U) candidate Aman Hazari was not very popular because his father Shashi Bhushan Hazari did not work for the welfare of the local people. The party knew this, so almost all ministers camped there. Aman Hazari was also not very involved in the campaign, with ministers going for door-to-door campaigns instead. The ministers told the voters to forget about Aman Hazari and instead keep faith in them.”

The local leader added that even water resource minister Sanjay Jha, who did not visit waterlogged areas of Kusheshwar Asthan, promised people that work would begin once the water recedes. “This worked in the JD(U)’s favour,” he said.

The leader said, “The third feature was the support of women voters. Male members of the Musahar and other backward communities had migrated to other states for livelihood, so not many of them voted. Female members have been voting for the JD(U) and did so this time too.”Another leader said, “The RJD and Congress’s split also impacted the grand alliance’s prospects. If they had fielded a single candidate, the result could have been different.”

Congress’s poor performance

The Congress had a negligible impact in both seats, coming fourth place with a vote shares less than 5%. Kanhaiya Kumar, who recently joined the Congress, had campaigned in Kusheshwar Asthan. But it did not seem to yield any electoral improvement.

Interestingly, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) did better than the Congress. It stood third.The Congress believes that if the RJD had left Kusheshwar Asthan for the Congress, the alliance could have emerged victorious.

Kaukab Quadri, PCC Bihar working president and election in-charge of Kusheshwar Asthan, told The Wire, “Since the RJD and the Congress fought separately, our voters got confused and voted for the JD(U). On the other hand, the NDA’s votes remained solely with them.”

“It was unfortunate that we (Congress and RJD) could not resolve our issues and contested separately,” Quadri said. “The Congress high command will sit with the RJD leadership to analyse the poll results.”Hinting that there would be a patch up with the RJD, he said, “The Congress will form alliances with like-minded parties to fight the BJP. Lalu Prasad Yadav himself has suggested this.”

Clean sweep by Congress in Himachal Pradesh bypolls; Pratibha Singh elected as MP from CM’s home turf Mandi

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:13:32 +0000

The Congress also registered wins in all three Vidhan Sabha by-elections held for Jubbal-Kotkhai, Arki and Fatehpur Assembly constituencies.

The BJP-led Himachal Pradesh government has received a major setback with the Congress making a clean sweep in the by-polls held in the state. The Congress not only won the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency but also registered wins in all three Vidhan Sabha by-elections held for Jubbal-Kotkhai, Arki and Fatehpur Assembly constituencies.

With such a strong show by the Congress, alarm bells have started ringing for the BJP government in the hill state led by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, especially as he had been camping in his home turf Mandi to campaign for the party’s candidate.

Thakur, however, accepted the mandate. He tweeted: “I accept the results and congratulate the winners. The BJP fought hard, but the results are not in keeping with our expectations. We will definitely study the lessons learned in these bypolls and learn for the future... for the 2022 election."

As per reports, the Congress defeated the BJP by a thin margin of 8,766 votes in the Mandi parliamentary constituency. Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, widow of six-time HP Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh,who passed away in July this year, defeated BJP’s candidate Brig Khushal Thakur (retd), a Kargil war hero.The Mandi by-poll was necessitated due to the demise of sitting BJP MP Ram Swaroop in February this year.Virbhadra Singh’s death had led to a by-poll at the Arki Vidhan Sabha seat, which the Congress has retained.

The outcome of the by-polls is being considered as a precursor to the 2022 Assembly elections. It is a clear indication that the BJP government is losing its grip at the root levels.The Jai Ram Thakur government has been accused of failing to resolve issues like price rise, unemployment and local development during its tenure, feel political analysts, which tilted the table in favour of the Congress.

Congress candidate Sanjay Awasthy won the Arki (Solan) Assembly by-poll by 3,277 votes. He secured 30,493 votes against BJP candidate's Rattan Pal 27,216 votes.

In Fatehpur (Kangra), Congress candidate Bhawani Singh Pathania defeated his nearest rival Baldev Thakur of BJP by 5,652 votes. Pathania got 23,932 votes, while Thakur got 18,280 votes, with Rajan Sushant, an independent candidate, managing to get 12,679 votes.The constituency went to bypolls due to the demise of Pathania’s father Bhawani Singh Pathania, a former minister in the state.

Congress' Rohit Thakur registered his victory at Jubbal-Kotkhai seat. BJP candidate Neelam Seraik remained on the third position with Chetan Singh Bragta, an independent candidate, being the first runner up.The by-poll for this seat was necessitated due to the demise of sitting BJP MLA Narinder Bragta in June this year.

Nationwide Bypolls: Who Is Contesting Where and What's at Stake?

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 18:50:10 +0000

Lakhs of voters will vote for by-elections to 29 assembly constituencies and three Lok Sabha seats spread across 13 states and a Union Territory.

New Delhi: By-polls to three Lok Sabha seats and 29 assembly constituencies spread across 13 states and Dadra and Nagar Haveli will be held on Saturday with many contests seen as prestige issue for parties hit by defections.

Adequate security and Covid safety measures have been put in place for the electoral exercise.In majority of the seats, the main fight will be between BJP and Congress candidates.The counting of votes will take place on November 2.Though a bypoll was also announced for the Shamator-Chessore assembly constituency in Nagaland, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party candidate S Keoshu Yimchunger was declared elected uncontested on October 13.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli

The by-election to Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha seat was necessitated following the death of Mohan Delkar, the independent MP from the constituency, in February this year.There are three candidates in the fray, including Delkar’s widow Kalaben Delkar, who is contesting as a Shiv Sena nominee. From the BJP, Mahesh Gavit is fighting the bypoll, while the Congress has fielded Mahesh Dhodi.

