Big Gains likely for BJP-NDA in Lok Sabha Polls; Steep Drop for UPA and Congress

The wave in favour of the BJP in the coming Assembly Elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is clear.

The question is: what impact will this vote shift towards the BJP have on the General Elections next year?

To find out, the estimates made by CNN-IBN, The Week and CSDS Pre-Poll survey in these three states and in Delhi - where a hung Assembly is likely - for the Assembly Elections were projected across the Parliamentary constituencies in these states. And the outcome shows that the BJP's star is very much in the ascendance.

Of the 72 Parliamentary constituencies in these four states, the BJP is likely to bag as many as 57 seats. That's 27 seats more than it won in the 2009 elections, and 15 more than it was projected to win in July 2013, when the same opinion poll was conducted the previous time.

As for the Congress, its tally is projected to drop by 28 seats, from 40 in 2009 to just 12. This is 15 seats less than the 27 predicted by the survey in July this year. While this makes the picture very clear in these four states, what impact will it have on the overall tally of the UPA and the NDA in next year's general elections? Since the opinion polls do not cover the remaining 471 of India's 543 Parliamentary constituencies, it isn't really possible to make a prediction.

What if the positions in the other states did not change substantially? This is a theoretical supposition, but it still throws up some significant findings. What it shows is that the NDA's tally could grow from 159 in 2009 to between 187 and 195 in the coming elections. That's up from the level of 172-180 projected in July this year.

Correspondingly, the UPA could drop from 262 in 2009 to between 134 and 142 in next year's elections, signifying a much sharper drop. Some of this loss is likely to accrue to the BJP, but the rest of it is all set to go to the other parties, whose collective position could rise from just 122 in 2009 to somewhere between 208 and 216 in next year's elections, which is about the same level projected in July.

At the party level, this will translate into a jump for the BJP from 116 seats in 2009 to between 171 and 179 seats in 2013, up from the 156-164 range projected in July 2013. As for the Congress, its tally may drop sharply from 206 to somewhere between 116 and 124, down even further from the 131-139 range projected in July.

Of course, this isn't a prediction but an exercise. The actual voting in the other states of India will be impacted by many factors.

The six key questions from the other states on which the fate of the next elections hinges:

1. Will Narendra Modi and the BJP be able to sustain their momentum in the key battleground of Uttar Pradesh against Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati?
2. Will the Congress go in for a pre-poll alliance in Bihar with either Nitish Kumar or Lalu Yadav?
3. Will the Telangana decision alter the equations in Andhra Pradesh?
4. Will fresh alliances emerge in Tamil Nadu?
5. Will Raj Thackeray be a potential spoiler for the big players in Maharashtra?
6. The battle has barely begun.
Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan (72 Lok Sabha Seats):

	2009	July 2013 projection	Oct 2013 projection
Congress	40	27	12
BJP	30	42	57

All India picture (543 Lok Sabha Seats):

	2009	July 2013 projection	Oct 2013 projection
UPA	262	149-157	134-142
NDA	159	172-180	187-195
OTH	122	208-216	208-216

All India picture (543 Lok Sabha Seats):

	2009	July 2013 projection	Oct 2013 projection
Congress	206	131-139	116-124
BJP	116	156-164	171-179

Source: IBNLive

2014: 'Feku' & 'Pappu' have Brought 'Hate' to the Hustings

In contrast to the 2008 US presidential election campaign where Barack Obama swept the voters off their feet with his pitch for "hope" and "change", the ruling sentiment at the hustings as India gears up for the 2014 General Election remains "hate".

Source: IndiaToday

Narendra Modi vs Rahul Gandhi: Rallies With Different Strokes

[Blogger's Comment: Modi is far ahead of Rahul in all aspects. A special thanks to Bihar-Janata for Modi's respect and not to be aggresive or violent inspite of Patna serial BOMB-Blast, a unsuccessful try to interrupt Hunkar-Rally]

The contrast is stark. The two politicians spearheading the NDA and UPA campaigns 0differ in every which way. Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi are two very opposite personalities. And the rallies they address bring out that fact in more ways than one.

In a matter of 30 days, there has been a string of rallies held by Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The differences between the rallies stand out. If one man’s venue is flooded with people, the other can accommodate only a few thousands.

On September 29, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi held a massive rally at the Japanese Park in West Delhi. On Sunday, even as Modi was holding forth at Gandhi Maidan in Patna with his “hunkar rally”, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed his first election rally for the forthcoming Delhi assembly elections.

