|
Political Notes |
 |
Rajya Sabha elections : BSP favoured by cross voters in UP
The biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha and the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council on Tuesday, March 28, did not spring any surprises, but they reflected the shifting loyalties among legislators of all political parties, except the BSP. In the last major political exercise before Assembly elections in the state, the legislators made their intentions clear even if it meant defying the party whip. The cross-voting came as a warning for all political parties barring the BSP. Eight BJP legislators defied the party whip and seven of them were swiftly suspended in a damage control exercise. Congress candidates in both the elections lost. The major gainer though not in the election result, was the BSP. More than 36 MLAs cross voted in favour of the BSP, perhaps in the hope that the party would remember their loyalty while selecting candidates for the next Assembly elections. More importantly the BSP kept its votes intact. In a danger sign for the Samajwadi Party, five of its MLAs opted for the BSP.
In the election to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, all official candidates sailed through, beating back an aggressive bid by Delhi businessmen Mittal who had entered the fray as an independent.
In Bihar, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav avenged his party’s defeat in the last Assembly elections at the hands of the NDA with the victory of both his party nominees for the Rajya Sabha despite not having the required numbers. Rambilas Paswan’s Lok Janashakti Party had to bite the dust, with its nominee failing to make it to the Rajya Sabha.
In West Bengal, a tough talking Mamata Banerjee ensured the victory of her Trinamul Congress candidate Mukul Roy to the Rajya Sabha. She had told her MLAs that if they voted against Roy, they need not contest the forthcoming Assembly elections. The swarning did the trick and undid the Congress plans for its candidate Subrata Mukherjee. The Left Front’s five candidates all sailed through comfortably despite a couple of MLAs cross voting for the Trinamul Congress and the Congress.
Nanawati panel raps Centre
The Nanawati-Shah Commission probing the 2002 Godhra train carnage has rejected the Centre’s objections to giving it then President K.R. Narayanan’s letters to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee emphasising the urgency of empowering the Army to check rioters. Calling the Centre’s refusal to supply the letters unreasonable, the Commission said it would now be free to draw its own inference about them. The Commission observed that the Centre’s refusal was not justified since it did not spell out how the letters would adversely affect internal security or public interest.
Meanwhile, Additional Sessions Judge Mumbai A.M. Thipsay has ordered that the Best Bakery key witness Zahira Sheikh serve her sentence in the Byculla women’s prison in Mumbai. The court turned down her plea to be shifted to a Vadodara prison. The Supreme Court had sentenced Zahira Sheikh to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 50,000 for perjury.
Petition against Election Commissioner Chawla referred to PM
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has referred the petition filed by the National Democratic Alliance demanding the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. NDA MPs have demanded that Chawla be removed from the Commission after allegations that the bureaucrat had diverted MPLADS funds for a charitable trust run by his wife. The PMO is likely to take a decision shortly.
Once the Prime Minister forwards the petition against Chawla to the chief Election Commissioner, Chawla’s fate will be decided at a meeting of the full Commission. However, Chawla himself will not attend since it will be discussing his case.
Bansi Lal dead
Senior Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal died in New Delhi last Tuesday. Bansi Lal who was at the helm when Haryana was carved out of Punjab, shot into the limelight as a zealous enforcer of the Emergency. He did stints at the Centre. Refusing to play second fiddle to Bhajan Lal, he launched the Haryana Vikas Party, and went on to defeat arch rivals Bhajan Lal and Devi Lal to become CM a second time. He, however, never recovered from the rout he suffered at the hands of Om Prakash Chautala in the 2000 polls.
|
