Social media under Election Commission’s scanner

Hyderabad: Provisions of the Model Code of Conduct shall also apply to the campaigning through the internet and the social media websites, an Election Commission of India official said here today.

Political advertisements on social media will have to be pre-certified and expenditure on campaigning through the internet will have to be reported, Director-General, ECI, Akshay Rout said at a media workshop here.

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The EC has asked the political parties to furnish information about their social media accounts.

To a question, Rout said that Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) tracks the print and the electronic media, but tracking the social media was very
complex job, and outside its ambit.

"We have put the responsibility on the political parties and the candidates and from yesterday we have put the onus on the social media networking sites on posting of uncertified advertisements...they have to ensure that these are cleared by the Commission," Rout said.

"All legal provisions for the electronic media on the paid news and political advertisements will apply to the campaigns on the social media as well," he said. Rout further said that paid news had become a big issue in election management, and to tackle it, the Commission had set up an MCMC in every district of Andhra Pradesh where the voting would take place on April 30 and May 7.

MCMC will give daily reports on all advertising expenditure of the candidates including that on the paid news, if any. The cases of paid news in newspapers/magazines would be forwarded to the Press Council of India, while those in the electronic media will be sent to the national broadcasters association.

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Maharashtra: Peoples Republican Party to support Cong-NCP alliance

Mumbai: With an eye on Dalit voters in the Lok Sabha elections to be held next month in Maharashtra, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today succeeded in wooing Peoples Republican Party (PRP) led by Dalit leader Jogendra Kawade to make an alliance with them.

The PRP has extended its full support, in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minster Prithviraj Chavan to the candidates of Congress-NCP alliance put up across the state to avoid division of secular votes.

Jogendra Kawade. Image courtesy: Ibnlokmat

"The communal forces are creating confusion and insecurity in the country. So, we support the congress-NCP candidates to avoid division of secular votes," said Kawade.

Earlier, the Congress tried to woo Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar led Bhartitya Republican Party (BHARIP), grandson of Balasaheb Ambedkar for an alliance but talks failed.

Meanwhile, Chavan said that all efforts are being taken to provide relief to the hailstorm affected farmers at the earliest.

"Despite having the existing high powered committee led by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, the Centre has set a special five member committee chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to provide relief package to hailstorm affected farmers. The committee members also visited the affected areas and the state government has also sent an updated report till today," said Chavan.

He asked for a Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre to provide relief to the farmers given the huge loss in at least 28 districts of the Maharashtra.

"The meeting of the Sharad Pawar-led panel is going on in Delhi at present. After their meeting is over, we will have a cabinet meeting today in the evening and then we will announce the relief package," Chavan said.

The chief minister said that all the necessary permission will be taken from the Election Commission to provide relief package as the Model Code Conduct is in force for the Lok Sabha elections.

Ex-JD(U) minister to contest for AAP against Shatrughan Sinha in Bihar

New Delhi: Former Janata Dal (United) Minister Parveen Amanullah will be Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Patna Sahib in Bihar against BJP's sitting MP and actor Shatrughan Sinha as the party tonight released its eighth list of candidates for 19 Lok Sabha seats spread across six states.

The party declared five candidates in Bihar, seven in Jharkhand, one in Madhya Pradesh and two each in Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Maharashtra.

Parveen Amanullah. Ibnlive

With this list, the total number of candidates declared by AAP so far has reached 287.

Parveen, Social Welfare Minister in Nitish Kumar government in Bihar and a prominent Muslim leader, had resigned from the cabinet and JD(U) in February this year.

Parveen, who is the wife of senior bureaucrat Afzal Amanullah, currently with the central government, had sent her resignation letter to Nitish Kumar but did not give any specific reason for quitting .

She is the daughter of former diplomat Syed Shahabuddin, a prominent leader of 'Babri Masjid Action committee'.

Parveen had won the 2010 Bihar Assembly elections from Sahebpur Kalam constituency in Begusarai district.

In the latest list, AAP has declared candidates from Patna Sahib, Siwan, Vaishali, Jhanhjarpur and Sitamarhi in Bihar, while from Khunti, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Palamau, Kodarma, Giridih, and Ranchi in Jharkhand.