At Narendra Modi’s rally, the composition of crowd included rickshaw pullers to IT professionals carrying smartphones and other hi-tech gadgets. At Rahul’s rally, which was held in Mangolpuri, an area populated with people from the low income group, there were hardly any smartphone users, forget other high tech gadgets.

Even crowd response at both the rallies were completely opposite to each other.

During Modi’s rally, the crowd did not let any other leader speak. At Rahul’s rally, the crowd started moving out of the ground as soon as he started his speech, not waiting for him to deliver his punchline.

Modi spoke for around one hour. And he went on attack mode from the word go. He slammed the UPA, the Delhi government and trained guns on not only the prime minister but also allies of the Union government.

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi spoke for 20 minutes, settled with lauding the Sheila Dikshit government, and the flagship programmes of the UPA government. It could be argued that Rahul was making a pitch for the Delhi elections, not for the general elections, which is still months away. But Rahul’s rallies in general, whether held in Udaipur or elsewhere, have been dwarfed by those addressed by Modi.

In terms of the number of people attending too, both their rallies have seen a different count.

While Modi’s rallies were truly “mega”, seeing upwards of two lakhs in attendance, only around 10,000 came to listen to Rahul speak on Sunday But fact is both the parties chose their venues “strategically”.

To show its strength, the BJP organises rallies at venues which have the capacity to accommodate huge numbers. Whereas, the Congress picks up venues such as the park in Mangolpuri, which could accommodate only around 20,000.

Then again, Modi’s Japanese Park’s rally saw people turned “spontaneously”. Even the Delhi Metro recorded an increase in ridership at the nearest metro station to the venue. At the Congress rally in Mangolpuri, the majority of crowd was from nearby localities.

Vijender Gupta, convener of Modi’s rally organising committee, said the Congress was trying to protect its vice-president from humiliation.

Source: DNA

BJP's Hunkar Rally in Patna-Bihar: It will be Modi Challenging Nitish

The real battlefield for Narendra Modi in 2014 will, in many ways, be Bihar and not Uttar Pradesh.

After becoming the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial face, the Gujarat chief minister’s first political foray into Bihar for the Hunkar (Roar) Rally on October 27 will be a far critical show than any he has encountered so far. This will be the first time Modi will be a entering the state as a rival to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

The reason: A higher seat tally from Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, is critical for the BJP, given that a significant rise in its share of the 80 seats in UP will be difficult against Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party.

Both Modi and Kumar are prime ministerial candidates – the latter in perception so far should a Third Front comes alive. And that may have triggered the feud between Modi’s BJP and Nitish’s Janata Dal (United) after 17 years of alliance.

As allies, the two parties had secured 206 seats in a house of 243 in the 2010 assembly polls, with the BJP accounting for 91. While the JD-U attributes the BJP’s success to a ‘Nitish wave’, the BJP claims its upper caste vote bank helped Nitish ride the wave.

Target Nitish:

For the BJP, the challenge will be to bring down Nitish’s stock in Bihar and, nationally, in the 2014 general elections to prove his reign was due to saffron support alone, said PK Sinha, a leader of Samata Party. Simultaneously, the saffron party will look to bag many more Lok Sabha seats than the 12 it managed from Bihar in 2009, Sinha said.

And if the JD-U’s score goes below its 2009 tally of 20, it will effectively end Nitish’s chances of being offered the leadership of a Third Front.

Nitish knows that. He has taken a political risk by breaking up with the BJP — a decision that drew sharp criticism and created quite a perceptible divide among the JD-U rank and file.

Watch Live: BJP's Hunkar Rally of Patna-Bihar Date: 27-October | Timing: 2:00 PM Onwards

But one factor that both the parties conveniently chose to forget is that they grew in alliance and thrived on Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad’s tactical blunder — not accommodating the Congress in a tie-up in 2009, said Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan. Paswan was an ally of Lalu and is lately exploring tie-up with the Congress.

While Modi’s campaign is tied to ensuring more seats in Bihar, the BJP cannot afford to ignore the RJD, which, at this point in time, is projected to win as many Lok Sabha seats as the BJP from the state in 2014.

If the BJP ends up equalling Lalu’s tally in 2014, it will lose the moral position of being better than the RJD. A poor showing will also cost the JD-U its high ground.

Alliance Crucial:

In such a scenario, the JD-U and the BJP cannot claim that Bihar had rejected Lalu and brought them, as National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, to power in the state, said Ram Kripal Yadav, a senior leader of Lalu’s RJD.

