Jain Promises comprehensive development of UT villages

Chandigarh March 27, 2009: People and Panchayat leaders of Raipur Khurd today welcomed Mr Satya Pal Jain on his arrival and felicitated him on being made party candidate from this constituency.

Addressing the gathering Mr Jain said development of the rural areas has been blocked over the 5-year rule of the Congress party and all the villages of Chandigarh UT are a picture of neglect. Jain promised that on coming to power BJP will ensure comprehensive development of the villages and all basic facilities will be provided in all rural areas to make these model villages. He appealed to the people to give mandate to BJP this time so that a strong and accountable government lead by Mr L K Advani comes to power in Delhi and the country if rid of a helpless prime minister. People present in the meeting promised to Mr Jain that this time they will not allow themselves to be taken for a ride and support BJP.

All Panches, Sarpanch Mr Ramvir Bhatti, Mr Shingara Singh, Dr Dhiman, Mr Rajkumar, Mr Dharmvir Bansal, Captain Gurdev and Mr Puri President of Tribune Housing Society wer also present in the meeting.

Pawan Bansal is anti people say BJP leaders

Chandigarh March 27, 2009: Chandigarh state BJP President Mrs Kamala Sharma, General Secretary Sanjay Tandon, former BJP President Mr Dharma Pal Gupta, State Vice president Mr Purshottam Mahajan, and Party spokesman Mr Davesh Moudgil attacked Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal for his statement saying that BJP move to allow an extra floor will destroy the basic character of the city. Many buildings in the city have up to six floors..

BJP leaders said this statement has unmasked Mr Bansal and his true anti-city face has come out in open. Many building in city have four, five, six or even ten floors. If these do not blot the beauty of the city, an additional floor in Kanal or Marla houses, booths, bay-shops and other commercial buildings, too, will not impact beauty or safety of the city. The BJP leaders said that construction of one moor floor in all these is need of the hour.

BJP leaders reminded Mr Bansal that Mr Satya Pal Jain himself had clearly said in his statement that an experts committee will be set up to formulate the policy on provision of additional floor and this committee will make its recommendation in light of needs to ensure safety and security. Mr Jain has proposed provision of multi story and underground parking to take care of the requirements of additional population. Mr Jain has supported need based internal changes in Marla houses and regularisation of constructions on own land outside village lal-dora and has underlined the need for a comprehensive housing policy.

BJP leaders have said that by opposing these proposals and saying that these will spoil the beauty of the city Mr Bansal has given the message that he has no concern for the needs and comforts of the voters. So far he has been neglecting his duty on one excuse or other but now he has gone a step further and raise his voice against the interests of the voter. Voters of the city will give their mandate based on this approach.

The BJP leaders said it is a good thing that Mr Bansal has shown his true face by opposing this people friendly move promptly. Now Chandigarh voters will decide what they should do to an incompetent, excuse-monger and anti-people leader?

Congress starts mass mobilization in Ludhiana

Courtesy www.theindiapost.com LUDHIANA, March 8: The Ludhiana Congress has already geared itself for the parliamentary elections with the whole of party rank and file organizing regular programmes across the city. The entire party leadership including former ministers Harnam Dass Johar and Rakesh Pandey, former Parliamentary Secretary, Surinder Dawer, former legislator Milkiat Singh Dakha, the District Congress Committee president, Jagmohan Sharma, District Youth Congress president, Dimple Rana and councilors and ward presidents holding rallies and public meetings.

All these meetings were addressed by the national spokesperson of the All India Congress Committee, Manish Tewari who made a whirlwind tour of the area. A number of leaders and workers from the ruling SAD-BJP alliance also joined the Congress during these meetings.

An awareness rally was organized in Ward 25 by Ward President Abbas Raja. Besides, Tewari, District Congress President Jagmohan Sharma, DYC president Dimple Rana were also present on the occasion.

In ward 44 a public rally was organized by Congress leader Dharamjit Singh Dhana in Cycle Market. Former Parliamentary Secretary Surinder Dawar and former Councillor Bhupinder Singh were also present on the occasion.

In Dashmesh Nagar ward 45 a function was organized by former councilor Amarjit Singh Mattharo. Former Minister Harnam Dass Johar, Congress leader Amarjit Singh Tikka, Jasbir Jassal and Dilbagh Singh Rana were also present on the occasion.

