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Three-phase polling in Karnataka

	April 07, 2008

The Election Commission has cleared the decks for a three-phase polling for Assembly elections in Karnataka, amid mixed reactions from political parties. Counting of votes will take place on May 25. The BJP had been asking for the elections to be held by the end of May and it should be happy with the Election Commission announcement. The Congress wanted the elections to be held after fresh electoral rolls as per newly delimited consti¬tuencies were drawn up.



The party, observers say, would have liked to have more time for preparing for the elections. Indicative of this, party general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Prithviraj Chavan questioned the haste with which dates for elections in the state were announced.



Observers say the BJP will be making a determined bid for power in the state. If it succeeds, this would be the first time that the party heads a government in the south.



According to Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, 89 constituencies will go to the polls in the first phase on May 10, 66 seats on May 16 and 69 seats on May 22. The model code of conduct has come into force immediately.



Observers say the Karnataka polls could have a huge impact on the morale of the parties in the fray, particularly the Con¬gress that is struggling to put aside the setbacks it has faced in Gujarat, Himachal, Punjab and Uttarakhand.



While the BJP has welcomed the EC’s announcement, the Con¬gress expressed unhappiness with the dates, saying the Commission has shown “great hurry” in declaring the schedule.



The polls could not have come at a more awkward time for the Congress that finds itself in a bind over BJP’s attempt to make an emotive issue out of the Hogenakkal controversy. “We want the PM to exert influence on Tamil Nadu to wait till a new government is in office,” said former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna.









Hogenakkal row comes to the Centre



A day after the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously urged the Centre to restrain Karnataka from obstructing the Hogenakkal project, leaders from both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka met the Prime Minister in New Delhi on Wednesday, April 2, to put forward their point of view on the issue. Union Minister T.R. Baalu and former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna individually met Dr. Manmohan Singh and apprised him of their respective stand on the contentious issue.



Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur also met the PM and explained to him the situation in the wake of protests by pro-Kannada groups. The PM is understood to have said that the deci¬sion on the project was taken during the NDA regime and he would talk to all concerned for an amicable settlement.



Presenting a copy of the resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, Baalu urged the PM to advise Karnataka not to oppose the project aimed at providing drinking water to two drought-hit districts of Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri. Krishna, on the other hand, asked the Centre to exert influence on TN to put on hold the project. Sources said Baalu also enclosed the copy of a letter written by Karunanidhi on March 17 to the PM in which the Tamil Nadu CM had alleged that some Karnataka leaders were “misleading” the general public through their agitations.



The Tamil Nadu stand is based on the fact that the Centre had given all necessary clearances to implement the project in 1998.



Krishna said Tamil Nadu should wait till a popular Govern¬ment is formed in Karnataka.



The tussle between the two has posed a challenge to the Congress, as it has to walk a tightrope to balance the interests of its ally, DMK, and protect the interests of Karnataka where it hopes to improve its performance in the polls.





Karunanidhi puts the project on hold, appeals for patience



In a swift turn of events, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karuna¬nidhi on Saturday, April 5, announced to put the execution of the contentious Hegenakkal Integrated Drinking Water project on hold until the installation of an elected government in the neighbouring state.



In a statement issued in Chennai, he appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to “temporarily keep patience” on the Hogenakkal issue. He said he had the “unshakable belief that soon after a popular government assumes office in Karnataka, it will realise that justice is on our side” and facilitate implementation of the project.



“Let the general elections in Karnataka be over - then we will have talks; if necessary we will agitate; let us all hope that such a situation for agitation will not arise and the unity of the nation will be preserved,” Karunanidhi said.





Krishna hails the announcement



Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader S.M. Krishna has welcomed the announcement. Addressing journalists in Bangalore, Krishna, who is the chairman of the party’s Election Management and Coordination Committee, described Karunanidhi’s statement as a magnanimous gesture that would help people of the two States live in peace by defusing the tension that had devel¬oped on the issue.



Following Karunanidhi’s statement, several Kannada organi¬sations including the Kannada Rakshana Vedike and the Akhila Karnataka Gadi Horata Samiti, headed by the former MLA Vatal Nagaraj, which had called a bandh for April 10, have decided to put the plan on hold. However, protests and demonstrations in several rural areas continued.





Sonia for revival of “Golden era” of Kamraj rule



Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was on a visit to Tamil nadu last week, has called for the revival of the “golden era of Kamaraj rule” in the state.



Addressing a farmers and women’s rally at Karaikudi on Saturday, April 5, organised by the Congress, she said that Tamil Nadu had seen “remarkable progress” in education and in¬frastructure development due to the long rule of the Congress in the State.



Recalling her tour across the State along with her husband Rajiv Gandhi in the late 1980s, Sonia Gandhi said, “The number of schools, colleges, dams, industries in the State stand as a testimony to the vision of Kamaraj.



Appealing to the Congress cadres to work unitedly and try to identify themselves with the difficulties and problems of people, she said, “I have no doubt that the people of Tamil Nadu will entrust their future and destiny to the Congress party alone.”





Rs 2.8 trillion farm credit next fiscal



Addressing a huge rally, Sonia Gandhi announced that an additional credit of Rs 280,000 crore (Rs 2.8 trillion) would be made available to farmers in the next fiscal. The Congress leader reeled off statistics to differentiate between the previ¬ous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s farm policies.



“When the NDA was in power, farmers got credit to the extent of Rs 83,000 crore (Rs 830 billion). But the UPA government raised it to Rs 2,40,000 crore (Rs 2.4 trillion) (during the current fiscal) and this will go up to Rs 2,80,000 crore next year,” she said.



The Congress-led UPA government had also announced a Rs 600-billion package in the Budget to waive loans availed by an esti¬mated 40 million farmers who were reeling under the burden of debt.