But for the BJP to have a big success in Bihar, the Congress would have to refuse an alliance with the JD-U and the RJD.

Should the Congress tie up with any of these groupings, the largely upper caste and middle class-supported BJP could see a fall in support and crystallisation of Muslim support against it — not an ideal situation for a sweep.

With the Bihar Congress unit split vertically over the question of whether to ally with the JD-U or the RJD, the ace seems to be up Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s sleeve. Gandhi is believed to have a soft corner for the JD-U.

On the other hand, if Bihar sees a four-cornered contest in the Lok Sabha polls — with the BJP, JD-U, RJD along with LJP, and the Congress fighting alone, Modi could virtually sweep Bihar.

Source: Hindustan Times

Can vote for Narendra Modi if He Changes: Shia Leader Kalbe Sadiq

Gujarat CM's policies should show he's concerned about Muslim welfare, says Shia leader Kalbe Sadiq.

BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is no more a political untouchable for Muslims who could vote for him if he changes himself and does not repeat past mistakes. Prominent Muslim cleric and vice-president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, who commands a mass following in the minority community, surprised many when he said this on Friday.

Political watchers see the cleric’s statement in the context of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Indore where he said Pakistan’s ISI was in touch with some Muslim youngsters in riot-hit Muzzaffarnagar. It is understood that many Muslim leaders are upset with the way Rahul has linked Muslims to terrorism. The cleric’s statement is also being considered a major boost for the BJP’s PM-in-waiting who has been facing constant flak over the 2002 Gujarat riots in which many Muslims were killed.

Sadiq said he was not happy with Modi’s past “but no one is a political untouchable”. He said Islam doesn’t endorse such ideas and that it allows for pardon and mercy even if a criminal truly and honestly expresses regret and promises to reform himself. “I can also vote for Modi if he changes himself,” he asserted.

Praising Modi’s development model in Gujarat, Sadiq said: “Our first priority is India’s growth on all fronts. Muslims would vote for India’s development and won’t mind voting even for Modi if he changes himself.”

“People should be given a chance to correct their mistakes. Modi should make changes in his policies and programmes to convey that he is concerned about the welfare of Muslims. If he does that, Muslims could consider voting for him.

“There are differences in words and deeds of Modi and people have lost faith in him after Gujarat riots,” Sadiq said. “What happened in Gujarat (in 2002) was very heartbreaking,” he added.

Asked if the Gujarat chief minister should ‘apologise’ for the riots, Sadiq said rather than tendering an apology, he should prove through his actions that he has changed.

On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about ISI being in touch with Muzaffarnagar riot victims, the Maulana said, “This must be investigated. If somebody has a relative there (in Pakistan) and they speak to him, then we can’t say, but there must be no compromise on terrorism.”

Political pundits here see in his comments a warning for Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, for whom Muslims are the party’s crucial votebank. He has been facing criticism over his son and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s handling of last month’s communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar besides the frequent riots taking place in UP.

Source: DNA

Narendra Modi Seeks Voters' Ideas for BJP's 2014 Manifesto

The BJP now wants voters' suggestions for preparing the party's manifesto for the 2014 general elections.

The appeal came on a tweet from the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, with a link to the website recording people's views.

"Your voice, your manifesto! Urging you to share ideas for 2014 BJP manifesto. Let us work together for a better India!"

The link to manifesto website is http://www.bjpelectionmanifesto.com/#.

The message on website said the party's manifesto should reflect aspirations of the masse, especially the youth. It should also redefine the way the country was being governed currently.

"Narendra Modi has called for the transformation of representative democracy into participatory democracy. As the first step towards your participation, we seek your suggestions and ideas to make our manifesto more meaningful and purposeful."

For recoding their suggestions, visitors will have to click on the dropbox at the top of the screen, fill in details, select a category and post their views.

The party said it "will consider each suggestion with care".

Veteran BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi is heading the manifesto committee.

The website also has BJP manifestoes from the 1998, 2004 and 2009 general elections.

Source: IndiaToday

Poll Surveys are 'Entertainment Programmes': Nitish Kumar

With poll surveys indicating increase in seats for the BJP-led NDA under its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in 2014 polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today dismissed such surveys based on small samples and said those were nothing more than "entertainment programmes".

"These surveys based on sample size of only 4000 and without considering the fact that India does not have a bipolar political set up but a multi-party ethos are not true... They are nothing more than entertainment programmes," Kumar told reporters.