In Sector 39, Ward 15 acknowledging the people friendly policies of Congress party and discarding the policies of Bhartiya Janta Party, BJP leader and president Dushehra Committee Manmohan Sharma along with his supporters joined Congress. On the occasion former Minister Rakesh Pandey, District Congress president Jagmohan Sharma, Former Councillor Sardul Singh Grewal, Industrialist Narinder Bhanwara and Surjit Sing Sadhugarh were also present.

Similarly in ward 73, Shimlapuri at a function organized by Congress leader Baljit Malra SAD leader Jasbir Singh Bhamra along with his several associates joined Congress. Former Minister Malkit Singh Dakha, DCC President Jagmohan Sharma, Former DCC president K.K. Bawa, Gurdev Singh Lappran, former Mayor Nahar Singh Gill, Block president Palwinder Taggar and block youth congress president Sunil Shukla were also president.

Law targets corrupt politicians

Railway minister Yadav is fighting corruption charges Pic: Prashant Ravi

The Indian Supreme Court has made it easier to prosecute politicians accused of corruption.

In a landmark ruling, the court said prosecutors did not need prior permission to begin proceedings against politicians facing corruption charges.

Until now, assent was needed from the parliament Speaker or a state governor to charge an MP or a state legislator.

Corruption is rampant in India and several high-profile politicians have been accused in corruption cases.

'Time-saver'

The Supreme Court announced its judgement while dismissing petitions filed by the federal Railways Minister, Laloo Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi and former chief minister of Punjab state, Prakash Singh Badal.

In their petitions, the politicians argued that the prosecution must have permission from the competent authority before filing corruption charges against them.

Mr Yadav's lawyer, Pradeep Rai, told reporters in Delhi: "[The] Supreme Court has clearly stated that there is no need to take a sanction in a case of corruption."

The high-profile railways minister is accused of "amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income" when he was chief minister of Bihar state. He denies wrongdoing. A court in the eastern city of Patna is due to announce a verdict on 18 December.

Analysts say Wednesday's judgement is significant as the investigating agency will now save time by not having to seek permission to begin proceedings against allegedly corrupt politicians.

The court, however, said prosecuting agencies would still need prior permission in cases where a politician is accused of crimes other than corruption.

courtsey http://news.bbc.co.uk

Corrupt Politics in India Won't Be Cured by a Harsh Verdict

By Sunanda K. Datta-Ray , CALCUTTA: Far from being a turning point in public morality, the conviction of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on a corruption charge only exposes the absurd complexities of a legal and political system that is tailor-made to encourage abuse.

Mr. Rao, 79, is the only Congress politician outside the Nehru-Gandhi family ever to have been prime minister. He took momentous steps to revive industry, attract foreign investment, forge a more evenhanded foreign policy, move India closer to America, end the long boycott of Israel and seek a rapprochement with archenemies China and Pakistan.

His conviction for bribing four members of a regional party with about $800,000 to vote for his Congress government in a crucial 1993 no confidence debate in Parliament hangs on the technicality that the money was paid outside the confines of Parliament House. Members of Parliament have legal immunity from prosecution for such acts while they are inside.

Another law allows investigation when assets of politicians are in excess of known income. That is where the recipients, one of whom agreedto testify in exchange for immunity, seem to have tripped up. They deposited nearly half the bribe money in banks which acted as the vital link that eventually nailed Mr. Rao.

The final outcome of the case is subject to a Supreme Court appeal by Mr. Rao and his co-accused, Buta Singh, a senior Sikh politician who held various high positions under the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her son Rajiv and Mr. Rao himself. They have said they will appeal against the judgment of the special court that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government set up to try the case.

Few Indians doubt that votes were bought seven years ago, with or without Mr. Rao's knowledge. But this is far from a serious crime in local eyes. Not even Judge Ajit Bharihoke, who sentenced Mr. Rao and Mr. Singh to three years in jail as well as fines of $4,400 each, suggested that either gained personally from the crime.

The sentence is widely regarded as excessively harsh punishment for aging men to whom the country owes much. According to the 18-page court order, the intent is to "send a message to society that corruption is not a low-risk business but a high-risk business."

Mr. Rao was widely hailed seven years ago as a savior because the defeat of the confidence motion in which the bribery took place spared the country serious political uncertainty after Rajiv Gandhi's murder and two chaotic short-lived governments under inept and self-seeking prime ministers. By converting his fragile parliamentary following into a stable majority, Mr. Rao also consolidated his reputation as an astute strategist.