Voting is underway across 333 booths and tight security arrangements have been made with the deployment of 10 companies of paramilitary forces, officials of the Election Commission said.There are a total of 2.58 lakh voters in the constituency, including 1.22 lakh female voters, the officials said, adding that around 1,500 people were deployed for election duty.The Shiv Sena and the Congress are constituents in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, but they are contesting against each other in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Late Lok Sabha MP Mohan Delkar.

Mizoram

The bypoll to the Tuirial assembly constituency in Mizoram’s Kolasib district is being held after the death of sitting MLA Andrew H Thangliana of Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).The ruling MNF has fielded K Laldawngliana, while the ZPM candidate is Laltlangmawi. The Congress has fielded Chalrosanga Ralte and BJP K Laldinthara for the by-election.The contest will, however, be between MNF, Congress and the ZPM.

Chief Electoral Officer P Jawahar told PTI that at least one company of central paramilitary force has been deployed, besides the state forces.A total of 17,911 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypoll across 27 polling stations.

Meghalaya

Three assembly constituencies in Meghalaya, Mawryngkneng, Mawphlang and Rajabala, were necessitated following the demise of the sitting MLAs of the three seats.A total of 13 candidates are in the fray for the by-polls to the three seats. Five candidates each are contesting from Mawryngkneng and Rajabala constituencies, while three are in the fray in Mawphlang constituency.

Over 1 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypolls.Mawryngkneng with 60 polling stations has 36,751 voters, while Mawphlang with 50 polling stations has 33,194 voters and Rajabala with 58 polling stations has 32,750 voters.

Polling parties leave for poll duty ahead of the bypoll to Mandi Lok Sabha seat, in Kullu, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.

Himachal Pradesh

Voting for bypolls to the Mandi Lok Sabha and Arki, Fatehpur, and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh are taking place across 2,484 polling stations and 312 auxiliary polling stations.A total of 12,99,756 voters for Mandi Lok Sabha, 87,222 for Fatehpur, 92,609 for Solan and 70,965 voters for Jubbal-Kotkhai Vidhan Sabha seats may exercise their right to franchise.

The by-elections were necessitated following the death of sitting members.A total of 18 candidates are in the fray, including 12 for the three assembly seats and six for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat.A direct contest is expected between the ruling BJP and Congress on all seats except Jubbal-Kotkhai where rebel BJP candidate Chetan Singh Bragta is trying his luck as an independent candidate.

However, all eyes are on the Mandi parliamentary bypoll as the constituency is the home turf of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.The BJP has fielded Kargil war hero Brigadier Khushal Singh Thakur from Mandi against Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, the wife of late chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

Karnataka

Bypolls are being held at Sindgi and Hangal assembly constituencies in Karnataka where a total of 19 candidates are in the fray – six from Sindgi and 13 from Hangal. Two candidates from Sindgi are women.There are a total of 4,39,148 eligible voters, including 230 service voters from both the constituencies, who can cast their votes at 560 polling stations.The by-elections have been necessitated as the seats fell vacant following the death of Sindgi JD(S) legislator M.C. Managuli and BJP’s C.M. Udasi from Hangal.

While Ramesh Bhusanur, who came second behind Managuli in 2018 polls, is the BJP candidate from Sindgi, Shivaraj Sajjanar is its candidate from Hangal constituency.The Congress has named M.C. Managuli’s son Ashok Managuli, who has joined the party, as its candidate from Sindgi, while former MLC Srinivas Mane is its candidate from Hangal.

The JD(S), which was the first to announce its candidates, has fielded 33-year-old post graduate Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi from Sindgi and 35-year-old B.E, M.Tech graduate Niyaz Shaikh from Hangal.This is the first electoral challenge for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai after taking charge.

Haryana

Voting for the bypoll to the Ellenabad assembly constituency in Haryana was necessitated by INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala’s resignation as MLA from the seat in January over the Centre’s farm laws.Over 1.85 lakh voters will decide the fate of 19 candidates in the fray for the bypoll.A total of 211 polling booths have been set up, and 121 of these have been categorised as vulnerable and most vulnerable, the officials said.

Gobind Kanda, brother of Haryana Lokhit Party chief and legislator Gopal Kanda, joined the BJP recently and has been fielded by the BJP-JJP combine.Pawan Beniwal, who had unsuccessfully contested the previous assembly poll against Abhay Chautala, recently switched over from the BJP to the Congress. He is in the fray as the candidate of the main opposition party.

Bihar

Polling is underway for Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seats in Bihar where by-elections have been necessitated by the deaths of sitting MLAs, both belonging to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).Altogether 17 candidates are in the fray for the two seats, eight in Tarapur and nine in Kusheshwar Asthan.The JD(U)’s bid to retain these seats is being challenged by the RJD headed by Kumar’s arch rival Lalu Prasad.

The JD(U) has placed its bet on fresh faces in both seats. In Tarapur, which has fallen vacant upon Mewa Lal Chaudhary’s demise, the party has fielded Rajiv Kumar Singh while in the reserved Kusheshwar Asthan, debutant Awadh Bhushan Hazari seeks to retain for his party, the seat his father Shashi Bhushan Hazari had won three times in a row.

