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Will Sori be able to make a difference in the lives of people?

We

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

No smooth sailing for Samajwadi Party in UP

People struck up in vortex of corruption : Chauhan

Modi factor leads to consolidation of Hindu votes, but Muslim votes divided

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

he State

Dhoni expects Super Kings to reach at least semifinal

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Vol-02. Issue-29. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/Online edition availble at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in
POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Jacqueline's love triangle with Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat

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NEWS max
No common candidate of secular front in Varansi
VARANSI: While there had been a lot of talk about a common candidate of the "secular" front being fielded in Varanasi, it has not materialized because none of the parties would want to be seen as ceding space against Modi and instead would want to present itself as the principal voice against the Hindutva mascot. This would end the biggest mystery in the Varanasi battle. Earlier, the Congress's delay in announcing the candidate from the Lok Sabha seat had triggered speculation that the party could be looking for a "big" name like Karan Singh who was sent to contest against Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lucknow. But failing to find any big name to take on Bjp's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress finally fielded Ajay Rai from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Rai is Congress MLA from Pindra near Varanasi and belongs to Bhumihar community. The constituency is thus set for a contest between Modi, Aam Aadmi Party (Aap) chief Arvind Kejriwal and Rai besides the nominees of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The temple town of Uttar Pradesh has taken centre stage in this election after BJP decided to field Modi and AAP declared Kejriwal's name to contest here. The BJP claims that Modi's presence in the holy city would shore up the party's chances in eastern UP region that has 32 Lok Sabha seats on offer. While Kejriwal latched on Modi's announcement to stake his claim there, the Congress had been hamstrung by the absence of a personality to take on the formidable saffron rival.

Will tribals
be denied the right to vote ?
some tribals in encroachment cases refutes all the charges. "If there is any electoral list then why no one has produced it instead of levelling baseless allegations," told Brij Kishore. "The fact that forest department and administration had levelled encroachment charges way back in 2004 substantiate tribals claim that they have been living here for a long time, but voting rights have not been extended to them," he said. Tribals representatives allege that collector Rajesh P Mishra never informed about his visit which caused all the confusion. "Tribals subsist on minor forest produce such as mahua and firewood. This is mahua season and tribals had gone to collect mahua when collector visited the place," claims Rajendra Garhwal. But, the collector alleged that the tribals were being exploited as SJP's Fagram is a candidate from the seat. "We made a complaint to the Election Commission following which a report has been submitted by Election Commission observer Sushil Kumar," said Aflatoon Afloo, National Secretary, Samajwadi Janparishad. Now, the real question is: Will the tribals get a chance to vote on April 24? Tribals and their representative have requested Election Commission to take a final call on their claims. "If we are wrong prove us so, otherwise don't take away our right to vote," claim the tribals. "They have never voted in their lives, either in Chhindwara or Betul. Anyone who lives in any place for more than six months is eligible to vote there," said Rajendra Garhwal.

How WE look it !
Betul very vote counts, but for tribals of a village in Danwakheda forest, this sounds like a cruel joke. They have been trying for voting rights for a long time now, but with each passing day their hope in the democracy seems to be fading away. Danwakheda forest comes under Ghodadongri Assembly segment of the Betul seat. Lok Sabha polls for this segment will be held on April 24. The clock is clicking very fast for the tribals and they are clamouring for their right to vote. Unfortunately, there is no clarity on their fate as everything seems to be mired in paper work now. More than 55 Gond and Korku tribals (see pictures), led by Rajendra Garwahl of

Samajwadi Jan Parishad (SJP), covered up to 70 Kilometre to stage a protest at the Betul Collectorate recently demanding voting rights. "They have been living here since 2000, but despite repeated requests, administration refuses to recognise them," told Rajendra Garhwal. Rajesh P Mishra, Collector Betul district, termed them as illegal encroachers who are residents of neighbouring Chhindwara district and no such village exists as claimed by the tribals. "When I visited this area this month I found only four sheds and only 10 tribals were present there. These Tribals are actually from Chhindwara which is 3 km from there and they are on the voters list in Chhindwara," claimed Rajendra Garhwal. However, Brij Kishore Pandey, a lawyer representing

CHHATTISGARH EXPLORE

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

Will Sori be able to make a

difference in the lives of people?
RAIPUR
The fate of Soni Sori, who was branded a Maoist agent and sexually tortured in police stations and jails for months, was sealed in EVM. She was the only woman fighting elections from Bastar parliamentary Chhattisgarh. However, the candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made international headlines for the bold move she took just months after getting out of jail on bail. The question uppermost in everyone's mind is whether Sori would get elected to parliament so that she could make a difference in the lives of her people who are caught between the red rebels and the security forces. The mother of three began her election campaign with her account showing a bank balance of 424 rupees and a total asset of 1,95,000 rupees, the poorest among the eight candidates in the constituency.Her opponents are Devchand Dhruwe of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with a total asset of 3,71,000 rupees, Dinesh Kashyap of BJP with 1.61 crore and Arjun Singh Thakur of Ambedkarite Party of India with 4.68 crore rupees. What has boosted the most is the enormous financial support she received from friends and well wishers, some from far away countries such as Canada and US. Funds were raised at a function organized in Edmonton, Canada, on March 31 by AAP member Anurag Srivastava. Sori made history by publishing her manifesto on a 1,000-rupee judicial stamp paper, saying that if she falters, electors can use it against her. "I have released a manifesto on a stamp paper and not just a leaflet. People should use it against me if I fail to fulfil what I promise and stand for," Sori said. Sori's manifesto promises 10 million rupees as compensation to families of security personnel killed in Maoist violence, rehabilitation of victims of land acquisition and employment opportunities for local youths. It also promises to fight for tribals, who are languishing in jails. She has become AAP's mascot against oppression and travails of tribals. The tribal school teacher had been imprisoned in 2011 by the state's ruling BJP state government allegedly for being a Maoists' sympathizer. The state police had filed a criminal case against her for allegedly acting as a conduit between the Essar Group and Maoists. She was granted permanent bail by the Supreme Court in February this year, after several NGOs rallied for her release. Sori was arrested by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch for Chhattisgarh Police in 2011 on charges of acting as a conduit for Maoists. During her imprisonment, she alleged that she was tortured and sexually assaulted by Chhattisgarh state police. By April 2013, the courts had acquitted her in six of the eight cases filed against her due to lack of evidence. Sori's father, Mundra Ram, is a former Indian National Congress chief of their home village of Bade Bedma. Her family has large landholdings in the region. Her father also acted as an informant for the state police. He was shot in the leg by Maoist rebels in 2011. Sori's mother fell ill after Sori's arrest and died in 2012. Her husband Anil Futane, a driver, had been detained for one year on charges of collaboration with the Maoist rebels.