His pragmatic economic and political policies angered powerful vested interests in the bureaucracy and the private sector, as well as alienating traditional Congress ideologues. It gave a weapon to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty's supporters, who found a totem in Rajiv's Italian-born widow, Sonia. When Mr. Rao lost the 1996 general election his power faded.

Even if he and Mr. Singh lose their appeal and go to jail, it is unlikely to have a healthy impact on a political system that is compromised from top to bottom. As an opposition politician, Mr. Vajpayee admitted to a parliamentary select committee that every Indian legislator began his career with the lie of false election spending returns, because the ceilings on such spending are unrealistically low.

Since becoming prime minister, Mr. Vajpayee has done precious little to cleanse a system in which graft and abuse of power are commonplace. The fate of Mr. Rao and Mr. Singh will make other Indian politicians more careful, not more honest.

The writer, a former editorof the Indian newspaper The Statesman, contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune.

courtsey http://www.iht.com

Sukhram convicted in disproportionate asset case

Former Union Communications Minister Sukhram was convicted by a Delhi Court for amassing Rs 4.25 crore of disproportionate assets that included seizure of Rs 2.45 crore from his residence in New Delhi.

Special CBI Judge V K Maheshwari held the 82-year-old politician from Himachal Pradesh guilty under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The quantum of sentence against the former MP would be pronounced on February 24. The maximum sentence for the offences he is convicted for is seven years.

According to the CBI, Sukhram allegedly amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of more than Rs 5 crore between 1991 and 1996.

The CBI registered the case against the minister on August 27, 1996 under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency had conducted a raid at his residences in New Delhi and in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, in 1996 and recovered Rs 36.2 million in loose change.

According to the probe agency, at the time of the raid, wads of notes tumbled out of every corner including the toilet tanks, trunks, pillow covers in Sukhram's house.

Thanks to Expressindia.com

No action on corrupt politicians in India-India safest heaven in the world

By- dheeranchinnamalai : There are agitations and asking for a probe on many matters of corruption in India but noone is caught and every minister is enjoying in India as no action is taken against them.
For example if someone has earned money more than 5 lacs 10- lacs or reported that they possess some assets immediately income tax people raid the houses of ordinary citizens.
But ministers who have obtained illegal money to the tune of thousands of crores are not at all proceeded with any inquiry.
The communications minister A Raja is charged with giving licences for mobile spectrum without any auction process and in this process the govt of India has lost a huge amount of Rs 60000 crores.But simply the minister deny it but no action is taken like raids on his property etc.
Every politician in India is the richest man in his area.But the passive people are looking after their work and they dont raise a question against such corrupt man.
The mobile spectrum licences fetch thousands of crores of commission.
Once the applicant gets the licence for some spectrum he immediately sell the same for some foreign company for 3 times or 4 times of the licence fee he paid to the govt of india.
Keiber , the Leichtenstein bank employee offered some information to the german govt and the list included many Indians who were holding thousands of crores of money and german authorities asked the Indian govt to put a request to forward the list to the INdian govt
But the Indian govt is keeping mum since Feb 2008 and a reminder has been sent last month.
But the same German govt received positive response from other countries to whom the request of offer list of persons who had illegal bank account were sent.
Many countries took action against the people who had huge illegal money.
But Indian govt is keeping silent for the last 10 months as many politicians are involved.
India is the safest heaven in the world where corrupt politicians live very happily

Courtsey www.corruptionfreeworld.com

India's most endangered species: corrupt politicians

Babubhai Katara, a member of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in India, is the latest political figure in India to be caught abusing his powers. Scrutiny of politicians is usually lax is India, but last week, Katara was busted attempting to smuggle two people into Canada using his wife and son's passports. At the last minute, an airline official noticed the discrepancy between the passport photos and two individuals traveling with Katara and blew the whistle.

Katara's not just an isolated case. In fact, it's getting harder for Indian politicians to abuse their VIP status. The International Herald Tribune highlights India's "growing number of corrupt politicians," and reports that, according to the political watchdog Social Watch India, 125 out of the 538 members of Parliament have criminal cases pending against them—around half of which concern serious charges that could lead to substantial jail terms.

