ID :
60133
Tue, 05/12/2009 - 15:59
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/60133
The shortlink copeid
Electioneering in largest democracy ends for phase-V polls
New Delhi, May 11 (PTI) Campaigning for one of the most
bitterly fought Indian general elections in recent years ended
Monday, marking culmination of the five-phase month-long
electioneering with no clear signs of the winner.
The general elections will decide if the ruling United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition will hold on to power or
will the multi-party National Democratic Alliance (NDA) return
after a five-year hiatus or if a third combination would
emerge the dark horse.
A party or combine needs 272 seats in the 545-member Lok
Sabha in order to stake claim to form government. Polling has
been completed to 457 seats since the staggered exercise began
on April 16. Elections are held only to 543 seats as two
members are nominated from the Anglo-Indian community.
The final phase would see election of 86 Members of
Parliament and among the contenders are Congress' P
Chidambaram and Md Azharuddin, BJP's Maneka and Varun Gandhi
and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, DMK's T R Baalu, A Raja, Dayanidhi
Maran and M K Azhagiri, MDMK's Vaiko, TC chief Mamata Banerjee
and SP's Jayaprada.
Congress' Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sajjad Gani Lone of
People's Conference are also among the prominent names in this
leg, in which 10.78 crore voters can choose from 1,432
candidates.
Elections would be held to all 39 seats in the key state
of Tamil Nadu and four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu
and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West
Bengal, five in Uttarakhand and the lone one seat each in both
Chandigarh and Puducherry.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which contested the elections
in Andhra Pradesh as part of the Third Front, Sunday appeared
in the company of NDA leaders at a public meeting in Ludhiana
highlighting that realignment of forces, key to securing
power, has already begun.
The Left Parties, whom Congress general secretary Rahul
Gandhi had sent feelers to for a post-poll tie-up, too have
indicated that they were keeping options open.
"Let the elections be over. Let the results come...After
May 16, we will see," said Communist Party of India-Marxist
general secretary Prakash Karat, whose party had withdrawn
support to the Congress-led UPA over the Indo-US civil nuclear
deal.
Elsewhere, Jayalalithaa denied that the All India Anna
Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was in secret talks with
others for an alliance.
Rahul Gandhi's reference to Jayalalithaa in the context
of alliance at a press conference in Delhi last week had
apparently upset the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgham (DMK), the
Congress' ally in Tamil Nadu.
The Gandhi scion had later reassured the ally that it was
very much Congress's partner for elections in the state and
that the two would work together in other states as well.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi later appeared together
with DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi
on the same platform at an election meeting, while Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh too had called on him.
Tamil Nadu is key as the DMK-Congress combine had swept
all the 39 seats in the 2004 elections.
However, the DMK-Congress alliance appears to have been
weakened by the exit of Left parties, the PMK and MDMK that
are now part of the AIADMK-led front in Tamil Nadu.
Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only states
to go to the polls in all the five phases.
Of the 1,432 candidates, there are just 93 women
candidates in the fray. The prominent among the women
candidates are Maneka Gandhi (Aonla) and Jayaprada (Rampur).
Chidambaram is contesting from Sivaganga, Azharuddin
(Muzaffarnagar), Varun Gandhi (Pilibhit), Naqvi (Rampur),
Baalu (Sriperumbudur), Raja (Nilgiris), Maran (Central
Chennai), Azhagiri (Madurai), Aiyar (Mayiladuthurai) and Lone
(Baramulla).
Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur) and Najyot Singh Sidhu
(Amritsar) are among the other prominent candidates.
Elections would be held across 1.21 lakh polling booths.
As many as 5,995 villages and hamlets have been identified as
prone to intimidation and over 18,000 people troublemakers.
PTI TEAM
DEP
NNNN
bitterly fought Indian general elections in recent years ended
Monday, marking culmination of the five-phase month-long
electioneering with no clear signs of the winner.
The general elections will decide if the ruling United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition will hold on to power or
will the multi-party National Democratic Alliance (NDA) return
after a five-year hiatus or if a third combination would
emerge the dark horse.
A party or combine needs 272 seats in the 545-member Lok
Sabha in order to stake claim to form government. Polling has
been completed to 457 seats since the staggered exercise began
on April 16. Elections are held only to 543 seats as two
members are nominated from the Anglo-Indian community.
The final phase would see election of 86 Members of
Parliament and among the contenders are Congress' P
Chidambaram and Md Azharuddin, BJP's Maneka and Varun Gandhi
and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, DMK's T R Baalu, A Raja, Dayanidhi
Maran and M K Azhagiri, MDMK's Vaiko, TC chief Mamata Banerjee
and SP's Jayaprada.
Congress' Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sajjad Gani Lone of
People's Conference are also among the prominent names in this
leg, in which 10.78 crore voters can choose from 1,432
candidates.
Elections would be held to all 39 seats in the key state
of Tamil Nadu and four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu
and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West
Bengal, five in Uttarakhand and the lone one seat each in both
Chandigarh and Puducherry.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which contested the elections
in Andhra Pradesh as part of the Third Front, Sunday appeared
in the company of NDA leaders at a public meeting in Ludhiana
highlighting that realignment of forces, key to securing
power, has already begun.
The Left Parties, whom Congress general secretary Rahul
Gandhi had sent feelers to for a post-poll tie-up, too have
indicated that they were keeping options open.
"Let the elections be over. Let the results come...After
May 16, we will see," said Communist Party of India-Marxist
general secretary Prakash Karat, whose party had withdrawn
support to the Congress-led UPA over the Indo-US civil nuclear
deal.
Elsewhere, Jayalalithaa denied that the All India Anna
Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was in secret talks with
others for an alliance.
Rahul Gandhi's reference to Jayalalithaa in the context
of alliance at a press conference in Delhi last week had
apparently upset the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgham (DMK), the
Congress' ally in Tamil Nadu.
The Gandhi scion had later reassured the ally that it was
very much Congress's partner for elections in the state and
that the two would work together in other states as well.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi later appeared together
with DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi
on the same platform at an election meeting, while Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh too had called on him.
Tamil Nadu is key as the DMK-Congress combine had swept
all the 39 seats in the 2004 elections.
However, the DMK-Congress alliance appears to have been
weakened by the exit of Left parties, the PMK and MDMK that
are now part of the AIADMK-led front in Tamil Nadu.
Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only states
to go to the polls in all the five phases.
Of the 1,432 candidates, there are just 93 women
candidates in the fray. The prominent among the women
candidates are Maneka Gandhi (Aonla) and Jayaprada (Rampur).
Chidambaram is contesting from Sivaganga, Azharuddin
(Muzaffarnagar), Varun Gandhi (Pilibhit), Naqvi (Rampur),
Baalu (Sriperumbudur), Raja (Nilgiris), Maran (Central
Chennai), Azhagiri (Madurai), Aiyar (Mayiladuthurai) and Lone
(Baramulla).
Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur) and Najyot Singh Sidhu
(Amritsar) are among the other prominent candidates.
Elections would be held across 1.21 lakh polling booths.
As many as 5,995 villages and hamlets have been identified as
prone to intimidation and over 18,000 people troublemakers.
PTI TEAM
DEP
NNNN