"Everybody knows these are PR exercise to falsely claim that nation's mood is in their favour," he said.

"When results of the elections will come, the people going euphoric over such surveys will fall flat," he said in an apparent dig at his estranged NDA partner BJP.

"All TV channels showing survey reports had predicted hung Assembly in Bihar in both 2005 and 2010 state elections, but they all proved wrong when the ballot boxes were opened," he said.

Picking holes in the recent survey reports, Kumar said while he was credited for bringing development in Bihar, it was shown that JD(U) would get not more than 9 seats out of a total 40 seats in Bihar.

"Do they mean that discredited people will win all the seats in the state?" he asked.

"Those basking in the glory of such surveys will have no place to hide their faces when the poll results will be declared," he said.

Source: DNA

Elections 2014: 10000 NRIs to be on Modi Duty; Expats to Cheer for BJP’s PM Candidate

NEW DELHI: Holidaying NRIs are a wintertime fixture in India. This winter will be somewhat different. A large number of visiting NRIs will be on what they consider serious business - volunteering for Narendra Modi's election campaign.

ET has learnt, from talking to NRI organisations, that close to 10,000 Indians living in the US, UK, Europe and Southeast Asian countries will be on Modi duty. They are postponing their annual Diwali or winter holidays. Some of them will campaign for the BJP's PM candidate in their native towns and villages while some will work with Modi's team. Smita Barooah, an addictions counsellor working in Singapore, is a typical example. She's planning a three-month sabbatical starting January to work for the BJP campaign in India.

Indian American businessman Chandrakant Patel, who heads Overseas Friends of BJP in the US, will be in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi during the state elections next month. He says nearly 5,000 Indian Americans will fly down to India before next year's elections. "Our young team here is also sensitising lakhs of Indians in America to register themselves as voters just in case they happen to be present in India during the elections and can vote," he says.

Around 3,500 NRIs in the UK are planning to come to India closer to the 2014 general elections. "Many of us are postponing our annual December visits to be available to campaign for Mr Modi," says Amit Tiwari, general secretary of the Overseas Friends of BJP for the UK and Europe. A banker, Tiwari is connecting NRIs wanting to do campaign work during coming state elections with local and regional-level BJP workers.

What explains this unusual degree of direct participation by NRIs in the Modi campaign? "This is the Chetan Bhagat generation, which is seeking change. In Modi, NRIs see an opportunity to drive this change," says Meghnad Desai, a prominent NRI and commentator.

Sociologist Dipankar Gupta says, "BJP's ardent supporters overseas are sensing victory so they want to participate." "The fact that Modi is perceived to be corporate-friendly - and most migrant Indians have benefitted from their association with Corporate America - makes him more appealing," he adds.

Entrepreneur Kalpesh Chavda (34), who is based in Singapore, has been in touch with Arvind Gupta, head of BJP's IT cell. Chavda says he plans to come down to India for at least five weeks before the elections.

"The mindset of the Indian diaspora is different this time. Earlier they would send emails or SMSes to people back home. Now they want to be part of direct action," says Tiwari.

Some NRIs say they plan to use their familiarity with social media and Internet campaigns in the West to launch similar campaigns in India. The math is simple, they argue.

Around 120 million Indians will be eligible to vote for the first time in the 2014 elections. And many more are in the 18-25 category. Smartphone usage is rising rapidly in India, and the young are the biggest smartphone users. The share of young voters in total voting population is around 20%, most estimates suggest.

Source: EconomicTimes

ET Poll for 2014 Election Survey by Nielsen: BJP Ahead in UP & Bihar

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are seeing a rising tide of support for BJP, but not enough for it to sweep the electoral stakes in the two main battleground states, a survey commissioned by ET has found.

The survey of around 8,500 voters, one of the biggest and most exhaustive exercises of its kind in the two states that hold the key to who rules the nation, shows BJP's prime ministerial face, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, increasing his popular rating and boosting his party's acceptability among voters of UP and Bihar. But BJP is still seen winning a little over a third of the 120 Lok Sabha seats on offer in the two states.

Carried out between September 4 and 26, the survey by research firm Nielsen put BJP on course to win 44 seats - 27 in UP and 17 in Bihar. With the road to power at the Centre certain to pass through these states, this tally will not be enough to put BJP in the comfort zone nationally and will require its current momentum to gain much more strength and breadth between now and the general elections. But it can take some heart from the fact that the survey, a part of which was conducted before Modi was formally anointed as its face for 2014, points to him becoming the chief decider of the electoral outcome.