The good news is that these abuses of power and privilege are increasingly gaining attention in the public eye thanks to sustained media efforts and grassroots movements, and corrupt civil servants are actually being held accountable for their nefarious actions. A prime example is the ultimate sentencing of Manu Sharma, son of a former state minister, to life imprisonment. Sharma shot and murdered Jessical Lal (a model/waitress) point blank in a crowded Delhi restaurant—and was initially acquitted for the crime.

As Ken Moritsugu discusses in the current issue of FP, the Indian media is playing an increasingly important role in fighting institutionalized corruption. Moritsugu focuses on Tehelka, a weekly newspaper that essentially pioneered "sting operations" in India. Telhaka's many exposés include breaking a huge cricket match-fixing scandal on the subcontinent, filming high profile Indian politicians accepting cash bribes from a fictitious defense contractor, and exposing the rampant police corruption scourging a serial murder case in Noida, near Delhi. Other media outlets have followed Tehelka's lead in exposing government corruption. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why the "lone vigilant airline official" catching Katara in the act had the courage to speak out and take the matter further.

Thanks to FOREIGN POLICY

How should we deal with corrupt politicians in india?

Answers by the Various reader of Yahoo

what makes you so much interested in dealing with such people ??
Wise people don't deal with them, they stay away rather. Politics is like a mud swamp and these guys are like pigs in the mud. If you wanna fight them you've got to enter the swamp. For you it looks strange, after a while you will understand they're actually enjoying it. Raj.T is the king of the junk. Better don't think of him or I'm sure you'll enter the swamp and become the same.
I read about the campaign of pink panties against a communal organization in India. So i feel India's public is already sitting up and dealing their politicians a big blow.

Indians should vote wisely. What do the people expect when they vote people who are well above 70 to power? How can such old people move and take decisions? Do they even visit the villages/towns that voted them to power.

The solution to corrupt politicians lies in voting for the right person.

yes, the following enlisted measures may be tried upon to deal with corrupt politicians.

1. gather all of them and tell them the story of our great freedom struggle, the sacrifices of our freedom fighters, the true leadership shown, the selfless services rendered towards this nation, and so on.

no doubt you will find most of them sleeping while you do so.

2. a impartial and unbiased enquiry set up to investigate upon the disproportionate assets ammassed by most of them, report to be submitted as early as possible.

3. withdraw security, our freedom fighters did'nt have any, still they served this nation with the highest honour.

4. make them accountable for even a single paise spent by them in the name of nation. atleast stop them visiting foreign countries along with their relatives in the pretext of official tours.

5. sped up the judicial probe against tainted politicians without any fear of consequenses.

6. make them visit the borders of this nation specially siachin and the norteast and share a tented accomodation with a soldier at least once in a year in their tenure.

7. make them face a leadership quality test by designated authorities before entering into the corriders of parliament.

8. tell them to read the indian preamble first , by heart them and implement the contents in letter and spirit. you will find most of them not knowing if there is anything known as the preamble.


people like raj thakreys. should be put behind the bars and then all my above points to be tried upon.

Parl panel exonerates Amar Singh in cash-for-votes scam

New Delhi A Lok Sabha Committee that went into the "cash for votes" scam during the confidence vote in July has exonerated Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh and Congress MP Ahmed Patel saying there was no no evidence against them.

Two Opposition MPs - V K Malhotra of BJP and Mohd Saleem of CPI(M) - have given dissenting notes on the 466-page report of the Committee headed by Congress MP Kishore Chandra Suryanarayana Deo saying they distanced themselves from it.

The Committee has, however, recommended a probe by an "appropriate agency" into the role of Sanjeev Saxena, said to be an aide of Amar Singh, Sohail Hindustani, driver, and Sudheendra Kulkarni, an aide of BJP leader L K Advani.

The Committee report and the dissenting reports were placed on the table of the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Three BJP MPs had shocked the Lok Sabha on July 22 when they opened a bag displayed wads of currency notes claiming they were offered Rs. 3 crore in bribe by Amar Singh, in which Ahmed Patel also allegedly played a role, to vote or abstain in favour of the government. The BJP MPs were Ashok Argal, Fagan Singh Kulasthe and Mahavir Bagora.

"There is no no direct evidence against Amar Singh. The Committee are inclined to discount the video clip of the car entering or coming out of Amar Singh's house because in the first place the video clipping does not show the face of persons (claimed to be Shri Argal and Kulasthe) seated in the rear seat," the Committee said.

