The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : In Nainital, Congress pulls out all the stops

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Saturday, May 01, 2004

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National - Elections 2004

In Nainital, Congress pulls out all the stops

C. K. Chandramohan

NAINITAL

The Nainital parliamentary constituency is in for a fierce battle between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with both doing their very best to ensure victory.

Traditionally a Congress bastion, the constituency becomes all the more important for the party as the Uttaranchal Chief Minister, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, two senior Ministers and the Vidhan Sabha Speaker hail from here. Known as the `Vikas Purush', Mr. Tiwari's image and development projects implemented under his leadership, especially in the past two years, will ensure a respectable win for the party, says the Congress candidate, K.C. Singh Baba, former MLA and member of the Chandrabans royal family.

The Congress workers led by the Minister for PWD and Information, Indira Hirdeyesh, and the Health Minister, Tilak Raj Behad, can be seen canvassing in different areas telling people about the economic importance of the large number of good roads laid during the past two years. "Good roads mean better transport that will lead to industrial progress and an increase in the tourist traffic which will boost per capita earnings', Ms. Hirdeyesh tells people at over a dozen meetings every day. She asks people to raise their hands if they want more roads and better economic opportunities. When the people raise their hands, she asks them to vote for the Congress. "Haath hi apka hamesha saath dega (the hand will always support your endeavours)," she adds.

Mr. Baba enjoys a clean image and is known as a friend of the poor, who doesn't mind hopping on to a bicycle to get around. This image should stand him in good stead on polling day.

The BJP has fielded Vijay Bansal, a former RSS pracharak and industrialist considered an outsider by most people. He hopes to win the seat with the help of the RSS cadres, a fact that has diluted the enthusiasm of the BJP cadres working for him.

The BJP workers, especially the women, are devoting more time to door-to-door contacts in the villages trying to convince the voters that the country needs one more term of the Vajpayee Government to achieve higher growth. The BJP has also made corruption a major issue against the Congress. "I will work for the creation of more jobs and employment opportunities if given the opportunity," Mr. Bansal tells audiences in the villages. He is concentrating on the voters in the Terai area. The BJP has a definite edge over others when it comes to visibility: more flags, cutouts and vehicles flying the party standard. The other important candidate here is Rajesh Shukla, put up by the Samajwadi Party. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded Ghulam Husnain.

In the political din, several basic issues pertaining to the survival of thousands of families seems to be lost. No party is talking about steps to revive the HMT factory in Ranibagh, the two Government cotton mills in Kashipur and Jaspur and the cooperative sector soyabean factory at Halduchaur, all of which have been closed for years throwing thousands out of a job. Many of them are on the verge of starvation and a few have committed suicide.

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