The Hindu : Delhi ballot on May 10

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 01, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi ballot on May 10

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 29. Delhi is all set to witness an interesting battle of the ballot as elections to seven parliamentary constituencies in the Capital, the Election Commission today announced, would be held on May 10 in the fourth and final phase of electioneering.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be trying its best to retain all the seven seats in the Capital, the Congress (I) is not only hoping to repeat its performance in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly elections and the previously held municipal polls, but also to wrest a majority of the seats from its opponents.

Notification for the Delhi Lok Sabha elections would be issued on April 16 with April 23 being the last day of filing nomination papers. Scrutiny of nominations would be carried out the next day on April 24, while April 26 is the last day of withdrawal of nominations if any. After a fortnight long campaigning, elections would be held on May 10. Counting of votes would be taken up on May 13 and the results for all the seven Lok Sabha seats are likely to be announced the same day.

As per the announcement, by-election to the Moti Nagar Assembly constituency would be held along with the Lok Sabha elections. The seat has fallen vacant due to the resignation of Madan Lal Khurana, who is now the Governor of Rajasthan. It would be for the first time in several decades that Mr. Khurana would be missing from the electoral scene of the Capital.

Given the tall stature of most of the BJP members of Parliament from the Capital in the dissolved Lok Sabha, the selection of party candidates for at least six of the seven seats, say its party leaders, was more or less finalised.

According to them, nomination of the Union Tourism Minister, Jagmohan, and the Union Labour Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, from the New Delhi and Outer Delhi Lok Sabha seats respectively was merely a formality. The BJP spokesman, V.K. Malhotra, from South Delhi who in the last 1999 elections had defeated the former Union Finance Minister, Mammohan Singh; the three time MP from East Delhi, Lal Bihari Tiwari; and Anita Arya from Karol Bagh are also likely to be re-nominated by the party.

Though there is no doubt, BJP leaders said, that the Union Minister of State for Sports, Vijay Goel, would be in the fray this time, he is most likely to shift seat from Chandni Chowk to Delhi Sadar, which was earlier represented by Mr. Khurana. Supporters of Mr. Goel consider the Chandni Chowk constituency as an unsafe seat for him. In such a scenario, the party would be left with the task of selecting candidate for just one seat: either Sadar or Chandni Chowk, sources said.

However, the Congress, which is banking upon its remarkable performance in the recently concluded Assembly elections under the dynamic leadership of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, might be having a tough task on hands to select its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. "We have senior established party leaders, who have been repeatedly defeated, even for three consecutive times, in the past. As always they are strong contenders for Lok Sabha ticket and it would be difficult to deny them one," leader said. "On the other hand, there is a strong opinion in the party to give youth and fresh candidates a chance, as the established leaders have been given enough opportunities to prove their mettle," the party leader said.

Among top contenders for the Congress tickets include Sajjan Kumar and Mukesh Kumar from Outer Delhi, Jagdish Tytler and Rajesh Jain from Delhi Sadar; J.P. Aggarwal and Haroon Yusuf from Chandni Chowk, Krishna Tirath and Jai Kishan from Karol Bagh, and Ram Babu Sharma from East Delhi. Names of Anil Shastri from East Delhi and Ajay Maken from South Delhi are also doing the rounds of party circles.

Senior party leaders said talks were going on at the highest level to select the names of party candidates in Delhi. "A few surprises cannot be ruled out," they point out.

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