Secondly, the Committee report said, a car seen entering and coming out of a residence "is neither here nor there".

"The Committee are constrained to observe that the matter on record does not conclusively prove that the money contained in the bag which was eventually displayed in the House was actually sent by Amar Singh for the purpose of winning over these MPs.

"As there is no case against Ahmed Patel and there is no clinching evidence against Amar Singh, there is no cause of action for the Committee or the House to make a request to the Rajya Sabha requiring these two (Amar Singh and Ahmed Patel) members to appear before the Inquiry Committee or the House.

"There is no action for requiring the matter related to the complaint against the said 2 members of the Rajya Sabha for examination, investigation and report," the Committee said.

The Committee the complaint does not prove anything. Presuming that the members were in the car, it does not prove in any that the three (BJP MPs were there on their own volition or were invited.

"It does not prove what transpired inside the house. There is nothing to show that money was offered for voting in favour of the motion of confidence or for abstaining from voting," it said.

The Congress-led UPA won the vote of confidence after two days of debate in which a number of MPs from the Opposition cross vote in favour of the motion. The confidence vote was taken after the Left parties withdrew support to the government and the Samajwadi Party switched sides expressing support to the government.

Thanks to Agencies

SP not to field candidates against Sonia, Rahul

6 Mar : Even as suspense continues over alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has said his party would not field candidates against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Mulayam, who was on a whirlwind tour of his village Saifai on Thursday, expressed hope of reaching a consensus with the Congress over seat sharing and said the party will not contest from Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies represented by Sonia and Rahul respectively.

The SP supremo said in case the alliance fails to materialise on a few seats, the party will have a friendly fight with the Congress.

However, he parried questions regarding whether he will discuss the alliance issue with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi again.

In last general elections held in 2004, the SP did not field its candidate from Amethi constituency, which was then represented by Sonia Gandhi.

Meanwhile, in a goodwill gesture, the Congress too have said that it will not field candidates against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav.

While Mulayam contested from Mainpuri parliamentary constituency, his son Akhilesh was elected from Kannauj seat in the last election.

Youth comprise chunk of voters in UP

Courtsey : www.theindiapost.com , http://www.theindiapost.com/?p=9161
6 Mar 2009 : Generation next is all set to play a decisive role in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in politically important Uttar Pradesh with 3.48 crore prospective voters in the age group of 18-29 years out of the total 11.62 crore.As per the data of the state Election Department, more than 50 per of the voters that is around 6.06 crore are people in the age group of 18-39 years.

"The participation of youth in the coming polls will be much higher and they will be playing a decisive role", said an election department official in Lucknow on Friday.

As per the data compiled by the department, 3.48 crore voters are in the age-group of 18-29, whereas another 3.12 crore electorates are between 30-39 years of age.

"The number of voters casting votes for the first time will be much more in this elections as compared to previous elections. During the revision of electoral rolls carried out last year, nearly one crore youths between the age group of 18-21 years got their names included in the list," the official said.

This high youth voter percentage has led many parties to field maximum number of young candidates in the elections.While Congress had decided to field over 30 per cent youth candidates in the Lok Sabha, BSP supremo Mayawati has decided to field over 50 per cent youths.

”We are of the view that youth should be promoted in politics and given a chance to lead. We have a youth leadership in Rahul Gandhi, who himself is promoting youth and giving them important organisational responsibilities", member of Congress Working Committee (CWC) Bhola Pandey said.

The party, in fact, had already launched an exercise to identify youth leaders.

As part of the exercise, youth conventions are being held across the state, wherein youth Congress leaders have been asked to prove their popularity and leadership qualities.

"Youths, which are larger in number should be given tickets to contest elections. Mayawati has not only announced to give 50 per tickets to youths but also followed it. We rely on youth power, which are which us", a senior BSP leader said.

Claiming itself to be the only party, which had given due respect and position to youth ever since its inception, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said the party would be banking on them in the coming polls.

"We have strong force of youths, who will be extensively campaigning for the party candidates", he said.

While Congress will be banking on the charisma of Rahul Gandhi and Jitin Prasad to attract youth voters, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Akhilesh Yadav and nephew Dharmendra Yadav will be trying to turn the tide of youth in favour of SP.