The big picture, the survey shows, portends hefty losses to the electoral clout of Modi's challengers, Mulayam Singh Yadav in UP and Nitish Kumar in Bihar. In UP, the poll indicates BJP once again emerging the number one player, with the projection of 27 seats almost three times the number it won in the two previous encounters.

BJP appears to be eating into the support base of all its rivals, taking up its vote share to 28 per cent from 17 per cent in 2009. The next polls, according to the survey, could be especially brutal for the SP and the national ambitions of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

SP's vote share is seen dropping 5 percentage points to 18 per cent, which could bring down its tally to 16 seats. BSP and Congress, too, are seen being hit, although in varying measures. An upper caste consolidation in Modi's favour may result in a depletion of BSP's support base, even though the survey projected the party retaining its current tally of 20 seats as its core Dalit vote remains intact.

Source: EconomicTimes

BJP will be Single Largest Party after 2014 Polls:Times Now-CVoter Survey

New Delhi: In what may be a comforting development for the principal opposition party, BJP, a new poll survey has suggested that it will emerge as the single largest party in 2014 Lok Sabha election by winning close to 162 seats.

The survey has also predicted grim prospects for the ruling Congress party, saying it would be able to win only 102 Lok Sabha seats, reports said on Thursday.

The survey, however, claims that even after emerging as the single largest party, the alliance led by the BJP will be well short of a majority, leaving several regional players holding the key to power in New Delhi.

As per the Times Now-CVoter survey, the BJP-led NDA is projected to get 186 and the UPA led by Congress is expected to win around 117 seats, which would mean 240 crucial seats with go to others.

The survey also predicts that Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, the Left Front, Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP will emerge as the most important players after the 2014 polls.

The outcome of the 2014 elections will make government formation an extremely complicated exercise, giving the regional satraps more bargaining power.

The survey found that reaching the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha will be a far cry for any pre-election formation.

Among the "others", the Left Front is projected to get the largest number, 32 seats, followed by BSP with 31 and AIADMK with 28 seats. The SP and Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress are expected to bag 25 and 23 seats respectively.

The survey also highlights that the Janta Dal (U) is likely to suffer major drubbing following its slit with BJP and its seats tally will expectedly come down to 9 from 20 in 2009.

The survey predicts a hung Parliament in 2014 with nobody really in a clear position to form a government if current voter pattern continues ill the actual voting.

The ruling Congress is likely to suffer major losses in those state that helped it propel the UPA to power in 2009. More importantly, the electoral gains in Karnataka will be too short to make up for the loss elsewhere, the survey says.

The BJP, on the other hand, will make significant gains in Rajasthan and relatively smaller gains in several other states; this is unlikely to be enough to put it in prime position for power.

The poll indicates Congress suffering the worst setback in Andhra Pradesh, going from 33 seats to just seven, while Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) are predicted to get 13 seats each. Among other states where Congress is expected to suffer losses are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala.

In Rajasthan, the survey showed Congress winning just five seats, a loss of 15 seats, all of them picked up by the BJP. Similarly, in UP too, the Congress' tally will come down from 21 as it will lose 16 seats and the same would be bagged by Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The survey also indicated that Delhi would go to the BJP which would bag six of the seven seats. In Maharashtra, the survey showed the Congress losing six from its 2009 tally of 17 seats and NCP losing two, while BJP and the Shiv Sena are expected to pick up four and three seats each over their 2009 tally, bringing their tally to 13 and 14 seats respectively of the state's 48 seats.

In West Bengal, Trinamool will gain four seats in 2014 taking its tally to 23 and the Left will just pick up one more totalling 16 seats. The Congress would be a major loser here, losing three of its six seats in West Bengal.

In Tamil Nadu, the DMK's tally is expected to come down to just five seats from 18 in 2009, while AIADMK's will go up from nine to 28 seats.

Source: ZeeNews

2014 Lok Sabha Elections: Satirical 'Modi vs Rahul' Debate Video Goes Viral

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, a satirical video titled "Rahul vs Modi" debating on India's potential prime ministerial candidates has gone viral on social networking sites.

The video is a parody on the well-known debate between NDA prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who has become famous for his rallies addressed across the nation, and projected Congress nominee Rahul Gandhi.

The video begins with two surgeons in an operating theatre. A power outage in the building begins the never-ending discussion on 'Rahul vs Modi'.

While Rahul has painted secularism as Congress' prime electoral agenda against the communal BJP, Modi has been rehashing his 'Gujarat model of development' at every rally he has addressed this year.