The RJD, which boasts of a formidable support base in the form of the Muslim-Yaadav (MY) combination, has made the battle harder for JD(U) with its deft play of the caste card in both seats.

In Tarapur, which has so far sent only Yadavs or Koeris to the assembly, the RJD has fielded Arun Sah, a Vaishya, seeking to win over a community that has traditionally been with the BJP and its allies.

The JD(U) has been sharing power with the BJP for more than a decade and a half. It started off as a senior partner in the coalition, but of late has ceded the upper hand to the saffron party which has emerged as a near hegemonic force in the Hindi heartland.Similarly, in Kusheshwar Asthan the RJD has fielded Ganesh Bharti, who belongs to the Musahar community which aspires to get its due among the Dalits.

Lalu Prasad Yadav addressing a public meeting ahead of bypolls in Bihar on October 27, 2021.

However, in both seats the Congress and the Chirag Paswan-headed faction of Lok Janshakti Party could to play a decisive role if the contest between JD(U) and RJD turns out to be a close one.The Congress, which has for long remained content as a subservient junior partner of the RJD in Bihar, decided to pull itself by its bootstraps after being humiliated by the domineering senior ally.

The RJD’s announcement of candidates for both seats, without taking into confidence the Congress which had contested Kusheshwar Asthan in assembly polls last year, proved to be the proverbial last straw.

The party has fielded Atirek Kumar, son of Ashok Ram who gave Shashi Bhushan Hazari a tough fight a year ago. In Tarapur, which the Congress had never intended to fight until the decision to call off the alliance, it has fielded Rajiv Kumar Mishra, a well-known social worker who is an upper caste Brahmin and had polled about 10,000 votes when he fought in the assembly polls as an Independent.

Another upper caste candidate in Tarapur is Kumar Chandan, a Rajput, who is contesting on the ticket of LJP (Ram Vilas) which Chirag heads. For Chirag, the by-polls in both seats would be a test of his strength after the split in the party founded by his father of which a major chunk has rallied with his rebellious uncle and cousin, Pashupati Kumar Paras and Prince Raj respectively.

While Tarapur falls within Chirag’s own Jamui Lok Sabha constituency, Kusheshwar Asthan is a part of Samastipur which Prince Raj represents.Chirag’s candidate in Kusheshwar Asthan Anju Devi is the only woman in the fray.

Rajasthan

Voting for bypolls to the assembly constituencies of Vallabhnagar (Udaipur) and Dhariawad (Pratapgarh) in Rajasthan to decide the fate of 16 candidates were necessitated by the death of Congress MLA from Vallabhnagar Gajendra Singh Shaktawat and BJP legislator from Dhariawad Gautam Lal Meena.A total of 638 polling booths have been set up in both the constituencies, and 119 of them are sensitive. Webcasting will be done in 64 sensitive booths and videography in 29.

In Vallabhnagar, the ruling Congress party has given its ticket to Gajendra Shaktawat’s wife, Preeti Shaktawat, while the BJP has fielded Himmat Singh Jhala.The Congress has fielded Nagraj Meena in Dhariawad against BJP candidate Khet Singh Meena.

Madhya Pradesh

As many as 48 candidates are in the fray in to one Lok Sabha and three assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh where straight fights are expected between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress.Altogether 26,50,004 voters are eligible to exercise franchise during the bypolls.Sixteen candidates each are in the fray for by-polls to Khandwa Lok Sabha seat and Raigaon (SC) Assembly constituency.

Ten candidates are in the fray in Prithvipur and six in Jobat (ST) assembly constituencies.The Khandwa parliamentary seat and Raigaon assembly seat in Satna district were held by the BJP while Jobat in Alirajpur and Prithvipur in Niwari districts were with the Congress.

In Khandwa, the BJP has fielded former district panchayat president Gyaneshwar Patil, denying the ticket to Harshvardhan Chauhan, the son of sitting MP Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan whose demise necessitated the bypoll. The Congress has fielded former MLA Rajnarayan Singh Purni.

Deceased BJP Lok Sabha member from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan.

In Jobat, Sulochana Rawat is the BJP’s nominee against Congress candidate Mahesh Patel. The seat fell vacant due to the death of sitting Congress legislator Kalawati Bhuria.Rawat, a former MLA, joined the BJP recently after quitting Congress. She had won from Jobat on Congress’s ticket in 1998 and 2008.

In Raigaon (SC) seat, the BJP has fielded Pratima Bagri, the daughter-in-law of MLA Jugal Kishore Bagri whose death necessitated the bypoll. She will face Congress’ Kalpana Verma.Verma had been defeated by Jugal Kishore Bagri in the 2018.

In Prithvipur, the BJP has fielded former Samajwadi Party leader Shishupal Singh against Congress’s Nitendra Rathore, the son of former minister Brajendra Singh Rathore whose death necessitated the bypoll.

Bengal

By-polls to the four assembly constituencies of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, Shantipur in Nadia, Khardah in North 24 Parganas and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas districts will be taking place in West Bengal.In Dinhata, TMC’s heavyweight north Bengal leader Udayan Guha is fighting to reclaim the seat which BJP had snatched from him by a whisker in polls held last April.