constituency in Chhattisgarh, a region in central India under the red rebels' control. The 39-year-old tribal woman teacher from Jabeli village of Dantewada was among the last to enter the fray in the constituency that went to poll on April 10, the first phase of poll in

Forest dept to plant trees to attract migratory birds

RAIPUR The Chhattisgarh Wildlife Society and the Chhattisgarh state forest department have decided to plant more trees to invite the migratory birds to keep coming, though their excreta destroy the trees and they never return to them. Instructions are given to start plantation by first week of July, at the start of the monsoon. And the locals are informed to restrain from cutting the branches, principal chief conservator of forest, Ram Prakash said. Prakash said his department would plant peepal, neem, babool and banyan trees in ten identified spots where Asian Open Bill Storks nest upon. Open Bill Stork is a major species among the 11 Stork species in Asia. Apart from India, it is found in small numbers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Monsoon invites the migratory bird Asian Open Bill Stork to more than ten spots in Chhattisgarh. Storks come in flocks of 2,000 5,000 and nestle on trees in Raipur district of the state. Gudrudih village, near Tumgaon in Mahasamund district, used to be a nesting place for more than 1,000 birds. But the place is now deserted with not a single Asian Bill visiting. Trees they nestle upon get plastered with toxic bird excreta, and afterwards these birds never return to these trees.

Rajnandgaon at the forefront of the ECI's SVEEP programme

Raipur Rajnandgaon has been also at the forefront of the ECI's SVEEP programme, Systematic Voters' Education And Electoral Participation. As part of SVEEP, an initiative, PRTIGYA, an acronym for People in Rajnandgaon Affirmatively Take Initiative to Generate Youth electoral Awareness, was launched here during the assembly polls and it won the EC's Best Electoral Practice Award. The award was conferred by the President of India recently. Since the campaign was aimed at motivating youth, Dr Priyanka Shukla, chief executive Officer (zila panchayat, Rajnandgaon), the moving force behind the campaign, widely used the social network to reach out to the targeted audience. The Facebook page of PRTIGYA has over 6500 likes and is being used to motivate voters. It has daily updates and a lot of youngsters interact on it. Meanwhile, in order to encourage voters in Chhattisgarh, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Rajnandgaon, has come out with a novel idea. All the private nursing homes of the state registered with the association will provide discount in the outpatient department (OPD) fees to people who show ink mark on their finger to prove their participation in polling. Secretary of IMA, Rajnandgaon Dr Pankaj Jethani said all the private nursing homes of state affiliated to the association have decided that a discount of at least 25% would be offered on all services for three days, April 17-19, to those who would cast their votes. "All one has to do is to shown his/her inked index finger to avail the discount", said Jethani.

BHOPAL

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

BRIEF
Cong can hope to win Chhindwara, Satna
BHOPAL otes were cast nine constituencies in the state in the first phase of elections. The fate of candidates from Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Mandla, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara and Hoshangabad constituencies was sealed in electronic voting machines. BJP is in safe zone in Mandla, Shahdol, Balaghat and Hoshangabad seats. Mandla and Shahdol are in the Congress' kitty but BJP candidate Phaggan Singh Kulaste and Dalpat Singh Paraste may register victory this time. Congress can hope to win Chhindwara and Satna. The contest will be tough in Sidhi and Jabalpur. There is three-cornered contest in Rewa and Satna. In Balaghat too, there is Modi wave which is helping BJP candidate Bodhsingh Bhagat. Similarly, Hoshangabad Congress MP Rao Udaipratap Singh joining the BJP has come as shocker to the Congress from the election point of view. In Rewa, BJP candidate Janardan Mishra could outsmart Congress candidate Sunderlal Tiwari and BSP's Devraj Patel. Mishra is getting the benefit of the image of Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Similarly, in Satna, there is a triangular contest between Congress' Ajay Singh, BJP MP Ganesh Singh and BSP's Dharmendra Tiwari. With the Maihar MLA Narayan Tripathi quitting the Congress and joining the BJP, the latter may benefit. However, individual anti-incumbency against Ganesh Singh is damaging BJP's prospects. There is a tough contest between BJP and Congress in Sidhi. BJP has fielded a new face in Riti Pathak against Congress candidate, the former minister Indrajit Patel, which has made the contest interesting. The BJP is working hard for the victory of its candidate Chandrabhan Singh from Chhindwara but Kamalnath still has an edge. The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan may have addressed 10 public meetings there but defeating Congress in Chhindwara seems to be a daunting task. The BJP MP Rakesh Singh from Jabalpur seat may face trouble from Congress candidate Vivek Tankha. The incident of firing by BJP MLA's son on Congress workers is giving political leverage to the Congress. In the 2009 general elections, the BJP and Congress had won four seats each while one seat had fallen into the kitty of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

People struck up in vortex of corruption : Chauhan

BHOPAL Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has said the people of the country have been stuck up in the vortex of corruption, dearness and insecurity. They are looking for a change in this Lok Sabha election and they are looking at the BJP with hopes that it would provide powerful leadership to the country. He said the BJP has moved the development cart of the State on a single wheel for ten years. Now the time has come when we have the opportunity to elect a BJP Government led by Narendra Modi at the Centre so that the country and State both could run fast on development path. Addressing an election meeting at Panna recently, Chauhan said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee left the country financially sound. At that time, the current Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram had lauded the pink status of the Indian economy of that time and hoped to take it further, but during the past 10 years, the Congressled United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has ruined all the achievements done by the Vajpayee Government. He further said that BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has earned worldwide good-will by presenting model of development and good governance. The CM said for country's pride and development the people of country would make Mission 272 + a huge success. He said during the past ten years, Madhya Pradesh has attained comprehensive development despite the partisan attitude of the Central Government. The assistance meant for the States were either curtailed or stopped by the UPA Government because the Congress could not see the State prosper, he added. jobs, security, infrastructure and justice for all Indians," he said on micro-blogging site Twitter. "Our armed forces should be kept out of communal politics at any cost and added that any inimical attempt to do so should face prosecution," he tweeted without taking any names.