Every major subject that has become a dispute between the two biggest political parties has been mocked in the video, which has received more than 70,000 views on Youtube since it was uploaded on Sunday.



From 2002 Gujarat riots to corruption scams that have marred the UPA governance, the political satire compels the viewer to choose between the better of two evils.

The video has been produced by comedy collective "All India Bakchod', the same group of stand-up comedians who had pushed out "It's Your Fault" parody on India's rape culture featuring actress Kalki Koechlin and VJ Juhi Pandey.

"It's Your Fault" had also gone viral on social media, getting around 1, 25,000 hits in less than 48 hours of its release.

Source: International Business Times

Has Rahul Gandhi FAILED? Sister Priyanka Gandhi to Challenge Modi during Campaigning

New Delhi: Priyanak Gandhi has decided to campaign for the congress party in an effort to impart fresh enthusiasm among the cadre. Earlier she had confined herself to Rae Bareli and Amethi, but now she will be seen challenging Narendra Modi across the length and breath of the country.

This has given support to the speculation that Rahul Gandhi has failed to obstruct Narendra Modi's march to Delhi. But, congress party maintains that Priyanka has taken the plunge only to support her brother and this in no way reflects badly on Rahul's ability to favourably influence outcome of Lok Sabha election 2014. BJP says this will have no effect and this goes on to prove that congress believes in dynasty politics only.

Ever since she first entered the public eye Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been a tantalizing enigma for the Congress Party. Her resemblance to her grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is hard to ignore.

Earlier there were reports that Priyanaka may contest the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli in place of her mother Sonia Gandhi, who has reportedly decided to slow down and retire from the hustle and strain of electoral politics.

Priyanka's children are now older – her son Raihan is studying at the Doon School, his grandfather’s alma mater – she has been keen to be more involved in politics.

With Sonia Gandhi easing off from a hectic political schedule because of her health concerns, Congressmen see her as an ideal replacement for the mother and an unbeatable combination with her brother Rahul Gandhi.

Source: DailyBhaskar.com

BJP Hires 10 Trains for Narendra Modi's Patna Hunkar Rally

PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hired 10 trains to ferry its supporters here for the Oct 27 rally of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a senior leader said Thursday.

Since last month, BJP leaders have been busy touring different parts of state to mobilise supporters for the rally. Several buses have also been hired for the rally.

"The party has booked 10 special trains, with 18 bogies each, for the rally," senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said, adding that the trains will run from different parts of the state to Patna.

The special trains will run from Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria, Bhagalpur, Saharsa, Bettiah, Bagha and Samastipur, among other cities.

Yadav, the leader of opposition in the state assembly, said the BJP's district units will also ferry people by buses.

"We are planning to hire buses from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, as there are not enough buses available in the state," he said.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that the number of peoplea attending the rally would break all previous records.

"If lakhs of people can turn up to hear Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Rewari (in Haryana), where the party has few legislators, one can only imagine the biggest ever turnout in Patna," Sushil Modi said, adding that Narendra Modi's presence would be a big draw.

After Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke the Janata Dal-United alliance with the BJP in June over the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the saffron party's prime ministerial candidate, the Oct 27 rally will be the first show of strength by the BJP in Bihar.

An East Central Railway (ECR) official said an action plan was drawn up by the railways to run special trains Oct 26-27. "We have made elaborate arrangements for smooth running of passenger trains as well as long-distance trains," he said.

The ECR has borrowed coaches from different zones because of shortage of coaches in view of several Puja special trains running throughout the country.

Several senior railway officials have been deputed to supervise the arrangement of special trains for the rally. Hundreds of railway officials, including travelling ticket examiners (TTEs), station masters and traffic inspectors, would be deployed to manage the smooth running of these specials.

In Bihar, political parties have in the past too hired trains for rallies.

Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) hired 13 special trains from various parts of Bihar and Jharkhand to ferry supporters to a rally in May this year.

When Lalu Prasad was railway minister in 2007, the RJD booked 35 trains for his Chetawani (warning) Rally in Patna.

Last year, Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United hired half a dozen special trains for Nitish Kumar's Adhikar (rights) Rally in Patna.

Source:EconomicTimes

Narendra Modi Most Searched Politician on Google in India in Mar-Aug 2013

NEW DELHI: BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was the most searched politician, followed by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, on Google in India during March-August period of this year, the Internet giant said today.

According to the Website's search trends during the period, BJP was the most searched political party on Google India, while Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party came in the second and the third positions.

