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Assembly elections : More ill-tidings for the Congress |
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With a television channel airing the outcome of an opinion poll predicting a victory for the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in this month’s Assembly elections in Punjab, the Congress has more things to worry about. The opinion poll televised on India TV said that the Akali Dal-BJP combine may win 69 to 79 seats in the 117 member state Assembly while the Congress may get only 32 to 42 seats. The BSP may win upto two seats while others may get from 3 to 9 seats.
The opinion poll also showed that 40 per cent of the respondents were for Akali leader Prakash Singh Badal as the Chief Minister while only 26 per cent were in favour of Chief Minister Amrinder Singh belonging to the Congress. On Similar lines, 42 per cent said that they were not happy with the present state government while 37 per cent said that they were happy with its performance. Forty-three per cent of the respondents wanted a change while only 30 per cent were in favour of the status quo.
BSP to contest all seats in Punjab
Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party says that it is fighting all the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, making the Feb. 13 poll virtually a triangular affair. The BSP has also put up its candidate in the byelection to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar. Party general secretary Narender Kashyap and state unit president Avtar Singh said in Chandigarh that the party strategy is to forge a new social alliance in the state. They hoped that the party would emerge with enough seats to hold the balance of power between the two main contenders - the Congress and the Akali Dal BJP combine.
Meanwhile, the Congress has announced that Amarinder Singh would continue as Chief Minister if the party retains power in the state.
Meanwhile, there is no end to violence in the run up to the Assembly polls. On Jan. 29, one person was killed and at least four injured when Congress workers allegedly opened fire on their rivals from the Akali Dal in Beas. The Congress alleged that the Akali Dal candidate was behind the kidnapping of a sarpanch (village head), who was later traced in Hoshiarpur district.
The Election Commission has issued notices to a Punjab Minister Harnam Das Johar, Akali Dal MP and general secretary Sukhbir Singh Badal and ten candidates for violation of the model code of conduct. The Commission has also suspended the poll observer for the Kum Kalan constituency in Ludhiana for serious misconduct. It has ordered disciplinary action against the observer, an IAS official of the Jharkhand cadre.
Third Front initiative hits roadblock
The efforts to revive the Third Front ahead of the Assembly elections have hit a roadblock with the CPI(M) saying that it sees no immediate reason for a realignment of political forces. Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu, as part of his efforts to revive the third front, met CPI(M) general secretary in New Delhi on Jan. 30 in this connection. It appears that his efforts did not make much headway.
According to sources, Prakash Karat conveyed to the TDP that the time had not yet come for “realignment” of political forces, especially before the UP Assembly elections.
Naidu spoke to senior CPI(M) leader and Politburo member Sitaram Yechury and met former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh.
Sources in the CPI(M) said : “The party believes it is not the right time to go for a Third Front alternative as the initiative could not yield desired results in the Assam Assembly polls.”
Although the TDP wanted a “Third Front Unity”, ahead of polls in UP, there is not much unanimity about siding with the SP in the Left, with the CPI raising a higher pitch against such a move.
“Letting the Samajwadi Party get closer to BJP has to be countered politically besides ensuring that the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) too does not get swayed by the BJP.” the sources said.
Immediately after RLD withdrew support to the Mulayam Singh Government, CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja met RLD president Ajit Singh, who assured them that he is keeping an equal distance from BJP and SP.
Meanwhile, the NCP has decided to be part of the Jan Morcha alliance in Uttar Pradesh in the coming Assembly elections. NCP’s state unit chief Ramesh Dikshit said that the party wants to provide a secular alternative to the voters rather than joinhands with the Congress.
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