The by-election at Dinhata were necessitated by the resignation of Nisith Pramanik, now Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, who favoured keeping his Lok Sabha membership over sitting in the opposition in West Bengal’s assembly.Guha, a two-time MLA from Dinhata, is up against BJP’s Ashok Mandal, who as a TMC candidate had defeated him, a Forward Bloc candidate then, in 2006.

The bypoll to Shantipur was necessitated by the resignation of BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar, who too resigned from the assembly seat in favour of retaining his Lok Sabha membership.State minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, who resigned from Bhabanipur to facilitate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s election to the Assembly, is fighting from Khardah, where TMC’s Kajal Sinha died due to COVID-19, just days after polls to the seat were held Bypoll to the Gosaba seat in Sunderbans was also necessitated by the death of TMC’s Jayanta Naskar, who too was suffering from Covid.

Assam

Polling for bye-elections to five Assam assembly constituencies will see 7.96 lakh voters decide the electoral fate of 31 contestants.Voting will take place in 1,176 polling stations, including 285 in Gossaigaon, 213 in Bhabanipur, 322 in Tamulpur, 183 in Mariani and 173 in Thowra constituencies.

The prominent contestants include Rupjyoti Kurmi, Sushanta Borgohain, Phanidhar Talukdar (all BJP); Luhit Konwar, Jowel Tudu, Sailendra Nath Das, Bhaskar Dahal, Monuranjan Konwar (all INC); Krishna Gogoi (CPI); Jiron Basumatary, Jolen Daimary (both UPPL); Dhruba Kumar Brahma Narzary (BPF); Jubbar Ali and Khairul Anam Khandakar (both AIUDF).Bye-election in Gossaigaon and Tamulpur were necessitated due to death of the sitting MLAs, while the incumbents of Bhabanipur, Mariani and Thowra resigned from their seats to join the ruling BJP.

Andhra Pradesh

Bypolls will also be held in Andhra Pradesh’s Badvel seat, which fell vacant following the death of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) legislator Gunthoti Venkatasubbaiah.The ruling YSRCP’s candidate is Venkatasubbaiah’s widow, Dr Dasari Sudha. The TDP candidate is Dr. Obulapuram Rajasekhar.

Maharashtra

As many as 12 candidates, including of main contenders Congress and the BJP, are left in the fray for the October 30 bypoll to the Deglur-Biloli assembly seat in Nanded district of Maharashtra.As many as nine candidates opted out of the race on the last day of withdrawal of nominations on Wednesday.

The Congress has fielded Jitesh Raosaheb Antapurkar, the son of the deceased MLA, while the BJP has nominated Subhash Sabne, a former Shiv Sena legislator who recently joined the main opposition party in the state.

Telangana

The by-election to Huzurabad assembly constituency in Telangana sees the ruling TRS, opposition BJP and Congress locked in a triangular contest.As many as 2,37,036 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise, district collector RV Karnan said on Friday. They include 1,17,933 male and 1,19,102 female voters.The polls were necessitated by the resignation of Eatala Rajender in June following his removal from the state Cabinet over allegations of land grabbing.

Rajender, who dismissed the allegations, has quit the TRS and joined the BJP. He is seeking re-election on BJP ticket.Though as many as 30 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is among Gellu Srinivas Yadav (TRS), Eatala Rajender (BJP) and Venkat Balmoori (Congress).

Himachal Pradesh Bypolls: As Infighting Troubles BJP, Congress Hopes for a Revival

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 21:24:43 +0000

The October 30 bypolls – votes will be cast in one parliament and three assembly constituencies – are being viewed as 'mini election' before the state heads for assembly election in late 2022.

Chandigarh: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not only faces a daunting task ahead of the crucial assembly and parliament bypolls in Himachal Pradesh, with factionalism coming to the fore, but a poor performance might spell danger ahead of next year’s assembly election in the hill state. The Congress party sees an opportunity in the bypolls to energise its cadre and revive prospects ahead of next year’s statewide polls.

Three assembly constituencies – Jubbal-Kotkhai, Fatehpur and Arki – and one parliamentary constituency – Mandi, under which 17 assembly constituencies fall – will go for polls on October 30. The votes will be counted on November 2.

The bypolls assume significance given that the state will have assembly polls in less than a year from now. Journalists with whom The Wire spoke to see the October 30 bypolls as a sort of mini election, the outcome of which will give a fair idea about the electoral mood in the state.

While the election is a litmus test for Congress after the recent death of its main leader Virbhadra Singh, stakes are high for the ruling BJP as well. If the BJP fails to perform well in the bypolls, the ruling government may be heading for serious trouble due to the existing government policies and overall perception.

The fact that Himachal is the home state of BJP national president J.P. Nadda makes the bypolls even more interesting.While BJP’s co-incharge for Himachal affairs Sanjay Tandon told The Wire that the party will win all four seats, what worries the party is the open revolt in Jubbal-Kotkhai, an assembly segment in Shimla district.

Apart from it, there are silent rumblings in the Fatehpur assembly seat as well as the Mandi parliament seat, which is also the home segment of BJP chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.The party’s heavyweight leader in the upper Himachal region Narinder Bragta held the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency until his death in June 2021.

Chetan Bragta.

Former banker Chetan Bragta, Narindra Bragta’s son, was believed to be the strong contender and it was almost certain that he would be the BJP candidate from the seat.But the ticket went to Neelam Saraik, a former Zila Parishad member, prompting Chetan to file his nomination as an independent candidate despite the efforts of senior BJP leaders, including CM Thakur, to pacify him.