Meanwhile, in an apparent reference to SP leader Azam Khan's 'hate' speech dragging the Kargil conflict into the high-voltage Lok Sabha electioneering, Chauhan said he was appalled by the desperate attempts to communalise the polls. "India needs growth,

RAIPUR TRAIL

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

3rd phase of polling: Maoist violence

reported from various parts

Raipur of Narayanpur district, Padeli and Raigabodi in Kondagaon, he said. Voting was suspended for few minutes in many of these places but presently it is undergoing smoothly, he said. Two jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed on Thursday in a landmine blast in Jamui parliamentary constituency in Bihar at around 5:30 am, one and a half hour before the start of polling in the area. The incident took place when CRPF and Bihar Police team were travelling in two jeeps and were on their way to a polling station in Jamui. The Maoists triggered an IED planted under the bridge they were crossing, near Sawa Lakh Baba Mandir at the entrance of Bhimbandh jungle. In the blast, five others jawans also suffered injuries and were rushed to the Sadar Hospital in nearby Munger district. Meanwhile, additional forces have been deployed in the area in the face of more such attacks during the day. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan is in the fray from the Jamui parliamentary constituency against Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary of the Janata Dal

Amid unprecedented security arrangements, Maoists violence is being reported from different parts of the country during the third phase of polling across 11 states and three Union Territories to pick 91 of the 543 MPs. Maoists opened fire on security forces near 10 polling booths in Chhattisgarh's Bastar parliamentary seat, where around 30 percent of the electorate cast their votes till noon. Besides, a huge haul of explosives, including 15 IEDs and three pressure bombs, were today recovered by security forces from separate places, averting a massive strike by the ultras in the insurgency-hit region. "Naxals opened fire on security forces near around ten polling booths while voting was underway there. No injury or casualty was reported in the incidents," a senior police official said. Rebels fled to the forest after security personnel launched retaliatory attack on them, he said. The polling booths where firing was reported are - Korra and Amirgarh in Sukma district, Samoli and Thanikarka booths in Dantewada district, Nednar booth

(United) and Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Polling is going on in six parliamentary constituencies of Bihar, including Jamui, today. All six -- Jamui, Aurangabad, Sasaram, Gaya, Nawada and Karakat are located in the Maoists-affected areas in the state. Maoists had earlier given a call for a poll boycott. In another incident, Gaya Police

seized six can bombs weighing 30 kg each from Banke Bazar area under Imamganj Assembly segment, which is part of Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat, where too polls are underway. The bombs were defused, Gaya senior superintendent of police Nishant Tiwari said. Maoists have looted electronic voting machines in the Kotpad area of Odisha.

Nobody will remain to deal with Naxalism hungry under BJP rule
Chhattisgarh needs focus on development
RAIPUR RAIPUR Chief Minister Raman Singh claimed Chhattisgarh is the first state in India to enact a Food Security Act to get the foodgrains to the most needy.Addressing a public gathering at Geedam recently, Singh said nobody will remain hungry under the BJP rule in Chhattisgarh and to ensure a two square meal daily to the poor, the state government has been providing rice at rupee one per kilogram. He said the Congress party is responsible for the inflation, price rise, unemployment and the Maoist violence. Hitting out at the Manmohan Singh government, the chief minister said poverty has increased across the country ment that the people had to face inflation and price rise. The terrible inflation, increasing Maoist activities and terrorism are the outcome of the ten-year Congress rule, he remarked. The Congress is responsible for the current situation and in the ensuing Lok Sabha election the people are determined to give it an emotional farewell. In India, the poor became poorer under the Congress raj, he remarked amid clapping by voters at Makdi. In his speeches, Raman Singh not only attacked the Congress-led UPA government, but also highlighted the development and welfare measures the BJP government in Chhattisgarh for the villages, the poor and the farmers, during the last ten years.

during the Congress rule. The increase in the prices of essential commodities has hit the common people hard. The Chief Minister said his government will provide electricity to every village, and improve communication by building concrete roads. He said it was because of the flawed economic policy of the Congress-led UPA govern-

Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh has said the state needs focus on development of national highways and railway networks. He said a national policy on procurement of minor forest produce is needed that would directly benefit a vast tribal population. Singh said Naxalism is a national problem affecting many states and a comprehensive national policy and strategy is needed to deal with it. Our focus will be on taking up massive development initiatives, including construction of roads and other infrastructure in Maoist affected areas by ensuring security with deployment of adequate forces and simultaneously using high-end technology, including deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other state-of-the-art equipment to track down Maoist leaders. Singh said tackling Maoist menace is high on BJP agenda. It has already been discussed at party level. He said a comprehensive development plan for tribal areas coupled with high technology backed action to counter Naxalites would be put in place once Modi government assumes power at Centre after Lok Sabha polls. The chief minister said the conventional warfare against Maoist guerrillas has not been so effective. The strategy has to change to track them with the use of modern technology, Singh said. He praised the then Union home minister P Chidambaram for what he termed as fearless actions in anti-Naxalite operations but said his successor Sushil Kumar Shinde could not take any bold decisions to deal with them. Tribal Bastar region in state's South and tribal Sarguja region in the North would benefit if Centre agrees to change the funding pattern to bring it on lines of North-Eastern states, Singh said.

MADHYA PRADESH

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

School children meet CS, give suggestions on various issues

BHOPAL A number of school children with office-bearers of Child Rights Observatory, Madhya Pradesh and UNICEF called on Chief Secretary Anthony de Sa here recently. On the occasion, the Chief Secretary also released a book "Aawazen Bachchon Ki". Chairperson of Child Rights Observatory Nirmala Buch and Madhya Pradesh Head of UNICEF Traver Clark were present on the occasion. The Chief Secretary discussed and sought information from children about teaching arrangements. The school children put forth suggestions regarding Right to Education Act, Child Labour Act and holding various activities for children in schools. The Chief Secretary said that apart from education, it is also the right of children to get various facilities in schools as per their sports and cultural interests. The children expressed their views on what type of activities they like to have in schools and what changes they want in school syllabus. They spoke about the extracurricular activities in their respective schools. They discussed issues like corporal punishment in schools, need of

