The Tribune – Assembly Elections, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, UP

BJP takes Goa – Landslide victory for Cong in Manipur – Dead heat in Uttarakhand – Tough times for UPA ahead – Mulayam routs Maya, setback for Rahul in UP

Anita Katyal, Our Political Correspondent

New Delhi, March 6. Widely perceived as a litmus test for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the results of the five Assembly polls declared today served as a serious warning for the Congress in general and its heir-apparent Rahul Gandhi in particular about the party’s capability to lead the country once again as the morale of cadres sank to a record low.

More immediately, the party’s dismal performance in these elections will spell further trouble for the already beleaguered Congress-led UPA government which will have to contend with a more aggressive Opposition as it heads into a crucial budget session of Parliament. The results were nothing short of a nightmare for the Congress. It faced a humiliating defeat in Punjab where the ruling Akali Dal-BJP government set a record by bucking the anti-incumbency trend to emerge victorious for a second consecutive term. While the party drew some solace from its victories in distant Manipur and Uttarakhand (a wafer-thin margin), it was mauled badly in Goa by the BJP-MGP combine.

However, the UP results were clearly the big story of the day. The Samajwadi Party won a landslide victory and will form the next government without any outside support. While the projection of Mulayum Singh Yadav’s son Akhilsh Singh Yadav as the party’s new face proved to be a real winner, the SP’s ride to power was also helped as it was seen as the strongest party capable of dislodging the Mayawati government.

The results were a personal blow for AICC general secretary and Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi who had taken complete charge of the elections in the state to revive the fortunes of the grand old party. As it happened, Rahul’s intensive and aggressive campaign failed to deliver as the Congress was unable to add substantially to its tally of 22 seats.

While Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, and Rita Bahuguna Joshi, UP Congress chief, were quick to insulate Rahul from criticism, the man who led from the front did not shy away from taking the blame for party’s poor performance. “I led the campaign, I led from the front and so it is my responsibility. We fought collectively, we fought well but the results have not been so good,” he told reporters outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence this evening.

Gracious in defeat, Rahul also conceded that the party’s organisation was not in very good health. “Organisationally, we are not where we should be in UP…I think it will be a very good lesson for me because I think it will make me think about things in a detailed way,” he said, adding that the fundamentals of the Congress in UP are weak and need to be corrected.

Although the party is expected to introspect the election results at a later date, party insiders maintained that the state Congress unit’s over-confidence and complacency had cost them dearly in Punjab. “Everybody assumed they were winning,” remarked a senior AICC functionary. Faulty distribution of tickets and the presence of a large number of rebels were the other factors, which proved to be the party’s undoing, he said.

The Congress campaign in UP got off to a flying start with Rahul focusing on the poor governance record of the Mayawati government but got derailed after the third phase when senior leaders Salman Khurshid and Beni Prasad Verma raised the pitch on the Muslim quota issue.

References to Hindu terror in a state where nobody has been charged in any such case, the possibility of President’s rule and the Batla House encounter issue also contributed in changing the course of the UP election.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120307/main2.htm

The Tribune – 14 women make it to Panjab Assembly

Ruchika M Khanna, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 6. For the first time in the history of Assembly elections in Punjab, as many as 14 women candidates have made it to the Vidhan Sabha. They have surpassed the record of nine women members set in 1960 and 2002 Assembly elections.

In the last Assembly elections, only seven women candidates, out of the 55 who tested the political waters, had succeeded in winning the elections.

Though a majority of women in the fray were Independent candidates, none of them could manage to wrest a seat.

Six women candidates each from the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress have successfully contested this year’s elections. Also, two women candidates contesting on the BJP ticket have made it to the Assembly.

They include Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Lehra), Dr Navjot Sidhu (Amritsar East), Karan Kaur Brar (Muktsar) and Harchand Kaur (Mehal Kalan).

Punjab, known for its feudal mindset, has always been “unfair” to the fairer sex while sharing the political power. There have been times (1969 Assembly elections) when the Vidhan Sabha didn’t have even a single woman legislator.

But things seem to be changing now. These Assembly elections saw maximum number of women candidates joining the fray – a majority of them as Independent candidates.

As many as 93 women contested these elections. Of them, 68 contested as Independent candidates.

While the Congress fielded 11 women, the SAD gave tickets to 10 women and the BJP to three women candidates.

That the number of women voters in the state is now almost the same as male voters and that the women are no longer towing the family line while casting their ballot seem to have helped the women candidates in the fray. During these elections, as many as 66.14 lakh women exercised their franchise, as against 72.78 lakh men.

Though political parties had reposed faith in young blood and given tickets to some young leaders, only two of them won at the hustings.

While Amrinder Singh “Raja” Warring has logged a win from the Gidderbaha seat, Inderbir Singh Bolaria has made the cut from the Amritsar South seat.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120307/punjab.htm#12

Dawn – China official sees militant links in Pakistan

Beijing, 7 March 2012. China is facing a network of militants entrenched in neighbouring states, but authorities, especially in Pakistan, are trying to stamp out violence and protect China’s interests, the governor of China’s Xinjiang region said on Wednesday.

China has blamed incidents of violence in Xinjiang on Islamic separatists who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

Some Chinese officials have blamed attacks on Muslim militants trained in Pakistan, though China’s Foreign Ministry has refrained from public criticism of Pakistan.

Xinjiang’s governor, however, was more explicit.

“We have certainly discovered that East Turkestan activists and terrorists in our neighbouring states have a thousand and one links,” Nur Bekri said on the sidelines of China’s annual meeting of parliament, when asked about a Pakistan connection with attacks in Xinjiang.

“But officials, especially in Pakistan, have said over and over again they oppose any violent activities directed against China and will maintain China’s national sovereignty and core interests,” he said.

Both Chinese and Pakistani officials have in the past said that the militants based in western China have ties to the Pakistani Taliban and other militants in northwestern Pakistani regions along the Afghan border.

Officials in Kashgar, a city in south Xinjiang, said a stabbing attack there in late July was orchestrated by members of the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement who trained in Pakistan before returning to China.

Bekri said he was assured of Pakistani support in the campaign against militancy.

“China and Pakistan are indeed all-weather friends. This is the basis founded by the previous generations of leaders,” Bekri said.

Pakistan and China have long been allies but Pakistan has leaned closer to China after its tense relationship with the United States, its major donor, was strained in May when US forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan where he appears to have hidden for several years.

China sees Xinjiang as a bulwark against the predominantly Muslim countries of central Asia. The region, with a sixth of the country’s land mass, is also rich in natural resources, including oil, coal and gas.

The Muslim Uighur people account for just over 40 percent of the region’s 21 million population. Many chafe at government controls on their culture and religion.

Last week, the government said attackers wielding knives killed 13 people in a remote southern part of Xinjiang before police shot seven of them dead.

Exiled Uighur groups and human rights activists say China overstates the threat posed by militants in Xinjiang, which sits astride south and central Asia.

http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/07/china-official-sees-militant-links-in-pakistan.html

Netherlands 23 december till 2 January, Den Haag & Amsterdam

From Den Haag to Delft and back
30 December 2011

Den Haag, Leeghwaterplein, tunnel leading to station Holland Spoor

Den Haag, Leeghwaterplein, tunnel leading to station Holland Spoor
HTM Tram 1 to Scheveningen

Den Haag, Leeghwaterplein
HTM Tram 16 to Den Haag Central Station

Delft, Station NS
HTM Tram 1 to Delft Tanthof

Delft, Station NS
NS is constructing a tunnel and underground station for its main line rail operation

To see more Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Belgium / Netherlands pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Hindu – Sonia meets general secretaries to discuss poll results

New Delhi, 7 March 2012. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday held a meeting of party general secretaries and office bearers to discuss the outcome of the Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, and the reasons behind it.

Ms. Gandhi met party general secretaries and office-bearers at the All Indian Congress Committee headquarters here and later discussed the poll results with general secretaries in-charge of the five states.

General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who had campaigned extensively for the party in Uttar Pradesh, kept away from the meeting.

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, in-charge of UP; Chaudhary Birendra Singh, in-charge of Uttarakhand; Gulchain Singh Charak, in-charge of Punjab; Jagmeet Singh Brar, in-charge of Goa; and Luizinho Faleiro, in-charge of Manipur, were present in the meeting with Gandhi.

Congress was hopeful of wresting Punjab from the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP but put up a dismal performance. In Uttar Pradesh also the party could improve its tally by only six seats from 22 in 2007 to 28 this time.

Congress had virtually made UP a prestige issue and Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh had made all efforts to improve the tally. However, Samajwadi Party swept the polls with an unprecedented 224 seats in its kitty.

Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday accepted responsibility for the party’s dismal performance in UP. (PTI)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2969685.ece?homepage=true

The Tribune – Badal makes History in Panjab, retains power

How the Akali-BJP combine bucked the anti-incumbency trend and routed the Congress despite the Manpreet factor

Naveen S Garewal, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 6. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance made history by overcoming anti-incumbency to retain power for the second consecutive term, thus creating history in the Punjab electoral politics. By winning 56 seats on its own and with its alliance partner BJP winning 12 seats, this will be the first time in Punjab’s history that a ruling party has been voted back to power.

By wrestling 68 of the 117 Assembly sets, the Akali BJP combine has got a formidable lead over its main rival, Congress, which has won 46 seats. While three independents have won at the hustings, the Third Front under the banner of “Sanjha Morcha” has failed to get any seat.

The People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) which was part of the third front failed to open its account and its president Manpreet Singh Badal lost both Gidderbaha and Maur seats. In fact he was third on both these two seats. The SAD-BJP alliance won the contest, but several of its heavyweights fell. This includes Vidhan Sabha Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon and ministers, Hira Singh Gabria, Sucha Singh Langha, Tikshan Sud, Ranjit Singh Brahampura, Satpal Gosain. Arunesh Kumar, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Upinderjit Kaur, besides others.

It was only a one per cent swing in votes that gave the SAD – BJP alliance a gain of 22 seats. The SAD-BJP alliance polled 42 per cent votes with the Congress getting 41 per cent of the vote share. The PPP got six per cent votes that damaged the Congress more than it could harm the Akali Dal. Independents and others according to initial reports secured 11 percent votes that upset many poll calculations.

With a clear verdict in his party’s favour, SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal is all set to be the Chief Minister of Punjab for the fifth time.

On the other hand, his bete noire and Punjab Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh, while conceding defeat for his party, accepted that the presence of 22 rebels against official party nominees was one of the major reasons for the setback.

Though the elections for the 117 seats were held on January 30, the people of Punjab have had to wait for nearly five weeks to know the outcome. The Model Code of Conduct remains in place till March 9 after which the swearing in of the chief minister and his cabinet would take place.

Chief Minister Badal said that his party was voted back to power because the SAD-BJP alliance lived up to every promise it made to the people. Besides, the alliance was successful in maintaining peace and communal harmony, besides ushering development – which translated into a victory for us, he said.

The SAD – BJP emerged victorious due to several reasons. It announced populist manifesto that promised continuing subsidies through schemes like atta-dal, pensions, free electricity and water, etc. In contrast, the PPP that was opposed to withdrawal of subsidies was completely voted out.

The split in the SAD in October 2010 with the then finance minister Manpreet Badal breaking away has proved advantageous to the Akalis. Fearing that Manpreet would bite into their vote bank, they started preparing for the current elections much ahead of the Congress and braced up their cadres and reviewed the party’s strengths and weaknesses.

The failure of the Congress to involve prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the election campaign also proved costly. In the 2009 Parliamentary elections the Congress got a lot of votes in his name. But fearing that the scams faced by the Manmohan Singh Government may turn into major issues, the Congress let its President Sonia Gandhi and her family become the star campaigners. This did not click with Punjabis. Further the bigger scams at the centre overshadowed the smaller issues in Punjab.

Both the Badals – father-son duo – remained accessible to the people. This was perhaps what also paid back. The combination of governance reforms agenda clubbed with availability of the Akali leadership paid off.

Punjab like Haryana has an important lesson for the region. Alternating government every five years is now a thing of the past, reasonable governance with welfare measure for the people can ensure a repeat mandate. It has happened in Gujarat, Bihar and now people have started evaluating performance.

But what is true for the Akalis is not really the case for its alliance partner the BJP. The BJP has come down from 19 seats it held in 2007 to 12 this time. But it has done better than most people had expected. The most important reason for BJP doing well is that the SAD has helped the BJP come up higher than it would have done on its own. Further, the BJP managed to curb the rot in its ranks by completely eliminating dissidence. Lastly, the BJP replaced many of its candidates brining freshness into its campaign leading to a fair performance.

The Congress was jubilant and was expecting a lot from these polls simply on the presumption that was its turn to form the next government. But with the central Congress leadership faltering in giving any direction to the state leadership and then failing to identify and give tickets to the right candidates led it to its current state. The Congress leaders in Delhi got tickets for their cronies in Punjab with a view to have a proxy base in the state. This did not work for either the candidates or the party whose official nominees were faced by 22 rebels.

Badal on the other hand managed to keep his flock together. Giving a united fight, the SAD managed to get even “paratroopers” like Janmeja Singh Sekhon win from a constituency like Maur. For the Congress factors like Dera Sacha Sauda also did not work.

Sukhbir Badal who is getting all the credit for leading his party to victory has mastered the art of winning elections. He summed up the success of his party by saying, “The art of contesting elections has changed and one must adapt to the trends to be successful”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120307/main1.htm

The Tribune – Assembly Elections

Punjab (seats 117) SAD+BJP: 68, Cong: 46, others 3

Uttar Pradesh (403) SP 224, BSP 80, BJP 47, Congress 37, others 15

Uttarakhand (70) Congress 32, BJP 31, BSP 3, others 4

Manipur (60) Cong 42, TMC 7, others 11

Goa (40) BJP+ 24, Cong 9, others 7

More election news to follow