Among the first timers, Rastriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh’s son Jayant Chowdhury, BJP Leader Maneka Gandhi’s son Varun Gandhi and Om Prakash Singh’s son Anurag Singh will also be entering the poll fray.

You can still be registered as voter

Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 5
Can you still be registered as a voter for the coming Lok Sabha elections?

Yes, says the Election Commission.

The declaration of the Lok Sabha elections and imposition of the model code of conduct notwithstanding, if you have turned 18 on New Year Day of the election year and fulfil all other conditions to be a voter, you can be registered as a voter till the last day of the filing of nomination papers in your respective constituency.

The commission, however, insists that to ensure the inclusion of a new name in the electoral rolls, an application must be filed 10 clear days before the closing of nominations. The elector registration officer is required to give seven-day public notice for inviting objections before he or she can order the inclusion of a name in the rolls.

But, once nominations have been closed, your name cannot be included in the electoral rolls.

A top Election Commission official explained that in the last Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, 38,000 new voters were registered between the last day of the revision of electoral rolls and the last date for the filing of nomination papers. The same thing happened in the union territory of Chandigarh, neighbouring Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

“It is advisable that all eligible voters should check electoral rolls for their names immediately after the elections have been announced. That way it gives them time to get themselves registered even if their names have been deleted from the rolls for one reason or the other,” suggest Election Commission officials.

The Representation of People’s Act has a simple procedure for getting an eligible voter registered. Normally, the Election Commission prepares the electoral rolls through a process of intensive revision where house-to-house enumeration is undertaken and all eligible electors in each house are registered by enumerators. This type of revision is normally done once in five years.

In between two intensive revisions of the electoral rolls, a summary revision of the rolls is done almost every year during a specified and well-publicised schedule. An opportunity is provided to those whose names have been left out of the electoral rolls.

An eligible person can file his or her claim for inclusion in the electoral rolls by filling Form 6. The name of someone, who has either died or left the area, can be got deleted by filling Form 7. Forms 8 and 8A are for change of address.

“If you apply by leaving less than 10 clear days before the last date for filing of nominations in your area, your name may not be included in the electoral rolls,” they explain.

Courtsey : Tribune Publication, India

www.tribuneindia.com

Your Vote

Your Vote
MATTERS

THE nation is poised at a point of time when it must take vital decisions to usher in a better future.

These decisions will mean evolving new policies and decisions to tackle massive problems the country is facing at home, in the neighbourhood and abroad.

The evolving situation also requires leaders with vision, honesty, integrity, ideas and capability. The people have now an opportunity that comes once in five years to choose such leaders.

Much will depend on how the voters will make their choice on the polling day. Their click on the electronic voting machine can make a new future for India, or mar it.

As one of the most independent newspapers in the country, The Tribune is not for any particular party or a person. Essentially, it stands for policies that serve the highest public interest and leaders who can think of the nation before self and try to follow values that ought to guide everyone in public life.

The Tribune is certainly opposed to casteism and misuse of religion for political ends as also to corruption and criminalisation that have done much damage to political landscape.

You, as a voter, have the right to make your choice as you want. We will carry on this page every day some tips so that you may avoid some pitfalls.

After all, it is your vote that matters. Exercise it with care and some thought.

— HK Dua
Editor-in-Chief

Courtsey : Tribune Publication, India

Lok Sabha polls in five phases from 16th April to 13th May

2 Mar, Source( www.theindiapost.com ) :Lok Sabha elections will be held in five phases from 16th April to 13th May in redrawn constituencies for the first time, the Election Commission announced on Monday.

Setting in motion the process for the constitution of the 15th Lok Sabha, the poll panel said a total of 714 million electorate will cast their votes on 16th , 23rd, 30th April and 7th and 13th May to elect the 543-member House.

Counting of votes will take place on 16th May, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, flanked by Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and S Y Quraishi, announced at a press conference at New Delhi on Monday.

Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum of 80 seats, and Jammu and Kashmir will have five-phase polls while Bihar will go to polls in four stages.

Maharashtra and West Bengal will have three phased polls, while Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa and Punjab will have voting in two stages.

The remaining 15 states and seven union territories will have one-day poll, he said.

Assembly elections to Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim will also be held along with the Lok Sabha polls.



The elections will be held for the first time in the redrawn constituencies.