Software to ensure transparency in disbursal of relief to hail-hit farmers

Bhopal
The state government has developed a software www.onlinereliefmp.in to bring about transparency in the action plan for distribution of relief to people affected by hailstorm/untimely rainfall between January and March 14, 2014 in the state. Relief Commissioner has issued instructions in this regard to collectors of all concerning 49 districts to ensure timely distribution of relief by allocating amounts following assessment of affected crops as per norms prescribed in revenue book of circulars 6-4. For this, directives have been given to collectors to send demand for additional relief in PDF format duly signed by them to email address relief.com@mp.nic.in immediately. The Relief Commissioner has further directed to specially ensure that no eligible person is left out while making field survey and assessment of loss and no ineligible person is given relief amount. In order to distribute immediate relief to calamity affected persons, the state government had made partial allocation of funds in March during last financial year 2013-14. Now, an action plan has been chalked out to allocate relief funds to districts from available budget for current fiscal 2014-15. As per it, the districts demanding Rs. 20 crore relief will be given cent percent amount while 50 percent or upto Rs. 20 crore, whichever is more, will be given to the districts demanding over Rs. 20 crore relief.

children forums in both private and government schools to provide a platform to children to share their views, violence against children, child marriage and others. They also said that children should be consulted when plans are made for them. Chief secretary assured the children that they would be consulted in planning process and added that government was committed to ensure development for children. The Chief Secretary said the non-academic activities are also

equally important for the physical and mental growth of the children. The children who met the Chief Secretary today belonged to Bhopal's Sunflower School situated in Naya Basera area, 7 Hills Public School, Arera Hills, Ankur Middle School, Shivaji Nagar, Ankur Higher Secondary School, Ravishankar Nagar and Itarsi's Jeevoday Vidyalaya. Shri Anil Gulati of UNICEF and Shri Raghuraj Singh of Child Rights Observatory were also present on the occasion.

All polling booths to be declared no smoking zone

BHOPAL The state government has sent letter through Public Health and Family Welfare Department to all district collectors saying that all polling booths should be declared "no-smoking zone". Notice boards saying "Smoking Prohibited" should be installed at all polling booths. It is noteworthy that the Central Government has banned smoking at public places like government offices, centres of entertainment, libraries, hospitals, stadiums, hotels, shopping malls, coffee houses, private offices, bus stops, court premises, railway stations, cinema halls, restaurants, auditoriums, airports, waiting rooms, bus stops, public transport, educational institutions, tea stalls, confectionary shops, dhabas etc. Smoking at these places may entail fine of Rs. 200. This order can be enforced by government servants up to inspector ranks and all senior officers. 34.26 percent young voters in state In 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, 4 crore 80 lakh 91 thousand 624 voters will cast their votes. These include, 2 crore 52 lakh 89 thousand 978 males,

Shortage of quality technicians and experts cause of concern

BHOPAL Inaugurating 3-day international conference on community systems and network technology here recently, Governor Ram Naresh Yadav said that our country has registered considerable progress in communication and network technology during last some years. However, constant depletion of number of high-class technicians and network experts is a cause of concern. This shortage can assume alarming proportions if timely action is not taken in this regard. The conference was held to mark golden jubilee year of National Institute of Technical Education Training and Research. The Governor inaugurated the conference by lighting a lamp and released golden jubilee logo and souvenir of the institution. The Governor said that women should increase their participation in communication system and technology network sector. He said that the way our country has progress in this sector is a source of inspiration for entire world. Our young scientists' demand and respect has increased in the world.

2 crore 28 lakh 592 females and 1054 other voters. Number of young voters is maximum among voters in the state. The number of voters turning 18 years of age as on January 1, 2014 and from 18 up to the age of 29 is one crore 64 lakh 75 thousand 859 who will exercise their franchise on April 10, 17 and 24. This is 34.26 percent of total number of voters in the state. Number of voters of 18-19 years is 16 lakh 43 thousand 741 and 20 - 29 years one crore 48 lakh 32 thousand 118 which is 3.42 percent and 30.84 percent, respectively.

EDITORIAL

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

ASTROLOGY
16-04-2014- Wednesday - Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh-Ekam Positive directions -West and South Bad time - 12:27 pm to 2:02 pm Good time - 6:07 am to 9:17 am and 10:52am to 12:26 pm and 3:36 pm to 6:46 pm 17-04-2014-Thursday- Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh- Dwitiya Positive directions-North and West Bad time - 2:01 pm to 3:37 pm Good time - 6:06 am to 7:41 am and 10:51 am to 2:00 pm and 5:12 pm to 6:47 pm 18-04-2014- Friday -Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh- Tririya Positive directions -North and West Bad time - 10:51 am to 12:25 pm Good time - 6:05 am to 10:50 am and 12:26 pm to 2:01 pm and 5:12 pm to 6:47 pm 19-2014- Saturday -Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh- Chaturthi Positive directions-North and East Bad time - 9:15 am to 10:51am Good time - 7:40 am to 9:14 am and 12:26 pm to 5:12 pm 20-04-2014- Sunday - Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh- Paanchmi (Shashthi Tith Kshay) Positive directions - North and East Bad time - 5:12 pm to 6:48 pm Good time - 7:39 am to 12:26 pm and 2:01 pm to 3:37 pm 21-04-2014- Monday -Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh- Saptami Positive directions- South and East Bad time - 7:39am to 9:14 am Good time - 6:03 am to 7:38 am and 9:15 am to 10:50 am and 2:01 pm to 6:48 pm 22-04-2014-Tuesday-Vaishakh Mah Krishnapaksh-Ashatmi Positive directions-South and East Bad time - 3:37 pm to 5:13 pm Good time - 9:14 am to 2:01 pm By AACHARYA SARVESH E-Mail: acharya.sarvesh@yahoo.com Mobile: 9826609192

Modi factor leads to consolidation of Hindu votes, but Muslim votes divided
and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (U). The Bihari Muslim is torn between Nitish Kumar, who sacrificed his alliance with BJP over Modi, and the RJD-Congress alliance, which did nothing for Muslims but appears to be more viable than stranded Nitish Kumar. Muslims would have liked to stand by Nitish, but he cannot defeat the BJP. So their vote could be split, helping the BJP. Modi's key role has been to break the caste barrier even while opening up the divide for the "secular" vote to flow to many parties. In fact, all the secular fights relate to Muslim versus Muslim this time. In Saharanpur, Congress candidate Imran Masood dished out his "boti, boti" video in order to make himself a superior claimant for the Muslim vote, which his Samajwadi Party candidate (and cousin) Shadan Masood looked set to capture. In Delhi, even as the Jama Masjid's Imam Bukhari batted for Congress and Sonia Gandhi, his brother Syed Yahya Bukhari, said the Aam Aadmi Party deserved the Muslim vote. Again, even Muslims are divided on which secular party to vote for. By creating so many rivals to himself in so many parties, Modi has inadvertently and effectively divided rather than united the opposition against him.

