The Hindu : POLL-POURRI

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

POLL-POURRI

SMS war

In this age of mobile phones and SMS (Short Message Service), the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have embarked on a "message war." And what better occasion to spread the good word than when the Indian cricket team won a cliff-hanger in Karachi last week. Soon after the victory, the BJP flashed a message: "Match bhi jeeta, dil bhi Jeeta, shabash India (won the match and hearts too, congratulaions India). The Congress responded with three messages. The first read: "Aaj hua hai dil sukhi cricket se kal dukhi ho gaya BJP ke wicket se." The second was: "Bharat jita, jita desh mahan aam aadmi ko bhi mila samman" and the last sought to give credit to Priyanaka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi. "Bharat ko jitne ki sahi aasha thi; Rahul aur Priyanaka team ke pas the."

It's due to him

When the Election Commission warned that the candidature of an MP would be rejected if found in arrears of dues to the Government, such as rent or electricity or telephone bills, it did not mean that having no dues was a great qualification. But at least one MP seeking re-election thinks so. Kirit Somaiya of the BJP, seeking nomination from North-East Mumbai, has circulated his `no dues certificate' issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and is claiming that he is among the few MPs with this qualification.

Learning the ropes

Several eyebrows are being raised at the reports emanating from New Delhi about the candidature of little-known Edward A. Edezath, who is billed to face Sebastian Paul (LDF-Independent) in the central Kerala constituency of Ernakulam, which has a reputation of sending UDF candidates with a thumping majority to Parliament. The 46-year-old selection grade lecturer in English of Kochi's St. Albert's College is an unassuming person who is yet to `learn the mannerisms of a politician'. The other day, mediapersons had a hearty laugh when even district level leaders of the Congress were seen being introduced to Mr. Edezath at a family function of the senior party leader, K. Karunakaran.

A family affair

The former Karnataka Chief Minister, Ramakrishna Hegde's family appears to be cut out for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Well, his children are "suitably" named. In fact, too "suitably" some would say given that his children are named Bharat, Samata and Mamata. So, when Bharat Hegde, Ms. Samata and her husband Gopal decided to join the BJP last week, the absence of his other daughter, Ms. Mamata, from the family line-up was a mirror image of the NDA `parivaar'. Parallels were drawn between the new entrants and the BJP's relationship with Mamata Banerjee. And, though word has it that Ms. Banerjee was not politically inclined and had, therefore, chosen to stay away, those witness to the `Hegde parade' could not help wonder whether she had decided to keep the BJP guessing like her `neither-here-nor-there' namesake.

On track?

Hard to believe but the Nationalist Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee, has already begun projecting herself as the future Railway Minister. On March 14, Ms. Banerjee, now Minister for Coal and Mines, is said to have told her party workers in her Kolkata South parliamentary constituency that she would unveil all railway projects in the capacity of the Railway Minister after Atal Bihari Vajpayee forms the next Government. Without naming Nitish Kumar, Ms. Banerjee said that the present Minister was busy cutting ribbons for projects which had been drawn up during her tenure.

— K.V. Prasad, Arunkumar Bhatt, K. Venkiteswaran, Anita Joshua, Malabika Bhattacharya.

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