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Campaigning ends for Budhni by-poll

Staff Correspondent

Chauhan undertakes padyatra to woo voters; 80 booths identified as sensitive

BHOPAL: The curtain came down on campaigning for the May 3 Budhni by-election in Madhya Pradesh on Monday evening. Polling for this election was originally scheduled for April 24 but the Election Commission (EC) had to reschedule the date as there were complaints of violation of the model code of conduct for elections.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, for whom it is mandatory to get elected to the State Assembly within six months of assuming office, is contesting the election from his home turf as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. His main rival is former State Minister Rajkumar Patel. There are 16 candidates in the race. Three of them belong to recognised political parties--the BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party. One candidate belongs to the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), which is a registered party but not a recognised party. Twelve independents are also contesting.

The run-up for the by-election has been marred by a barrage of complaints. The Congress and the GGP candidates have been in the forefront accusing the ruling party of gross violation of EC's model code of conduct.

Those from the ruling party have refuted the charges saying that the wild nature of complaints from the Congress and GGP show that their candidates have already conceded defeat. Mr. Chauhan's supporters have been saying that the Chief Minister's popularity will be amply reflected by the outcome of this election.

In the midst of all the controversy generated by the plethora of complaints and after the removal of the Sehore District Collector and the Superintendent of Police on EC's intervention, Mr. Chauhan preferred to carry forward the last leg of his campaign by marching on foot from one village to another. About 80 booths have been identified as sensitive in the Budhni constituency.

When contacted, an official spokesman said that most of these booths were being considered sensitive not because there was a law and order problem or a communally charged situation. The identification of sensitive booths has been done in most cases on the basis of the percentage of polling recorded at these booths in previous elections.

If the polling percentage has remained below average in some booths, it needs to be ascertained whether or not coercive methods were being used to deprive the voters the right to vote. Similarly one cannot rule out bogus voting in case of booths that have registered a very high percentage of voting in previous elections, he added.

The State Government has declared a general holiday for the areas under the Budhni Assembly constituency on May 3 under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The areas include Nasrullaganj and Budhni tehasils of Sehore district and Khargawali, Janakpur, Tamacharu and Mudiakheda in Babai tehasil of Hoshangabad district.

Crisis of existence

UNI adds: Union Minister of State for Personnel and Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri on Monday said the countdown has begun for the BJP after the formation of a new party by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti.

``The process of fragmentation has begun in the BJP, which faces a crisis of existence,'' Mr Pachauri told reporters here.

He said the presence of Ms Bharti's new party on the political scene would benefit the Congress, which has been discharging its role without conflict due to its organisational structure and unity.

On postponing the date for Budhni assembly by-poll, he said it was true that the Congress had complained to the Election Commission about the violation of the model code of conduct.

However, the EC was a constitutional body and had taken the decision on the basis of report of inquiry by its officer.

Mr Pachauri said electoral prospects of the Congress in Budhni were good.

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