he so-called secular parties face a difficult situation in the present Lok Sabha polls. The secular parties are likely to achieve the exact opposite of what they intend: an easy win for Modi. In many constituencies where the Muslim vote matters in the battleground states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which is where the BJP's fate will be decided, there is more than one "secular" claimant for the Muslim vote. For example Aligarh in UP is seeing a situation where the Muslim vote is divided while the Hindu vote is uniting due to the Modi factor. Normal voting theory states that

Muslim votes unite while Hindu votes divide along caste lines. But this time it is the other way round. The Muslim vote in Aligarh appears split between the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and, to some extent, the Congress. It is the Hindu vote that seems to be consolidating behind Modi, even breaking caste barriers. The Muslim vote in western Uttar Pradesh is headed towards the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Mayawati, while in Bihar Chirag Paswan, son of LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, may win if the Muslims divide their vote between Lalu Prasad's RJD

Vastu tips for business

Make an altar with image or idol of Lord Vishnu. Light a lamp of pure ghee and a stick of incense and sit facing the image. Recite Vishnu Sahestranaam (1000 names of Lord Vishnu). You dont have to recite all these in one sitting; you can do so in installments of 100 each day, taking 10 days to complete. Try to do at the same time and place each day. On a Friday falling in the bright half phase of any lunar month take seven cowries shells (Kodi) and apply on these a spot (tilak) of Chandan (sandalwood paste), Kesar (saffron) and Rouli (red powder made from turmeric and lime) and keep these in the cash box of your shop.

Pilgrim centres: No lessons learnt despite countless disasters A

lthough there is no statistical data on the share of Pilgrim Tourism in the total domestic travel in the country, it is a foregone fact that Indian Domestic Tourism is largely driven by religious travel. The tourist numbers of some of the states, which have places associated with religious significance, more than authenticate this fact. An instance in this regard is the recently held Maha Kumbh at Allahabad. Around 12 crore pilgrims congregated in a small city in a small window period of 50 days, which is by far the largest gathering of humanity all over the world. An estimated 60,000 devotees visit Tirupati Temple in one day, the average waiting period that an average devotee spends in Tirupati is more than 10 hours. There are hundreds of such pilgrim centres in the country, which beckon crores of devotees every year. The annual Char Dham Yatra (constituting the highly revered Hindu religious sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand) is one such mass religious travel in summer. An estimated 25 lakh pilgrims undertake this religious tour annually. The importance of religious travel and the impact it makes on the socio-economic environment of the destinations cannot be ignored. However, this socio-economic impact is either not well understood by various agencies or underestimated in a big way, resulting in abject neglect in properly developing these places, putting in place regulations, disaster management mechanisms, etc. Despite innumerable instances of natural and manmade disasters in recent years at pilgrim centres, resulting in huge collateral damages, no lessons were learnt by governments or agencies governing the affairs of these centres. At times, they tend to ignore most of these mishaps in the name of religious sentiments or votebank politics. The macabre of destruction caused recently by

flash floods in higher reaches of Uttarakhand, which is heartrending, would have been less damaging had agencies rightly enforced various regulatory norms in terms of developmental activities in environmentally-fragile zones. The consequence will be disastrous if commercial and business interests take precedence over the carrying capacity of a place. Let's hope the visuals of high rises built right on the banks of the Ganges, tumbling like a pack of cards into the river, would at least bring sense to those industry leaders who argue vehemently for relaxations in CRZ rules without caring for environmental implications.

MUST READ

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

More and more students fall prey to fake job offers

BHOPAL ore and more students in Bhopal and Indore are falling victims to fake job offers as a result of poor placement conditions in their colleges. Most of students who get trapped are from outside who become desperate to get a job once they finish their course and look for jobs to continue in the city. Taking advantage of their desperation, they are sold dreams of job that does not exist. In Indore, a fake company duped 350 engineering graduates of thousands of rupees by promising jobs in software companies. The company named 'EPTA Technology Pvt. Ltd' organised a placement drive at a local institute recently and recruited many fresh graduates. The graduates were first asked to deposit a sum of Rs 20,000 as security and were forced to sign one-year bond. One of the victims Ashish Rawat said, "The company recruited around 350 fresh graduates from various colleges in Indore in November last year. They put us under training for three months and promised to pay stipend for this period, but did not pay a single penny." He added that he completed three months with the company on March 3, but they did not pay him anything and kept postponing the matter. He smelled something fishy when the company declared an extended holiday for Holi till March 25. He made enquires with various heads and the company's branches in other cities and came to know that the company had conned them. The company had branches in Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune and Chennai. News from other cities also confirmed the fraud. The company amassed about Rs 70 lakh from 350 fresh graduates, he added. Police have now registered an FIR against Satya Prakash, Nikhil Raj, Manoj Raj, Neha vastav and Ritu Gautam under section 420 of IPC. Similarly in Bhopal Preeti Yadav, 23, an engineering student from Lakshmi Narain College of Technology (LNCT) was duped on promise of job. She was looking for a job in second term of her course. After coming across some job ads in newspapers, she started applying. Few weeks later, she received a call from a consultancy firms asking her to reach their office in MP Nagar. When Preeti went there she was asked to deposit Rs 2,000, promising to return money with first salary. Needing job badly, Preeti deposited the money without thinking much. She was not alone to do so. There were at least 10 more like her, who deposited money. They were asked to join a week later. To their surprise, when they went to the place they learned that the place was a salon run by a bunch of people from northeast. The place was only used as sham to lure candidates and take the money. Similarly, Prateek Vyas, 24, an engineering student, was on cloud nine when he received an online job offer letter from a law firm in Bhopal. Prateek shared personal details with mailer and what followed later was nothing less than a horror. Prateek soon started getting offensive calls from unknown numbers and was asked to pay Rs 3,000 as mentioned in terms and conditions of the mail. This followed for a month and a helpless Prateek had to change his number to get rid of caller. So stay on alert in case you are getting persistent calls from companies offering you promising jobs and handsome salaries. You never know you may be getting fake job offers. Fraud institutions have sprung up across the city, out to ensnare hundreds of students every day.

