GUWAHATI: In another attack on political functionaries in the North-east, Asom Gana Parishad leader Prabin Bairagi was shot at in Nagaon in central Assam on Wednesday night. The ULFA, which has called a ban on polls, is suspected to be behind the attack. Bairagi is the secretary of the Puranigudam regional unit of the AGP. Earlier, militants had killed an active worker of the party in the district.
GANGTOK: Imagine a constituency with no specifics of area or polling booths, just a fixed electorate. Sounds complicated? Sikkim has worked it all out for its quot;Sanghaquot; assembly seat reserved for the State8217;s Buddhist monks and nuns. The latter, who are spread across the State in some 76-odd monasteries, just go to the nearby polling booth and stamp their choice on a special ballot paper printed in a separate colour. The ballot papers are later separated, counted across Sikkim and the winner declared. At the last count, the quot;Sanghaquot; electorate numbered 2,593, including 2,575 lamas and 18 nuns,or anies as they are locally known.
PRATAPGARH UP: Kalyan Singh8217;s much-talked-about quot;criminalquot; ministry is in the news again. The police have registered two FIRs against his Programme Implementation Minister, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, for attacking policemen as well as supporters of a Congress candidate on Wednesday. Singh8217;s men are said to have misbehaved with policemen doing routine checking of vehicles. They reportedly also attacked Congress nominee Ratna Singh8217;s supporters at a poll rally. The minister has replied by filing a complaint himself, against Ratna for quot;attackingquot; his men.
JALANDHAR: Janata Dal leader I.K. Gujral has done a lot to flag his quot;Punjab loverquot; image these past few days. At a recent rally, his quot;passionquot; seemed to have got the better of him. The venue was a village near Jalandhar, his seat to Parliament, and his partners on the dais included CPIM leaders. So the Prime Minister told the audience that Desh Raj Sahota, the CPIM leader from thevillage who was killed by militants in 1989, had been a quot;college matequot;. Only, Sahota was 48 when he died, and Gujral must have been at least 70 that year. The people, anyway, chose to ignore the lapse.
DHAR MP: In 1996, his nomination was not only cleared but Chhatar Singh Darbar also won this Lok Sabha seat by an 81,000-vote margin. But this time, the returning officer quot;discoveredquot; that the BJP nominee and sitting MP had been sentenced to life imprisonment 11 years ago by a district sessions court in a murder case, though he later got a pardon from the State Governor. Darbar8217;s papers were promptly rejected. But no sweat; the BJP has declared his wife Hemlata as the official party nominee.
RAJKOT: Nothing brings politicians together as the Election Commission. When Gujarat Irrigation Minister and Rashtriya Janata Party nominee Vithal Radadidya found himself behind bars for leading a procession to the nomination office here on February 4 without prior permission 8212; abreach of theelectoral code of conduct 8212; he immediately turned to his rival for help. And BJP candidate V.D. Patel was only too happy to bail him out, literally. On Thursday, Radadiya was released. Wonder if their respective parties, which can8217;t keep hands off each other8217;s throats, will take such a charitable view.
SHIMLA:
At least some people here think the Congress will stick to its manifesto once in power. The party has promised to give Rs 11,000 as wedding gifts to girls of families whose income does not exceed Rs 15,000 if it comes to power. Widows getting married have been promised Rs 15,000. Many hopeful families here reportedly have put off weddings of their daughters now to March, after the February 28 assembly elections are over.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Past bills are coming to haunt a cash-strapped Congress. The latest blow has been dealt by the Kerala Government, which has asked the State PCC to pay up arrears of Rs 5.99 lakh dating back to visits of not only Rajiv Gandhi and NarasimhaRao but even Indira Gandhi. As per rules, the expenditure incurred by prime ministers during campaign trips are paid by their parties, the State only picks up the tab for accommodation and transport. Kerala wants its money quot;at the earliestquot;. But it may take some time: the PCC office says it has received no such order.
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