The delimitation process, undertaken in all states except Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland, has resulted in 499 out of 543 constituencies being reshaped.

In the first phase, 124 constituencies will go to polls on 16th April.



141 constituencies will witness balloting in the second phase on 23rd April, 107 seats in third phase on 30th April, 85 seats in the penultimate phase on 7th May and 86 constituencies in the last phase on 13th May.

Besides, by-elections to seven assembly constituencies -- four in Nagaland, and one each in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Mizoram will also be held simultaneously, Gopalaswami said.

Model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect, the CEC said.

The upcoming polls will also witness for the first time use of photo electoral rolls in 522 out of the 543 constituencies.

At least 71.4 crore voters will be eligible to elect the next Lok Sabha, an increase of 4.3 crore over the last general elections in 2004.

A massive deployment of 40 lakh civil personnel and 21 lakh police personnel will be made for the smooth conduct of elections.



At a glance: Elections 2009 complete schedule



The term of the 14th Lok Sabha will expire in the normal course on 1st June2009. In terms of the constitutional provisions, a new Lok Sabha is required to be constituted before the 2nd June 2009.

The following is the polling schedule for states announced by Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami on Monday.

Phase 1

16th April- Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Lakshadweep.



Phase 2



23rd April- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Phase 3



30th April- Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Phase 4



7th May- Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi.

Phase 5

13th May- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Chandigargh and Puducherry.

What is Right to Information?

Every citizen has a right to know how the Government is functioning. Right to Information empowers every citizen to seek any information from the Government, inspect any Government documents and seek certified photocopies thereof. Some laws on Right to Information also empower citizens to official inspect any Government work or to take sample of material used in any work.

Right to Information includes the right to:

1. Inspect works, documents, records.
2. Take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records.
3. Take certified samples of material.
4. Obtain information in form of printouts, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video , cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts.


"information" means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.


"record" includes:

a) Any document, manuscript and file
b) Any microfilm, microfiche, and facsimile copy of a document
c) Any reproduction of image or images embodied in such microfilm (whether enlarged or not); and
d) Any other material produced by a computer or any other device;

An applicant cannot ask for opinions/advice/views under the RTI Act, unless the opinion/advice/view is already on "record".

However, under Section 4(1)(d), an applicant can ask for "reasons" behind a administrative or quasi judicial decision of a public authority, especially if he is a "affected person".

What are the documents I need to register as a voter?

Apart from your voter registration form, you will need to submit:
• An Address Proof document. This document is required for the BLO (Booth Level Officer) to come and verify your residence status. It is therefore not essential for the address proof document to have your name. It needs to have only the address of the place where you are staying. Any one of the following documents is acceptable for address proof:
1. Landline phone bill
2. Mobile telephone bill
3. Water bill
4. Electricity bill
5. Property tax receipt
6. Bank statement
7. Passport
8. Ration card
9. House Lease/Rental agreement
10. LPG receipt
11. Driving license
12. Identity cards given by the employer
13. Any of the 17 alternative documents prescribed by Election Commission for identity proof
• If you are a first time voter, you will also need to submit an age proof document. You can submit the proof of Date of Birth from any government agency authorized document like birth certificate, passport, PAN Card, Driving Licence, state board exam certificate etc.
• If you are a student residing in a hostel / mess, you might not have any of the above mentioned address proof documents. In this case, you can get a Student Declaration Form signed by your college dean/principal/registrar and submit it along with your voter registration form.

The Jago Re Effect.

A friend called to say they had gone to get the forms, for inclusion of name in electoral roll, after seeing the Jago Re advertisement. I was most impressed but then she added that the forms had all finished and they were told anyway it was too late and they should apply next time!

"Too late for what? At least get yourself registered, vote next time, or NEVER, but it is your right to be a listed voter at least!"

Cribbed about this to another friend. Forgot about it.
Yesterday afternoon, she called to to give this link for anybody who'd like to get their name included in the voters list from most cities in Maharashtra. Since most of my friends are not net savvy, I ended up applying, not just for her, but also a whole bunch of others. Some over the phone! It's as simple as that.

Didn't take more than five minutes per form, though in all the laughter racket (mainly about everybody's real age being revealed), the first two forms were filled incorrectly! (I filled 'Present Address' where 'Place of Birth' was to be filled) Didn't know what to do, so resent corrected forms! Hope these forms are accepted!