While Neelam is still hopeful that Chetan will step down, when The Wire spoke to the latter, he clarified that he will not only fight the election but will also win with a heavy margin.Chetan said that the people of his father’s constituency had requested him to contest.“The BJP may have its own reason to field another candidate, but there is a huge sentiment among people who wanted me to fight to carry forward the legacy that my father built over the past 40 years,” he said.

He said that the assembly constituencies in and around Shimla district had been Congress bastions until his father made inroads here and “lent voice to apple growers through government policies”. “Now it is my time to take their voice further,” he said.

Chetan said that all other candidates in the fray have no vision of how to increase the income of apple growers. “I have entered the fray with a clear vision and that is the reason I have so much support on the ground. Mark my words, we are winning this seat on November 2,” he told The Wire.

There is a growing perception that Chetan may end up ruining the BJP’s chances. However, Tandon, the co-incharge, told The Wire that the party will be in control of the situation in three-four days.“Senior members of the party are seized of the ground situation. The party is taking all necessary steps to handle the situation,” he said.

Situation in other constituencies is no different

Trouble is also brewing for the BJP in Himachal’s Fatehpur constituency in Kangra district.

Kripal Parmar.

In the 2017 election, the party fielded Kripal Parmar, former Rajya Sabha MP, who has been nurturing the constituency for a long time.However, he lost the election by a slender margin of 1,200 votes after another aspirant, Baldev Thakur, filed his nomination as an independent candidate and secured more than 13,000 votes.Baldev Thakur is now the BJP’s candidate for the constituency, where a bypoll has been necessitated by the death of Congress MLA Sujan Singh Pathania. He was the party’s popular leader in the area.

While Congress has fielded Pathania’s son Bhawani Singh Pathania to make sure that the party retains the seat, the BJP is again in a fix due to the internal tussle between Thakur and Parmar.While Parmar has been silent after the party refused to field him again, his supporters made a lot of noise after Thakur was announced as the party’s official candidate last week.

Several of Parmar’s supporters, including the Fatehpur BJP mandal president, the BJP-supported chairman and vice-chairman, besides 40 pradhans, up pradhans and members of the panchayat samiti of Fatehpur, resigned in protest.

Parmar and his supporters relented after the intervention of senior party leaders, including chief minister Jairam Thakur. However, a leader close to Parmar told The Wire that the party’s decision to field Baldev Thakur has not been well received by the cadre. They are unhappy that the party chose a person who fought against the its official nominee in the 2017 assembly elections, resulting in his defeat.

“Instead of throwing him out of the party, the senior leaders rewarded him with a ticket, insulting the loyalty of people who always respected the party’s decision,” he added.When contacted, Parmar refused to comment. He said if needed, he would take up matters within the party forum. He also said that he expected the BJP to win the seat with a heavy margin.

However, sources close to him confirmed that he is not actively campaigning for the party’s official candidate. This may dent the BJP’s chances, given that the Congress candidate, Bhawani Singh Pathania, is better placed than the BJP candidate.Bhawani’s father, Sujan Singh Pathania, had won seven elections from the seat, a clear indication of his popularity. The fact that his son is in the fray after his demise should make it easier for the Congress to win again.

On the other hand, the BJP also faces a challenge from Rajan Sushant, a former BJP MLA, who is also contesting.Sushant had contested as an independent in the 2017 election too and polled more than 6,000 votes. This time around, he has floated his own political outfit ‘Hamari Party Himachal Party’, and is again in the fray. He is likely to harm the BJP’s prospects again.

Mandi parliament seat: A cynosure of all eyes

When the results for the bypolls are announced, the focus will be on the Mandi parliamentary constituency that fell vacant after the demise of BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.While the BJP has fielded Kargil war hero Brigadier (Retd) Khushal Thakur, the Congress has played its trump card by fielding Pratibha Singh, a former MP and the widow of Virbhadra Singh. The former chief minister’s demise has left a leadership void in the party.

BJP candidate Brigadier Khushal Thakur (L) and Congress nominee Pratibha Singh (R).

Here too, internal rumblings are visible. The BJP’s Maheshwar Singh, a scion of the Kullu royal family and one of the aspirants for the Mandi MP seat, is believed to be upset.Singh has considerable influence in and around Kullu, thanks to his ancestry. His silence may hamper the party’s poll prospectus.Maheshwar went against the party earlier, when he floated the Himachal Lokhit Party with other dissidents of the BJP. This party later merged with the BJP before the 2017 assembly polls.

Poll pundits in the state believed that the Congress’s decision to field Pratibha Singh is a masterstroke as she may get sympathy votes.Meanwhile, from the Arki seat, which fell vacant after the demise of Virbhadra Singh, the BJP has fielded Ratan Singh Pal against the Congress’s Brahim leader Sanjay Awasthi. Ratan Singh had lost the 2017 elections to Virbhadra Singh and is trying his luck again.

Congress state president Kuldeep Rathore told The Wire that the BJP is a divided house ahead of bypolls. “They are facing dissidents in all the seats. In Kotkhai, there is an open revolt. In Mandi, Maheshwar Singh is unhappy. So is the situation in Fatehpur. On the other hand, the Congress is fighting unitedly.”