POLITICS

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

EC moves ahead with new technology

BHOPAL he first Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission N.B. Lohani has said that a new era has dawned with new technology. We need to carry out our works with new technique. Lohani was inaugurating www.mplocalelection.gov.in, the website of State Election Commission here today. Lohani said that during his term as the State Election Commissioner, the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission had conducted elections to urban bodies and three-tier Panchayats with traditional method after 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in years 1994 and 2000. Due to lack of modern technology entire electoral process of these elections had become very lengthy. Now, with availability of information technology, proposed elections to urban bodies and three-tier Panchayats will be held smoothly and easily.

He hoped that polling percentage in these elections will also increase due to use of information technology. Lohani said that State Election Commission has taken a timely step for which its present Commissioner R.

Parasuram and all officers and employees deserve praise. On the occasion, Lohani release a CD of the film on functioning of EVMs during elections of urban bodies and three-tier Panchayats. He also released voter awareness posters and "Hamara Sankalp" for commission's officers and employees. Deputy Secretary Girish Sharma informed that commission's website is both in Hindi and English. Its address is www.mplocalelection.gov.in. He gave detailed information about website's features. The website has been linked with Facebook, Youtube, SMS and E-mail management. State Election Commissioner R. Parasuram, Principal Secretary Urban Administration and Development S.N. Mishra, Secretary G.P. vastava, Dr. Pratibha Raggopal, officers and employees of the commission were present on the occasion.

Political parties pulling all Catholic priests promote voter strings to reach out to voters
NEW DELHI Political parties are pulling all strings to reach out to voters as the country prepares for the biggest democratic exercise in the world. What has gained the most in the process is the good old radio. With estimated listnership of 15.8 crore in the country, the political parties are seizing the reach and hiring private firms for content development of radio jingles and ads to woo the voters. Out of 15.8 crore, 10.6 crore listeners tune to FM radio stations. There are 245 private FM stations in India across 86 cities, including 10 in the national capital. The "prime time" slots of 7-11 am and 5-9 pm which register maximum listenership for the radio is now bombarded with political advertisements. The radio jingles timed from 30 seconds to 3 minutes are being played in every ad break, sometimes cutting the time allotted for songs. Radio advertising agencies say they provide strategic campaigning ideas to theirr clients. Along with designing the advertisement, they also look after the implementation and releasing part. If a national party wants to campaign in a local area, the agencies suggest the effective use of the media there. As the election nears, agencies have increased the frequency of the radio jingles of the political parties. These advertisements are priced at around Rs 1,000 per 10 seconds. Sometimes owing to popular demand, radio stations cut on songs and increase the frequency of the political advertisements. There is a huge demand by the parties to play them in the prime time slot. While Congress and BJP are aggressively campaigning for their respective parties on varied platforms; their relatively new adversary, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is relying on door-to-door campaigning. "We rely on our base of volunteers who are knocking at every door to know what people want. Our volunteers interact with the people and discuss the issues faced by them. These issues then find their way into our manifesto," says Bipul Dey, an AAP volunteer and one of the members of the party's publicity team.

awareness
Gorakhpur

No smooth sailing for Samajwadi Party in UP

LUCKNOW The Samajwadi Party (SP), already facing anti-incumbency factor, will find it hard to make inroads in the Jat land of western parts of UP where the communal divide after Muzaffarnagar may harm the prospects of the party in power in the state. It was probably the first elections in the recent times when the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party went to polls with the handicap of not being the first choice of Muslims in the state. Samajwadi Party is probably no longer the first choice for the minority community following the inept handling of Muzaffarnagar riots coupled with common perception of poor governance in the state over the past two years. Such was the predicament of the SP that Mulayam Singh Yadav had to issue a sweet threat to the 'Shiksha Mitras', the contract teachers, to vote for the party or their concessions will be withdrawn. Mulayam and his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav were at pains convincing the electorate of western UP of the measures taken by the government during and after the riots but the emotions still run high. They campaigned hard in the region which has never been a stronghold of the SP. Of the 10 Lok sabha seats, Muzaffarnagar is the one Parliamentary constituency whose people have set the tone for other seats, political analysts said.

Two Catholic priests have been appointed ambassadors to promote vote awareness in a district that had recorded the lowest polling percentage in Uttar Pradesh in the last general elections five years ago. In every district the Election Commissioner appoints non-political and non-governmental agencies as icons for Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP). The District Collector of Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh has Fathers Gibi N Jose and Kuriakose (Jaimon) Appasseril as the good will ambassadors. The priests are members of Gorakhpur diocese that covers the northeastern region of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country. The appointment of the priests as SVEEP "is indeed a sign of the district administration's faith and recognition of the role of the Church in serving society," says Fr Sony Kalladanthiyil, former Education Secretary of Gorakhpur diocese. The two ambassador priests are well known in Maharajgang as they have served as principals in several schools in the district. Fr Jose is currently principal of Christ the King School in Sonauli, close to Indo-Nepal border. He was earlier director of Purvanchal Gramin Seva Samiti, the social service wing of the Syro-Malabar diocese. Fr Appasseril is the principal of Little Flower School Maharajganj. "We have a jagrigta rath (awareness chariot) and a team each of street play, and puppet theater troupes which we have deployed to create awareness among the rural population in the district," Fr Jose, who has been a priest for 10 years in Gorakhpur diocese said. He noted that the district had recorded the lowest polling rate in Uttar Pradesh in the last general election. "Also we are engaging school children in the campaign to ensure pledges from their parents to exercise their vote, through dances, posters and signature campaigns," said Fr Jose, who sounded confident of the priests' contribution to increase the number of voters. Pope John Paul II erected the Gorakhpur diocese 30 years ago with Fr Dominic Kokkat, a member of the Congregation of St Teresa, as its first bishop.