We didn't need to step out of the house or leave our dear blog unattended, and the first step is done. If nobody comes to verify within next fifteen days, I guess, some following up maybe needed.

What all was needed? You need to know how old you were on 1st Jan 2007. The rest was easy.

And now all friends, and friends' friends have an open offer to 'call and come' if they know anybody else who's interested.

The other option is to register is through Jago Re. Here you will have to print out, SIGN and SUBMIT the Voter Registration form to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of your Assembly Constituency (AC). You will find your ERO's address on the Jago Re site. This option my friends could have easily used when she was told forms were not available!
The best part is Jago Re will track your voter status for you! And now I know you can register until ten days before the final date of accepting candidate nominations.

*MAY BE THE FUTURE IS LIKE THIS*

*Sun is rising as usual in the east, I'm standing here outside the school, waiting for my 10 yr kid. He studies in class 2. Only this year he could get admission into the school. For the last 5 yrs, admissions were closed for the general category students. School bell rings. I can see a lot of happy children coming out of the gate, I waited for half an hour and my kid came at last after other children. Genaral students are not allowed to cross the gate unless other OBC/SC/ST students have crossed the gates. OBC/SC/ST fathers drive away their children in classy cars. But I have to walk back home with my kid a 5km stretch. I lost my car some years back when Govt. came with a rule that general people have to deposit a tax equal to cost of their cars. Failing which I had to sell the car. As far as buses are concerned, the seats in buses are reserved for OBC/SC/ST. So no place there also.
After walking some 5km in scorching heat I finally reached home. It was Wednesday ... shit , no electricity. Every Mon, Wed, Thus and Sat is power cut in the houses of General category population. So that SC/ST/OBC can be uplifted by providing them with every opportunity and in that consideration electricity is an important factor.
Its 10:00 pm in night no electricity at home. Its very hot inside the four walls of home, So I dare to step out in park with my wife and kid. I get seated myself with my family on a secluded bench in garden. It was hardly 5
min ... a guard came to us stroling in the park. He asked me what caste you belong to. I said with some hesitation .. G..General. He asked me to pay a fine of Rs.200 and get out of the park. My Fault... The bench I was sitting on was meant for again the SC/ST/OBC. For their upliftment, peace of mind is an essential thing. So Govt. came with this decision to reserve benches for them. Kudos to them...
Its early in the morning ...the newspaper wala just knocked the door. I took the newspaper and started reading, its independence day. I never used to forget this days some 20 yrs back. My kid hardly knows what
15th August is, because I never told him any stories of greatness of our country or anything related to country. I don't feel like telling him the failures after freedom. On front page of newspaper, in a corner their is a news about a OBC member getting 6 months imprisonment in "BAL SUDHAR GRAHA" from a juvenile
court for murdering and raping a six year old girl. Yes the rules have been amended, since the last 5 years. The Culprit was a 25 year old OBC so age relaxation was provided for trial of crime. So he was taken to juvenile court, since there is an age relaxation for OBC/SC/ST. About 11 am some one gave me the BAD news about demise of one of my neighbor and friend Mr. Mehta. I went to his house for condolence next day, his body was lying there still rotting in the heat. I asked his son about the Cremation .His son told me " Many reserved category have died yesterday so we are not getting entry to creamtion ground ". This rule is the latest from Govt. Where the seats in creamtion ground will be reserved for SC/ST/OBC for their upliftment. Finally next day Mehtaji was creamted. I could see the sun setting through the Flames burning a libarated Body, liberated from caste n creed. I was surprised sun still sets in the west?

It was about 9 pm, I was about to sleep in my bed my son came to me with innocence in his eyes, inquisitively he asked me the question: "what is reservation?" I asked me where u listened that. He suddenly burst in tears .. I asked him to keep.. quiet. But I could listen through his sobs "mujhe bhi reservation chahiye". How can I convince him its no other toy in the market I can get for him? He kept crying that night, claiming many of his classmates have got reservation". To make him quiet I said ok, I'll buy you reservation at your next B' day. HOPE he understands the bloody concept soon.
RESERVATION SUCKS-PLEASE SPREAD THIS MESSAGE

Why vote you say?

The youth make up a majority of our billion plus population, but how many of us vote? We complain about bad roads, corrupt politicians and unfair reservations, but what are WE doing about it? The first step to resolve these issue is to vote.