“We have a clear vision for the state, whereas the past four years of the BJP’s rule are riddled with mismanagement and corruption. We are confident that the party will win all seats. You will see that the results of the bypolls will be the beginning of the end of the BJP’s rule in the state,” Rathore added.

BJP’s Sanjay Tandon, on the other hand, said that the Congress is a ‘sinking party’. “Its leaders are fighting internally all across the country. Look at what is happening in Punjab. The BJP has given a stable government to the people of Himachal, and the state has prospered under our governance.”

Nitish Kumar wins battle, loses war by being forced to make far too many compromises

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 14:37:33 +0000

Besides having to part with his trusted deputy Sushil Modi, JD(U) has not been able to retain the post of Speaker, who plays a crucial role in times of confidence votes and passage of crucial bills.

Having taken oath as Bihar CM for a record seventh time, Nitish Kumar apparently won the proverbial battle but he has almost certainly lost the war as in order to get a fresh lease of 1, Anney Marg tenancy, the Bihar CM has made far too many compromises that have effectively dwarfed his once-giant size. Such compromises are not good for his political health either.

First of all, Nitish retained the chair at the cost of sacrificing his trusted deputy of long standing, Sushil Modi. In letting go of him and inducting two new faces as deputy CMs, BJP has separated the Siamese twins of Bihar’s political power theatre. Sushil Modi was important, rather indispensable, for Nitish in more than one way, as, besides doing the all important liaison work, Sushil Modi effectively countered known Nitish baiters in BJP including Giriraj Singh, CP Thakur and Ashwini Choubey, to name only a few. Now these leaders have been let loose and to add insult to injury, Union Minister Ashwini Choubey favours a berth for Chirag Paswan in the Union Council of Ministers.

No less a setback is Nitish’s reported failure to retain the all important post of the Speaker. Given the fragile nature of the Bihar mandate, the Speaker, in the days to come, is going to be the most valuable asset for the BJP.

All these years, Speakers have shown blatant partisanship and have rarely, if ever, been neutral. In times of confidence votes and passage of crucial bills, the Speaker plays a decisive role. The anti defection law provides too much power to the Speaker and Speakers have, in many cases, misused this power either to protect or to destabilise regimes.

As per stories doing the rounds in Bihar political circles, after Nitish reverted to the NDA camp in 2017, Lalu repented having conceded the Speaker’s post to Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). Few observers will be surprised if this time it is Nitish’s turn to rue parting with the Speaker’s post.

All these years, Nitish Kumar has been claiming, and in many cases, seen to pursue inclusive politics despite a partnership with practitioners of a totally different brand of politics. But for the first time in the history of the state, there is no Muslim face in the Bihar govt. Besides four MLCs, Nitish had the power to appoint any Muslim as minister even if he was not a member of either House and Mukesh Sahini was made a minister despite losing the election to RJD candidate Yusuf Salauddin.

Time and again, Nitish Kumar has been maintaining that there was no question of any compromise with three Cs - Crime, Corruption and Communalism. By inducting Mewalal Chaudhary, an accused in a corruption case who is currently out on bail, Nitish Kumar has gifted his opponents a loaded weapon to fire from.

Whereas, by all accounts Nitish Kumar was well aware of the previous deeds of his present Education Minister, in 2005 he inadvertently admitted a tainted Jitan Ram Manjhi, then a corruption case accused, in his first Cabinet and made amendment within hours by sacking Manjhi. But no such action was taken in Chaudhary’s case.

Political observers believe that it being, as per his own version, his last term in office, Nitish Kumar can afford to make the most awkward of compromises as five years down the line or even earlier, he will not be required to account for any of his actions. About the once troublesome conscience, the less said the better.

The meaning of Owaisi’s victory in Bihar:Mohammed Wajihuddin

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:38:32 +0000

An interesting cartoon viral on social media has All India Ittihadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi in his trademark topi but uncharacteristically also wearing khaki shorts of the RSS.

Two men carry him by holding hands. The faces of men are not shown but, from their dresses, they appear to be BJP's top two leaders. Most of the comments the cartoon has received since it went viral suggest Owaisi is now headed to West Bengal which will go to the polls next year.

That explains a lot about what Owaisi and his party MIM did to the secular votes in the Bihar elections and what he can do to secular parties in the West Bengal elections due next year. Out of 20 seats where Owaisi fielded his candidates in Bihar, his party won five, the Mahagathbandhan (RJD-Congress-Left) candidates won 9 while NDA got six. So, if MIM was not there, Mahagathbandhan would have got 11 seats in the Seemanchal region, enough to ensure Mahagathbandhan’s edge over NDA.

Tejashwai Yadav who electrified a drab, doddering campaign turned once foregone conclusion about the victors into a cliffhanger counting of votes could have become Bihar’s next CM. The 31-year-old Tejashwi, largely out his father Lalu Prasad Yadav’s shadows, would have got a chance to realize the promises he made to the crowds during election campaigns. The lakhs of unemployed youths who flocked to his election rallies are shocked as the slender margin of majority brings largely discredited Nitish Kumar back into Bihar’s saddle.

Though it will be unfair to put all the blames for defeat of the Mahagathbandhan on Owaisi, his entry in Bihar and aggressive campaigns targeted mostly at the Congress undoubtedly helped the NDA win an election it had almost lost.

Owaisi has explained he has rights to fight elections from wherever he chooses to. Of course, he has a right to do so. So, why he has not chosen to fight in Gujarat which went for by elections on eight seats recently? And why only on seats with overwhelming Muslim votes in UP, Maharashtra and now Bihar, the three states he has participated in assembly elections outside Andhra Pradesh/Telengana, so far? This shows his desperation to eat into the votes of secular parties, whatever little secularism may be left with them. By doing so, Owaisi ends up helping the saffron side. When the electoral, political history of post-2000 India is written, Owaisi will go down as the self-appointed champion of the Muslim cause who harmed the people he claimed to empower politically.

He says he wants to empower the Muslims who have been used as hostages or bandhuwa mazdoor (bonded labourers) by some parties over the decades. Owaisi will never accept it, but those who support him and his explanation are either oblivious to or willfully ignoring the damage Owaisi is doing to India’s social fabric. Now don’t tell me what is Yogi Adityanath is doing. But Yogi’s agenda is no secret. We know what he is in politics for.

Playing on the fears of the minorities and the injustices Owaisi only fuels the victimhood mentality of the Muslim youths. His protests are grievance-centric not solution seeking. Since he is a pariah for almost all the mainstream political parties—don’t count Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party which prevarication on secular values is as clear as the morning sun—he digs the lonely furrows. His Ekla Chalo initiative further alienates the community which needs to build bridges with other communities for economic prosperity. His voices, including tweets, speeches inside the Parliament and outside it, warm up the hearts of a section of Muslims who feel cheated by politicians of all hues. He compulsive replies to provocative posts, utterances of the Hindutva hotheads.

Little does he know or care to realize how much damage his “reactions” do to Muslims. Though he doesn’t represent all Muslims in the country, the media, especially the sold out or godi media, present his reactions as if they have been issued on behalf of the entire Muslim community. Muslims don’t live in the ghettos of old Hyderabad alone. They are scattered and at many places are in miniscule minority surrounded by hostile non-Muslim neighbours. His comments aggravate the hostility against Muslims, making the community further insecure. It is this sense of insecurity that Owaisi feeds on.

I don’t buy the accusations that Owaisi has a tacit understanding with the BJP since I don’t have a credible proof. I am not privy to his “dealings” with the saffron side that he is often accused of. His detractors talk about the “soft” corner some senior BJP leaders have in their hearts for Owaisi. To back their arguments, these detractors argue that several Muslim critics of the BJP government have faced the strong arm of the law—raids by ED, CBI and arrests—on allegedly fake charges but Owaisi manages to remain out of those “dragnets”. “Why is it so?,” I once asked Owaisi at a press conference. “You are my friend, do you want me to go to jail?,” he replied. All my fellow journalists there had good laugh at his reply. He has never explained why senior leaders in the BJP mostly ignore his trenchant comments but come down heavily on others if they make similar comments.

Retuning to Bihar, what will his five MLAs manage to get for the poor region of Seemanchal that other Muslim leaders from the area never managed to do in the last many decades? One could understand they could have made much difference were they part of the government. Since it is unlikely he will ever support the BJP—his whole politics will collapse he if does so—his five MLAs will sit out in the opposition. After five years, they will go to the masses again, saying they couldn’t do much as they were not part of the government.

Political activist and a former student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Tanweer Alam foresees another danger after Owaisi’s entry in Bihar’s politics. “Now all parties will dump Muslim seekers of tickets to Seemanchal because Owaisi has shown them the way. Since tickets are distributed on “winability” of the candidates, they will be sent there to try luck, depriving them the chance to fight from elsewhere,” said Alam. “Now Seemanchal has become the political ghetto of Muslims.”

This writer has observed the “rise” of MIM in Maharashtra for over a decade.

In 2014 Owaisi decided to spread his “footprint” outside Hyderabad. He fielded nearly two dozen candidates in the Maharashtra assembly poll, winning two seats (Byculla and Aurangabad) but eating into a good number of votes on several seats of Congress-NCP candidates. In 2019, for the first time in MIM’s history, it won an MP seat outside the old Hyderabad when Imtiaz Jalil wrested the Aurangabad seat from Sena.

Political observers and poll watchers credited a BJP rebel candidate, for “facilitating” ”Jalil’s victory as he took away a huge chunk of saffron votes. In the Maharashtra assembly elections of 2019, MIM won two seats again (Malegaon and Nandurbar) and lost both the seats (Byculla and Aurangabad) it had won in 2014. Meanwhile, it also damaged secular candidates on almost a dozen seats. Let me cite such one example. Arif Naseem Khan, the four-time Congress MLA from Chandivali, a Mumbai suburb, lost by around 400 votes. MIM candidate on this seat got more than double the number that Khan needed to win.

Now that Owaisi gears up to enter West Bengal, the BJP will be more than happy to spread out a red carpet, if surreptitiously so, for him there. After all Bihar is known as dar-e-Bengal (Gateway to Bengal). And BJP will do everything to get it in its kitty.. Will Owaisi prove an enabler to the BJP there too?

"Rahul Gandhi Was On Picnic During Polls": Tejashwi Yadav's Party Leader

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:28:14 +0000

The Congress was widely blamed for dragging down the opposition coalition in Bihar, having contested 70 of the 243 seats but taking home only 19.

Patna: The first cracks in opposition amity after the stinging defeat in the Bihar elections surfaced on Sunday, with a senior leader of the Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) calling out the Congress for putting up a half-hearted fight.