COMMERCE

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

FDI in retail: Who will benefit from the stand of UPA and NDA ?
T
he NDA has opposed MNC entry into FDI in retail in its election manifesto. It relies more on big, domestic companies. This indicates a tilt towards domestic companies. The UPA, on the other hand, is more inclined towards MNCs. Perhaps it believes that MNCs have better managerial and technological skills and the country will lose out in their absence. The UPA Government took no effective steps in the last ten years to bring back Indian wealth stashed away in Swiss banks, or to stem the outflow through hawala taking place continuously. Anecdotal evidence indicates a huge increase in illegal outflows from India during the last 10 years. The UPA's penchant for MNCs arises from the need to attract foreign capital to compensate for the outflow of domestic money. The NDA has lesser need of FDI because it is more focussed on good governance. The second difference between the NDA and UPA is on how to ensure that the fruits of development reach the common man. The NDA is focussed on providing good governance and also increasing public investment on infrastructure. It believes that this will lead to an all-round increase in economic activities and the common man will be spontaneously able to engage in business and other activities and improve his standard of life. This is very uncertain. The problem is that capital is cheap. Companies can borrow at near-zero rates of interest in the US, Japan and Europe. It is profitable for big

companies to use automatic machines. The result is increase in unemployment. Large numbers of weavers have lost their livelihood because the textile mills of Surat are producing cheap cloth. The entry of big companies leads to loss of employment, while the provision of good governance and infrastructure leads to an increase in the same. The net

impact is not necessarily positive. It is quite likely that the increase in employment on account of big companies may be bigger. The UPA's approach is more direct. It wants to impose taxes on big businesses and use the revenue to directly provide relief to the common man through programmes like MNREGA, loan waiver and the Indira Awas Yojana.

There are two problems here. One problem is that the energy of the recipient is turned towards begging, instead of 'developing.' Thus, a virtuous cycle of grassroots production and consumption is not triggered. A Chinese saying goes that it is better to teach a man to fish instead of giving him fish to eat. The UPA wants to give out fish to eat.

More islands in Andamans to be opened for tourists soon

NEW DELHI The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago comprises 556 islands of which only 37 are inhabited. The Andaman and Nicobar Administration is planning to throw open three to four islands soon to attract more tourists. This will involve creation of infrastructure on these islands and will generate employment. "We have identified a few islands for development. A large number of tourist attractions exist across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands but we are planning to do more to attract tourists. Unemployment and lack of opportunities continue to remain a major challenge before us. As ecological issues are involved, industrialisation is not possible on these islands. Today, the government is the largest employer but this is not enough. More opportunities need to be created and tourism has to grow," Lt Gen (retd) A K Singh, Lieutenant Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said recently. According to him, between 2.4-2.5 lakh tourists visited the Andamans in 2013. This may seem a large figure but there is capacity for much more. The problem, according to Singh, is the lack of sufficient tourists from abroad. One major reason for this is the non-availability of international flights. Though the Andamans is a hub for activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling and other adventure sports, more centres will have to be opened to attract international tourists who have already been to the islands in the past. This can only happen if new islands are opened. "We also want to start night landing facilities at the Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair. It is only an international airport in name. Though 96 international flights overfly Port Blair every day, not a single one lands here.

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SPORTS

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

Confident Anand looks forward to re-match against Carlsen

Dhoni expects Super Kings to reach at least semifinal

Abu Dhabi Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels adjusting to the conditions in UAE will be the biggest challenge for his team though he expects the twotime champions to at least reach the semifinals of the seventh Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning on Wednesday. "There are players who are coming from the Asia Cup in Dhaka, some even from New Zealand. The challenge is the ability to adapt and perform quickly," Dhoni said ahead of their tournament opener against Kings XI Punjab here on Friday. Talking about the weather, Dhoni said: "Yes, the weather is slightly different when you compare to Mumbai or Chennai or Kolkata. It is hot and humid. But Delhi has very dry heat and this place is similar to that. It will be a challenge. But sports people crib a lot initially. But you don`t get bothered by it once we start to play." The Super Kings have retained the core of their team comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, West Indian Dwayne Bravo and Dhoni himself. The most successful team in the IPL looks a formidable force by also boasting the likes of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and the dangerous Faf du Plessis from South Africa.

New Delhi

he World Championship loss in Chennai had "knocked the stuffing out" of Viswanathan Anand but the five-time winner on Wednesday said that clinching the Candidates title has boosted his confidence and he would try to avenge his loss to Magnus Carlsen later this year. Three losses over 10 games without a win and the world Championship title was in tatters last November but Anand soon scripted a historic turnaround when he registered three victories in 14 games without a defeat en route to his Candidates victory to earn a rematch against Carlsen. The 44-year-old Indian said delay in addressing his errors cost him the World title and it was his decision to stay away from chess, which helped him to recover emotionally and bounce back with a bang. "I think many errors had cropped up in my approach to play chess. I was becoming reliant on computers and there were some mistakes coming up. I was not oblivious to it but I was not able to address the problem exactly right. I didn`t have time to fix anything," Anand, who was here to highlight the role of chess in Business Analytics in an event, said. "I remembered long back once after the end of an event, me and (Anatoly) Karpov were talking. He mentioned that a player who had a bad tournament will take long time to recover from bad result because he was so much in love with the game and he didn`t have something else to take his mind off chess. "So I decided that it was more important to recover emotionally, after all, a result like this knocks the stuffing out of you. So in December and January, I was trying to avoid chess. There were some tournaments which were unavoidable but most of the time I tried to get away from chess," he said. After losing his World Championship title, Anand bowed out in the group stage of the London rapid and also his performance at Zurich in March was not upto the mark. Anand said: "May be my opponents didn`t focus on me properly or probably I was playing more freely. I had one of my best results in Candidates and I`m playing in World Championship in November.

Force India aims to repeat podium show in China

Shanghai Sahara Force India says the podium finish in Bahrain was not a "one-off" thing since the car was very consistent and the aim is to repeat the performance at Sunday`s Chinese Grand Prix, here. In a terrific show, Sergio Perez finished third and Nico Hulkenberg was fifth as the team catapulted to second in constructors` championship with 44 points, just one more than third-placed McLaren. Team Principal Vijay Mallya said they have shown in the first few races that they have a very competitive car this season. "Bahrain was not just a one-off and we`ve been improving with each race. It`s our best ever start to a season, which always gives me a great sense of satisfaction, but we won`t sit back; we are always trying to improve. The aim is to repeat the podium," Mallya said. "But each race is different and the field is so competitive that it`s impossible to predict. Some tracks will suit us more than others but I want to see us up there fighting towards the front," he added.Perez was very hopeful of continuing the good show but cautioned against taking things for granted. "The target is to move on, keep improving and target more podiums. Bahrain was the first real opportunity I had to develop the car through the weekend without any issues so it felt like my season really started there. Now we need to think about how we can do better in China. At the same time we must not get carried away because we know how competitive Formula One is and how things can change very quickly," the Mexican said.