Google India also released a survey 'Urban Indian Voters', which said 42 per cent of respondents were undecided about who to vote for in elections.

The trends showed that the three-time Gujarat Chief Minister is the most searched. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is second, while UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi occupies the third position.

See the search trends here @ Google for Modi, Rahul & Sonia:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, TN Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Congress leader Digvijay Singh were the other most searched politicians.

In terms of political parties, BJP was the most searched, followed by Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena in that order.

How to get an election card was the most searched query, followed by how to find electoral roll number. Getting election card online, how to vote were the other top queries.

Google India's survey 'Urban Indian Voters' was conducted offline by research firm TNS during July-August 2013. It covered 41,000 people, with a focus on 7,042 respondents who were registered voters and active Internet users.

"Interestingly, a large proportion of the urban Indian registered voters (42 per cent) were undecided about whom to vote for in the upcoming elections," the study said.

Thirty five per cent respondents said their decision will be based on the party, while, 36 per cent said local candidate matters to them, the study said.

"Interestingly, 11 per cent said the prime ministerial candidate of the political party will play an important role in their final voting decision. In the west, the preference for the local candidate was the highest at 45 per cent and was the lowest in east at 27 per cent," it added.

Sixty eight per cent of respondents were in the age group of 18-35 years. Male respondents were 63 per cent, while female respondents were 37 per cent.

The study also said young urban Indian voters are heavily engaged online and actively involved in the electoral process, with 85 per cent respondents saying they have voted in the previous elections and 64 per cent for this question were in age group of 18-25 years.

Source: EconomicTimes

Many Questions Loom Over Congress-BSP Tie-up in UP for 2014 Polls

NEW DELHI: The race for the Muslim vote in Uttar Pradesh, up for grabs after the Muzzaffarnagar riots, has made for some unlikely chatter between Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party. The two, especially Congress, could benefit from a seat adjustment or at least a basic understanding in crucial seats in UP which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

"If one looks at the way the minority vote went in 2009 (General Elections) and 2012 (Assembly polls), it prefers a strong bulwark against BJP. With Modi at the helm, that is even more crucial now. The SP has failed to protect Muslims in the recent riots and will vote seat-wise for the candidate who will best take on BJP," said a senior Congress leader.

This, a source added, could mean that if BSP and Congress field candidates strategically, they could take advantage of each other's support base in these seats. "These are, however, preliminary thoughts," said the leader.

BSP is coy on the matter. "Traditionally, we have been able to transfer our vote to our ally, but the reverse does not happen," said a senior party official who did not wish to be named. "We also have an issue to settle with Congress in Rajasthan. In the last assembly polls, we won seven seats and supported the Gehlot government. He rewarded our support by breaking our party and co-opting our MLAs, we need to settle that grudge match," said the leader.

"Moreover, certain necessary conditions need to be fulfilled both at the Centre and the state for this to be beneficial to BSP," he added. The first condition, he says, is that Congress announce a quota for Jats in central jobs. This would break the Jat polarisation in favour of the BJP in Western UP, the belt the party may sweep in the next round of polls.

"Besides, SP is debilitated, so we are not really desperate for help, as BSP is seen as the natural beneficiary when SP loses. If Congress can improve the perception of the government, we may do a rethink."

Dr Badri Narayan, who has recently authored the well regarded 'Fascinating Hindutva : Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation', saidatie-upcannot be ruled out. "I would see an anti communal front working below the surface, in an almost subterranean way," he said. "The situation in central UP is different from that of western and in the eastern belt. Both parties can, by careful candidate selection capture the minority vote along with other social groups," he said.

Both parties are watching the results of the next round of assembly polls very carefully. If the Modi chemistry starts to fizz and crackle, the 'elephant' may yet gain a guiding 'hand'.

Source: EconomicTimes

Nitish Kumar's Party Roots for Alliance with Congress for 2014 Elections

A top leader of Nitish Kumar's party today rooted for an alliance with the Congress for next year's polls and the Bihar Chief Minister did not rule it out, in a major indication that the bonhomie between the two parties over the past few months could crystalize in a partnership.

"I personally feel that there should be an alliance between the Congress and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U)," said Shivanand Tiwari, Rajya Sabha MP and JD-U general secretary.

More significantly, Nitish Kumar did not deny it.

"We will take a call after October...right now we have not considered this issue," the Chief Minister told reporters in Patna, referring to a party conference in Rajgir. Sources say in the conference, the JD-U will authorize Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav to decide on a tie-up with the Congress.

Pushed to answer why he was no longer a strong votary of a non-Congress government, Nitish Kumar blamed the BJP, saying, "There was a perfect atmosphere for a non-Congress formation but the BJP has spoiled the entire situation."

Mr Kumar seemed to be referring to the naming of Narendra Modi as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate for 2014. Mr Modi's elevation precipitated an acrimonious break-up between the JD-U and the BJP in June after a 17-year alliance. Since then, the two parties have drifted further apart and missed no chance to attack each other. (Read: Nitish-BJP spar over Modi's rally)

Despite taking baby steps towards a new alliance, the JD-U has been warming up to the Congress even before its partnership with the BJP flat-lined.

At a trust vote in the Bihar assembly to prove the ruling JD-U's numbers after the BJP's exit, Congress legislators had voted in favour of Nitish Kumar.

Recently, the Chief Minister welcomed Finance Minister P Chidambaram's announcement that he would implement the recommendations of a central report that rated Bihar among India's most backward states, qualifying it for special financial assistance.

Analysts say a JD-U-Congress alliance would consolidate the Muslim voters, who constitute 16 per cent of Bihar's electorate. With 40 Lok Sabha seats, Bihar could play a significant role in deciding who rules the Centre.

Source: NDTV.com

On December 8, Tune in for 2014 Lok Sabha Polls Forecast

NEW DELHI: Assembly elections in Delhi will be held on December 4. The Election Commission (EC) on Friday announced assembly polls in five states between November 11 and December 4, setting the ball rolling for what is set to be the semifinal between Congress and BJP before their big face-off in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are expected to witness virtually a straight contest between the two biggies while in Delhi, a near-bipolar polity all these decades, they will be required to fight off a spirited challenge from debutant Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.

In tiny Mizoram, the fifth state in play, the fight will be between Congress and Mizo National Front. BJP has only a token presence in the northeastern state.

Results of all the elections will be announced on December 8.

While the outcome will provide tailwind to whoever fares better in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, the coming match-up stands out also because they will mark the introduction of "none of the above" (NOTA) option for the voter who often despairs at the sameness of choices on offer. As directed by the Supreme Court on September 27, the electronic voting machines will feature a NOTA button as well.

Besides, in another first directed by the top court, this time it will be mandatory for candidates to fill up all columns in the nomination form. SC's insistence on complete disclosure is a boost for the votaries of transparency.

Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mizoram will have a single-day poll on December 4, November 25, December 1 and December 4, respectively.

Chhattisgarh will have a two-phase exercise, on November 11 and 19, to ensure peaceful conduct of polls where Maoists, increasingly desperate, pose a formidable challenge.

As many as 18 Naxalite-infested constituencies in Bastar region (south Chhattisgarh) and Kanker and Rajnandgaon (north Chhattisgarh) will go to polls in the first phase, facilitating maximum deployment of the around 50,000 troops placed at EC's disposal. The remaining 72 constituencies of Chhattisgarh will elect their representatives on November 19.

Barometer for Congress's showpiece schemes

Each of the five contests will be shaped by local factors. However, they will also be a barometer for whether welfare measures — from Food Security Act and street vendors' bill to higher support prices for farmers — can buffer Congress from the UPA's "incumbency burden", in short, whether the perception of corruption, inflation and poor governance has undermined Congress's prospects.

It will also be seen as an early test of BJP's calculation in projecting Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as the party's PM candidate. BJP leaders like LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj had argued for Modi's declaration as party's nominee for the PMO to be put off until after the state polls, but were overwhelmed by the majority who felt having the Gujarat CM as the saffron spearhead would energize the party's base in the election-bound states.

The challenge will be a high-stakes game also for other individuals. Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, having posted three straight victories, enjoys a heft in Delhi affairs which a normal executive of a small state with only seven Lok Sabha seats can only dream of. Dikshit, a clear Rahul Gandhi favourite, will rise higher in the party's pecking order if she pulls off a win yet again against stiff odds.

Ditto for Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh, the incumbents in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, who already enjoy semi-satrap status for having regained power five years ago. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, who survived multiple challenges to complete his term, has solidified his position as the pre-eminent Congress leader in the state. A victory will boost his standing in the party because it will, just like the one Congress expects Dikshit to grab, put a spanner in Modi's works.

While announcing the schedule, chief election commissioner VS Sampath said, "The model code of conduct comes into force from this very moment." He was flanked by election commissioners HS Brahma and SNA Zaidi.

Source: TOI