"Congress became a shackle for Mahagathbandhan. They had fielded 70 candidates but didn't hold even 70 public rallies. Rahul Gandhi came for three days, Priyanka [Gandhi Vadra] didn't come, those who were unfamiliar with Bihar came here. This is not right," Shivanand Tiwari told news agency ANI.

The Grand Alliance or "Mahagathbandhan" of the RJD, Congress and Left parties fell short of a majority mark when results for the bitterly fought elections were declared this week, despite a tight race on counting day and favourable exit polls.

The Congress was widely blamed for dragging down the coalition, having contested 70 of the 243 seats but taking home only 19. The RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats and the Left posted a surprising score as well.

"I think this is not the case only in Bihar. In other states too Congress lays more emphasis on contesting on the maximum possible number of seats but they fail at winning the maximum possible number of seats. Congress should think about this," Mr Tiwari said.

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"Elections were in full swing here and Rahul Gandhi was having a picnic at Priyanka ji's house in Shimla. Is the party run like that? Allegations can be levelled that the manner in which Congress party is being run, it is benefitting BJP," he added.

The Congress, however, had a different diagnosis, saying that a delay in finalising seat-sharing for the Bihar election adversely affected the alliance's poll performance.

The results were "definitely below" expectations, senior party leader Tariq Anwar said on Sunday, asserting that the Congress must learn from it and complete alliance formalities well in advance for upcoming assembly polls.

Mr Anwar, the party's general secretary and a veteran leader from Bihar, acknowledged that there were shortcomings due to which the Congress performed worse than other Mahagathbandhan constituents and asserted that the central leadership was serious about introspection as well as a thorough analysis of the results.

Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister; opposition Grand Alliance boycotts oath-taking ceremony

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:51:58 +0000

Nitish Kumar was on Monday sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for his fourth successive term while the opposition, Grand Alliance boycotted the oath-taking ceremony.

Nitish Kumar was on Monday sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for his fourth successive term.Governor Phagu Chauhan administered the oath to Kumar at the ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

The National Democratic Alliance secured a majority in the October-November Assembly elections, winning 125 seats in the 243-member house. However, Nitish Kumar saw his Janata Dal-United's share slip to 43, while the BJP won 74 seats. Two smaller parties won eight seats.

Since Nitish Kumar led JD(U) could win only 43 seats in a very close fight and amid a situation where the party’s win in many constituencies with a narrow margin was questioned by the opposition, the opposition Grand Alliance decided to boycott the oath-taking ceremony of Nitish Kumar, claiming the mandate in the elections was "against the NDA" which has been changed by a "fraud".

RJD, which is spearheading the five-party Mahagathbandhan, and its allies- Congress, CPI-ML, CPI and CPI(M)- decided to remain away from the swearing-in function of Kumar.

"The RJD boycotts oath-taking ceremony of this puppet government. The mandate is for a change, and against the (ruling) NDA. The peoples verdict has been changed by the rulers order," the RJD alleged in a tweet.

"Ask the unemployed, the farmer, the contract worker and teacher as to what they are going through. People are angry with NDAs fraud. We are public representatives and we stand with people," it said.

The RJD, which emerged as the single largest party in Bihar with 75 seats, also claimed the state is getting a "helpless government by the two helpless parties".

Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha said they were with the RJD on the issue and will not be part of the swearing-in function.

Jha said so far he hasn't received any invitation for the oath-ceremony and even if it comes "neither me nor anybody else from the party will participate in the oath function at Raj Bhavan".

AICC media panel member and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said this government was being formed "against the wish of the people so we don't want to be part of it."

CPI-ML, which has bagged 12 seats as a member of the opposition alliance, also decided to remain away from the oath-ceremony.

"We have been fighting against them (the NDA) so how come we can be part of their crowning," CPI-ML state secretary Kunal said.

The CPI and CPI(M) also supported their partners on the issue.

Nitish Kumar meets Bihar Governor, stakes claim for forming new government, will take oath on Monday

kaazmi2012@gmail.com (Super User) — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 14:33:45 +0000

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday met Governor Phagu Chauhan, after being unanimously elected as the leader of the NDA, and staked claim for the formation of the new government in the state.

Talking to reporters outside his residence upon returning from the Raj Bhavan, Kumar said the swearing-in will take place Monday evening and parried questions about details like whether BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi would be returning as his deputy.

"The Governor was handed over the letter of support from all four constituents of the NDA. As per his direction, we shall be taking oath at the Raj Bhavan, tomorrow, around 4- 4.30 P.M", said Kumar, who is on course to become the longest serving Chief Minister of Bihar.

"After the swearing-in, we will convene the meeting of the cabinet where a decision on convening the assembly session will be taken", said Kumar but evaded queries as to whether the BJP, which has won more seats than the Chief Ministers JD(U), has sought a greater representation in the cabinet.

Asked about Sushil Kumar Modi, known to be close to Kumar, he quipped "all things will be settled".

Speculations have been rife that Modi may be replaced and these intensified after the senior BJP leader did not accompany Kumar to the Raj Bhavan but went to the State Guest House along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who has flown down as an observer of the BJP.

Shortly after Kumars return from the Raj Bhavan, Singh and Modi met the Governor, fuelling further speculations about future of the latter in the states politics.

Katihar MLA Tarkishore Prasad has been elected the partys leader in the assembly, Rajnath Singh told reporters.

Asked whether Sushil Modi will be the deputy chief minister again, Singh said "it will be known in due course."

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