11

GLAMOUR

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

Jacqueline's love triangle with Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat

F
Shah Rukhs sleepless nights

ootloose heroines seem to be the flavour of the season and Jacqueline Fernandez is the latest one to join the brigade. The actress will play an NRI in Bangistan which will see her in a love triangle with Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat. The film is being directed by former movie critic Karan Anshuman who is currently in Ladakh finalising the locations. A source revealed, "Jacqueline plays an NRI. It's a character somewhere on the lines of Lisa Haydon's in Queen, but with an entirely different personality.

ndian Premier League (IPL) is just a few days away and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, has been working hard and hilpa Shetty Kundra along with hasn't slept for two days. The UAE leg her husband Raj Kundra, was of IPL will be held from spotted launching their very Wednesday to April 30. "The full first Satyug Gold store in moon has followed me from Mumbai. On the occasion, the 30-yearMumbai to Abu Dhabi, so has old Bollywood actress and its dark side. Nice to be businesswoman said, "Everyone wants to here and seeing all my buy gold because it's important for them IPL buddies. Bulawa and brings happiness and prosperity, and aaya hai (got this business is very important for me invitation)," he because I will be able to fulfill people's tweeted Tuesday. dreams." The store's 5-year purchase plan "All nighter in will give 37 percent discount on gold, and Abu Dhabi. since the jewelry is crafted by her, the designs Haven't slept two are very modern. "I will be coming up with a days but I know it will special line for housewife's that will have be fun with the IPL bangles and earrings which will start from very players so hard work affordable price," she added. comes easy," he further posted on Twitter.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra launches jewelry store in Mumbai with hubby

Two different music companies come together for Heropanti

iven the music scenario in the industry, we see a surprising thing happening with the music of Tiger Shroff's debut film, Heropanti. We see two different music companies coming together with their music for the film. The first song of Heropanti, Whistle Baja which was recently launched amidst flute sellers is owned by Sa Re Ga Ma music company for years now as it was Jackie Shroff's tune from his film Hero.

12

NATION

APRIL 14 TO APRIL 20, 2014

(MP & CG)

to urge others to cast vote

Voters use social media

NEW DELHI oung and old voters in India are using social media to showcase their democratic sensitivity and urge others to cast their votes in the ongoing elections in the country. "I have successfully cast my vote. Have you voted?" Sindhu Joy, a young politician, wrote on her Facebook after casting her vote in Thiruvananthapuram

constituency, the capital of Kerala. Kerala went to polls in the third round of the nine-phase elections along with the national capital and nine other states to elect 91 of the 543 members of parliament. Sindhu announced her going to the polling booth early morning displaying her voter identity card on Facebook. On returned she posted another note: "If you haven't, please go to your respective

polling booth and caste your precious vote! A single vote might make a huge difference! Choose the right person." Sindhu, a former national vice president of the Student Federation of India, was a candidate in the last election five years ago. Like Sindhu thousands have turned to Facebook and Twitter to express their pride and exuberance after casting their ballots. Pictures of inked fingers, with

accompanying messages such as "my vote, my pride," "best thing I have done as an Indian citizen" are being posted on social networking sites on Thursday when as the national capital and several other states also voted. "I love my India. Proud to be an Indian," George Kallivayalil, a journalist in Delhi, wrote on Facebook displaying his left index finger with the blue ink mark. The post drew hundreds of "likes" and scores of comments on Indian democracy. The election fever has not spared even the newlyweds. A bride in Kerala rushed to the polling booth with her groom immediately after the marriage services to caste her maiden vote. Julie Anil of Mundackal later told media persons that the couple did not wait for the reception as she considered casting her first ballot was as important as the marriage. Among the first voters to display their inked fingers was Gauthami Nair, a leading actress in South Indian movies. "Koi bhi desh perfect nai hota, use perfect banana padta hai' (no country is perfect; it has to be made perfect) did my bit to make India perfect," one Kevin posted on twitter with a picture. Another twitter user Anshul Bharadwaj wrote: "This is more meaningful than any other tattoo. Vote for change." Ankit Sinha, a PR professional, took to Facebook to urge people to vote. "It's time to change the nation. So please vote," Sinha posted.

2.6 lakh fake voters in Ghaziabad: Gen Singh

LUCKNOW
hase one of polling in Uttar Pradesh in ten constituencies saw a top Army General and a top police officer facing the rough and tumble of electoral politics, even as a large turnout marked the day of polling. While for former Army Chief Gen (retired) VK Singh, it was a first-hand experience of the existence of bogus voters in Ghaziabad, for the former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh in Baghpat, it was a taste of party rivalry that left him manhandled. Both are BJP candidates and were among 146 candidates in the fray for 10 seats that saw brisk polling in the early hours, fol-

lowed by a lull, and then a huge turnout as the day drew to a close. The constituencies were Saharanpur, Bijnore, Baghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahr and Aligarh, with a total electorate of 1.74 crores. All these areas are adjoining to or surround the epicentre of the gruesome riots that shook the region last August-September. The Congress is contesting 6 seats and its alliance partner RLD 4 of the ten seats, while the BJP, SP and BSP have fielded candidates on 10 seats each. In Ghaziabad, Gen Singh told mediapersons that there were 2.6 lakh "fake voters in the electors' list of Ghaziabad constituency" adding that he had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking early cor-

rection. He alleged that there were several fake voters who are of the same name and parentage but were listed with separate voter ids. Others in the fray against him are Raj Babbar of the Congress and Shazia Ilmi of Aam Aadmi party. In nearby Baghpat, former Mumbai police chief Satyapal Singh's motorcade was attacked when he was proceeding to check allegations of bogus voting in Malakpur village in Baghpat constituency. His car was attacked by a mob and its windows were shattered in the attack. Even Singh received injuries when he tried to resist the attack in which supporters of the BJP and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) clashed with each other. Singh is facing RLD chief Ajit Singh in the latter's family borough.

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P. Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction