SPECULATION RIFE IN CHENNAI ON SIMULTANEOUS POLLS
There is a strong buzz in Chennai’s political circles that the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections that are not due for another three years, may be held with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
It is being said that with a nudge from the Centre (read BJP) the ruling “indebted” AIADMK may dissolve the state Assembly early next year and go for simultaneous polls. The BJP is desperate to make an entry in this important southern state and is actively fishing in troubled waters.
A lot of political churning is taking place in Tamil Nadu. While the ruling AIADMK is divided, the DMK’s new head, is trying to find his moorings. Two popular film actors, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are attempting to plunge themselves into electoral politics.
The BJP is playing a high stakes game. Then there is T.T.V. Dinakaran, nephew of jailed politician V.K. Sasikala (the closest aide of late Jayalalithaa), also in the picture. By winning in the bypolls held for the prestigious R.K. Nagar Assembly seat last year with an impressive margin, he had rattled the AIADMK and the BJP.
The general perception is that the BJP is a “trustworthy friend” of the AIADMK. But, according to reliable sources, the BJP’s top commanders are not happy with the way sharp divisions continue to exist in the state’s ruling party. The BJP is going to gamble more on Rajinikanth’s popularity.
The BJP may nudge the AIADMK to dissolve the Assembly at the beginning of 2019 and force the state to go for elections along with the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP is not ready to wait till 2021. The party feels that it stands a better chance to exploit the situation during simultaneous polls in Tamil Nadu.
There is a “Plan B” also. Without coming out in the open, the BJP is planning to fully support Rajinikanth in every manner, and if he manages to secure a good number of Assembly seats, he can be strengthened further by attracting winning MLAs from the AIADMK and the DMK to grab power. The BJP may find it difficult to open its account, but an ally in Rajinikanth can be a valuable support for grabbing power at the Centre. The problem is that no Tamil Nadu party wishes to be seen having an open alliance with the BJP.
Meanwhile, the BJP is worried that an alliance between the DMK and the Congress can overturn its applecart. But the two old allies are still not on the same page.
CONGRESS HUNTS FOR ELECTION SLOGANS
Congress is looking for election campaign slogans that will resonate with the masses. Several sub-groups have been formed by the party’s publicity committee to seek ground-level feedback on issues agitating the farmers, youth, women, and small industrialists and traders. A meeting took place on this agenda a few days ago and was chaired by Anand Sharma.
The Congress aims to prepare the first draft on its 2019 Lok Sabha elections communication strategy before 30 October. But it is still not sure of what the main thrust should be. One thing is, however, certain. Rahul Gandhi will continue to allege corruption in the Rafale deal. “Certainly, Rafale will be our campaign plank as Rahul Gandhi has successfully built a narrative of corruption around the government,” claimed a senior party leader.
In Kapil Sibal’s opinion, “Rafale is a huge political issue ahead of 2019 polls. We want the PM to answer Rafale queries. If he does not answer, we will figure out what to do during pre and post 2019 Lok Sabha election period.”
J&K POLL CANDIDATES UNHAPPY OVER PITRU PAKSHA DATE
In Jammu, Hindu candidates, especially Kashmiri Pandits, are upset as they had to file nomination papers for the urban local bodies during Pitru Paksha (shradh). Pitru Paksha began on 24 September and will end on 8 October. This fortnight is considered inauspicious as per the Hindu calendar so candidates were keen to file nominations earlier.
“This is not a good beginning,” said BJP and Congress candidates who had no option but to file their nomination papers on Tuesday, the last day of filing for the first phase of the poll, as their names were cleared at the eleventh hour. The delay was because of infighting among the top leaders in both parties.
Although the BJP had released a list of candidates on 20 September, the party could not finalise names for over 30 wards due to a lack of consensus among senior leaders.
While the campaigning for the urban local bodies has picked up in Jammu, residential colonies inhabited by migrant Kashmiri Hindu families remain out of focus of political parties and candidates. Thousands of voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls in Jammu and shifted to the Kashmir valley, which is the original place of residence of displaced persons of the community.
Pandit voters live in Jammu, but will have to vote for the municipalities in the valley—where they have not been living for the last three decades—through postal ballot.
BJP LEADERS ON TAPE LURING MLAS: JDS MINISTER
Karnataka’s Minor Irrigation Minister, C.S. Puttaraju has warned the BJP that the JDS has tapes of BJP leaders trying to lure party MLAs to destabilise the JDS-Congress coalition government. “We will make them public at an appropriate time,” he has threatened.
Puttaraju claimed to The Sunday Guardian that the BJP was making futile attempts to destabilise the coalition government and come to power. “The BJP has resorted to misadventures to topple the government. The people of Karnataka are wise and will teach the BJP a lesson in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.”
Asked to explain the recent statement of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, asking people “to stage a riot against the BJP,” Puttaraju said, “it has been misinterpreted and was aimed to mobilise party cadres to protest against the BJP.”
PUNJAB GOVERNOR SHOOTS WELL
On Tuesday, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Union Territory Administrator, V.P. Singh Badnore (70) proved that age is no number. Taking part in a professional shooting event for the first time in his life, Badnore won the silver medal in the veterans’ category of the trap event in the G.V. Mavalankar Shooting Championship held at the MP Shooting Academy range in Bhopal.
“My aim was not to win a medal. I actually wanted to see the shooting facility and to check whether we can have something better than this in our region,” Badnore told The Sunday Guardian. Badnore was preparing for the Bhopal tournament by practising at the New Moti Bagh shooting range in Patiala.
There were only four contestants but Badnore scored 14 points, nine points behind gold winner Pravinsinh Jaysingrao Ghatge of Maharashtra.
“Our officials and architects are not aware about the latest technology or infrastructure,” said Badnore. “My team has examined every aspect of the Bhopal facility. We are now going to build a world-class shooting range in Chandigarh, which will also cater to the shooters of Punjab,” the Governor said.
Man Mohan can be contacted at rovingeditor@gmail.com