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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Briefly

`Abhinetas' become `netas'

NEW DELHI MAY 13. A day that saw many star politicians losing out and new faces creating waves, the D-day of the 14th Lok Sabha polls saw many new stars emerge on the scene. But the topic of discussion at the media centre room of the South Delhi counting centre on Friday were the star candidates of this election.

The elections may have seen a lot of debate on whether film stars should be contesting elections at all, but with the verdict going major in their favour in most cases, one cannot dispute that star power clearly does work in Indian politics. Only, with stars like Dharmendra, Govinda, Jaya Prada, Raj Babbar and Sunil Dutt winning, this particular counting centre saw enough action.

"The voters have obviously realised that both `abhinetas' and `netas' are into acting. And it is better to vote for those who can entertain us better. No wonder all the stars have been elected,'' said one of the officials.

Cell phone blues

NEW DELHI MAY 13. Cell phones and Delhi cops clearly can't see eye-to-eye or better still when journalists are involved the three just don't seem to be able to workout an amicable relationship. Or so it seemed at various counting centres in the Capital today.

This one happened at the Saheed Amir Chand Sarvodaya Vidyalaya counting centre in Ludlow Castle. Journalists reaching the centre today were taken aback with the regulation that required them to leave their cell phones behind. However, no provision was provided for depositing the same.

The rue, of course, did not seem to apply to the candidates and the party workers and though the police maintained that every person inside had been checked and that no cell phones were allowed, Jagdish Tytler was constantly on his cell phone receiving greetings pouring in from everywhere. Many of his party workers too also had managed to get in their phone. This naturally left the journalists feeling duped, as they had been left to cool their heels with a single landline made available to them at the media centre.

They also contested

NEW DELHI MAY 13. Party candidates apart, it was interesting to watch the tally of the independents. Management guru, Shiv Khera, may not have won a place in the 14th Lok Sabha elections, but he did not fare all that badly in his first major exam in politics. He may have been far behind in the race for power in the South Delhi constituency, but Shiv Khera still managed to get over 4,800-odd votes to emerge as the third runner-up.

Yet another interesting candidate was Sanjay Kumar Yadav standing from the New Delhi constituency. Securing the fourth place among 15 candidates, this newspaper vendor managed to win some 680-odd votes. "I thought I would win a lot more. I don't know why I didn't get as much as expected. I have been campaigning everyday. I put in a lot of hard work. I used to travel around on my cycle and give speeches. For my campaigning I only spent Rs. 2000,'' he claimed.

On the other hand, the Capital's only differently-abled candidate, Javed Abidi, contesting from the New Delhi constituency managed to get 397 votes. A disappointed Abidi said, "We expected a much higher number than this and I am baffled by this figure. But at the same time I am happy that we have been able to create awareness among people and sensitise them. I think there is a presumption that the independent candidates would not be able to do well. So while people might have empathised with me, they chose not to vote for me''.

Maken praises Jagmohan

NEW DELHI MAY 13. He might have lost the seat but outgoing Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Jagmohan, got plenty of "kudos" from his opponent in the New Delhi constituency, Ajay Maken. And according to the Congress candidate, even if Jagmohan did not win a seat in Lok Sabha, Indian politics would benefit greatly if the experienced politician joined the Rajya Sabha.

"I have learnt a lot from Mr. Jagmohan. He is a very experienced man. Indian politics needs his experience. He should at least come to the Rajya Sabha,'' said Mr. Maken.

"There is more than a life-size image of Jagmohan. I could not have won without the effort of the party workers,'' he added.

A `postal' victory

NEW DELHI MAY 13. At the Khichripur counting centre for the East Delhi parliamentary constituency, 13 votes evoked some curiosity not only among the counting staff but also among the supporters of various party candidates. These were the postal ballots that included three votes from California in the United States.

Interestingly, though the Congress might have registered an emphatic victory from here, but it was the BJP that polled more votes in the postal ballots. While two votes were declared invalid as one had two stamps on it while on another the voter wrote he did not find any candidate suitable for his vote, of the remaining 11 votes, one went to the winning Congress candidate, Sandeep Dikshit, and 10 went to the BJP candidate, Lal Bihari Tiwari.

Tis Hazari lawyers celebrate

NEW DELHI MAY 13. Sweets were distributed and lawyers congratulated each other on the victory of the Congress candidate from Chandni Chowk, Kapil Sibal. The scene at the Tis Hazari Courts was one of joyous celebration with the lawyers coming out and congratulating each other soon after the result was announced.

In a release, the Delhi Bar Association (DBA) claimed that they have almost always felt ignored and insulted in the past regime.

With the victory of Mr. Sibal, they hoped that the dignity and prestige of the lawyers community would be restored.

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