Candidates' names have also been announced from Jammu and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, Vadakara and Ponnani in Kerala, Latur and Kolahpur in Maharashtra and Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

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When outsiders stirred Bihar’s political pot

Politicians from Bihar hardly stay out of limelight when it comes to national politics. However, there have been times when outsiders played a significant role in the politics of the state.
An article in The Telegraph,—An outsider dominates Bihar battlefield—takes us back in history, explaining how outsiders Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi dominated the state's politics.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. PTI

"Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, beginning with his Champaran offensive of 1917 and thereon through the freedom movement. And then Indira Gandhi with her 'Garibi Hatao' populism of the early 1970s and her post-Bangla liberation 'Durgavataar' through to the abrogation of the Emergency in 1977"—the piece on The Telegraph said, mentioning which incidents made the duo take over the political scenario in the state.

This time another outsider has arrived on the scene, thanks to the battle royale between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi. The battle started off as both aspired to become the country's next prime minister via the NDA route. This did not materialise for Kumar as Modi edged him with the BJP nominating him as the party's prime ministerial candidate. Although a miffed Kumar snapped ties with the BJP, he could not end Modi's domination.

Kumar is trying hard to ward off the Modi effect by taking on the BJP prime ministerial candidate with the help of statistics and mocking Modi's little knowledge of Bihar. This, however, has not proved to be of much help of to the Bihar chief minister. What has become evident of the Modi wave is the swelling number of people braving the summer sun to listen to him talking.

Even Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad is struggling to fight the Modi wave. Despite his anecdotal one-liners and political bonhomie with the Congress, there is little he can do. Not only his long time aide Ramkirpal Yadav joined the BJP but also his alliance partner Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti became a part of the NDA. Long gone are the days when Lalu had proudly announced that—jab tak samose mein rahega alu, tab tak Bihar mein rahega Lalu.

BJP’s 5th list: It’s Gandhinagar for Advani, Vadodara for Modi

After much speculation, the BJP has finally announced that LK Advani will be contesting from Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Narendra Modi will be contesting from Vadodara.

LK Advani. PTI

The party released its 5th list of candidates today. Among them are actress Hema Malini, who will stand from Mathura, and Jagadambika Pal, who has just joined the BJP, will stand from Domariaganj in UP.

Among other the party's other candidates are Olympic-medal winning shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who will contest from Jaipur Rural; Ashwini Chaubey, who will contest from Buxar in Bihar and NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Vijaykumar Gavit's daughter, who has been given a ticket from Nandurbar.

The announcement of Advani standing in Gandhinagar comes despite reports that Advani was more inclined towards contesting from Bhopal, following discussions with leaders from the state party unit. Advani has been the MP of Gandhinagar for the last 16 years.

According to CNN-IBN, Advani's decision is probably because the senior leader is miffed that the candidature of all other senior leaders was announced before his own name was announced.

The channel said that it could also be a way for Advani to show that he is no Murli Manohar Joshi: He is not dependent on a Narendra Modi to get a ticket. Advani also skipped the CEC meet.

How the BJP’s choice of candidates in Karnataka may dent Modi’s dream

by Aravind S Kamal

Bangalore: At least 20 seats out of 28 – that is the target set by the BJP's central leadership for its Karnataka unit in the upcoming election this elections. But given how the party has floundered in selecting its candidates in traditional strongholds, that tally appears highly optimistic.

In addition, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) are expected to put up a fight. A low tally from the state could put the chances of Narendra Modi becoming the prime minister in jeopardy.

The 'Modi wave', which the BJP claims is omnipresent in Karnataka, seems to be restricted to the BJP-dominated constituencies. During the last year's assembly elections, Modi addressed political rallies in three key constituencies of the BJP, unfortunately, the party lost heavily in all three.

If there is a wave at all, it is visible only in the urban centres. Voting in the hinterland will be dominated by local issues such as farmers' problems, a crash in prices of areca-nut, and encroachment of forests.

Can Yeddyurappa and other BJP candidates turn the tide in favour of Modi?

However, the party's poster boy from Karnataka, Ananth Kumar, who is pitted against Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani from Bangalore South, is confident that the 'Modi wave' is very much evident in Karnataka.

"People are disillusioned with one decade of misrule of the Congress at the Centre. Corruption, internal security issues, inflation and rise in prices of essential commodities were the achievements of the Congress. People will wholeheartedly vote for in BJP and in favour of Modi," he said.

The ground reality appears to be different. In Mysore, where the BJP has an upper-hand, the party has fielded journalist Prathap Simha, whose candidature has come as a surprise for everyone, including the local cadre.

"Prathap Simha is a well-known columnist. We have nothing against him. But why is the BJP ignoring local leaders? The party workers are not supporting his candidature," said Maruthi Rao, BJP's Mysore city unit leader, said.

The aspirant for the party ticket, CH Vijayashankara, who lost to the Congress' H Vishwanath from Mysore in the previous parliamentary polls, has been asked to contest from Hassan against the powerful former PM HD Deve Gowda. Vijayashankara is reluctant to contest from Hassan and wants to enter the fray from Mysore and has been adamant about it.

The return of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa to the BJP has undoubtedly bolstered the party's prospects in the Lingayat-dominant North Karnataka. However, he is locked in a battle against the JD(S) candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar in the Shimoga Parliamentary seat. Geetha is the daughter of former CM S Bangarappa and the daughter-in-law of Karnataka's greatest cine star Dr Rajkumar.

Her husband (Shivarajkumar) and brother-in-law (Puneeth Rajkumar) are the reigning superstars of Kannada cinema. If the two brothers campaign for Geetha in Shimoga, it could be disastrous for Yeddyurappa, as they could polarize the community votes in favour of the JD(S). As a result, Yeddyurappa has been left with hardly any time to campaign for the BJP in other parts of the state.

In the Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency, another BJP bastion, which shot to national prominence because of the Datta Peetha row spearheaded by local leader and former minister CT Ravi, the party has given ticket to Yeddyurappa's confidante Shobha Karandlaje. The entire local BJP cadre has rebelled against her, as they wanted Ravi to contest the polls.

In Bangalore North, the party has fielded former CM DV Sadananda Gowda, whose candidature was openly opposed by local strongman and former deputy CM R Ashoka. Both are Vokkaligas and a victory for Gowda could undermine the stature of Ashoka in the constituency. In the politically fragile Bellary, the BJP has brought-back B Sriramulu, who hardly enjoys support of the local leaders.

"There is too much of confusion and misgivings among the party workers of the BJP at the grassroots level. It is clear that the party has taken a risk in six constituencies by angering the local leaders. Towards the end, if they forget their differences and work in favour of the BJP, the party may win in 15-16 segments. But if the BJP does not get its act together, it will be an average performance by the BJP in Karnataka," Political historian A Veerappa said.

In the previous parliamentary polls, the BJP won from a record 19 constituencies. Repeating the feat could be a gargantuan task.

Gujarat poll panel gets 57 complaints for breach of code of conduct

Gandhinagar: Fifty-seven complaints about breach of Model Code of Conduct have been lodged with the election commission in Gujarat, of which 35 have been disposed of, Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anita Karwal said here today.

"We have got 57 complaints for breach of Model Code of Conduct and 35 of them have been disposed of as on March 18," CEO Anita Karwal said.

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"The Election Commission has been receiving complaints since March 4, the date when Lok Sabha polls were declared," Karwal said.

"Four complaints have been sent to the Election Commission of India for further guidance on whether to take action or not," she said.

"FIRs have been lodged in two cases in Kutch district, besides one each in Rajkot and Mehsana district, out of those 57 complaints before the Election Commission," she said.

"Complaints include three cases against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for non-payment of road toll and for his alleged unparliamentray utterances against some of BJP functionaries," she said.

"A complaint was lodged before the EC about Kejriwal's remarks calling Gujarat minister Saurabh Patel as Reliance's son-in-law," BJP spokesperson Harshad Patel said.

During his "reality check" tour to Gujarat, Kejriwal had accused the Modi government of favouring industrialist Mukesh Ambani, as one of his ministers is supposed to be related to him.

Giving party-wise information, Karwal said that the "BJP had filed three complaints and one of them has been disposed of, while two have been sent to the Election Commission of India".

"The Congress has lodged 15 complaints. While eight of them have been disposed of, seven are still pending," she said.

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Legal backing needed to implement EC guidelines on blackmoney: Cong

New Delhi: Congress has said legal backing is needed to implement some of the draft guidelines of the Election Commission sent to all major political parties to curb blackmoney in the poll process while TMC and CPI(M) have backed the measures.

The EC had issued a set of draft "revised" guidelines to political parties in February asking them to give their suggestions within a fortnight.

Representational image. Reuters

In its response, Congress has said the new measures would need a legal backing and changes in the Representation of Peoples Act, official sources said today.

Congress, along with the Samajwadi Party and a few other political outfits, have also expressed their reservations on the proposed EC norms which mandate that proper records should be maintained for any cash donation received by the party over Rs 1,000.

The parties have opined that such a measure would not be feasible for them to follow.

However, the Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) have by and large agreed with the guidelines.

The EC, the sources said, is yet to receive comments from the BJP and BSP in this regard.

In its guidelines, the Commission asked political parties not to give cash to their candidates in a bid to curb the menace of blackmoney in elections.

The EC had initially framed these guidelines in September last year, following which political parties were asked to send suggestions before the EC brings these directions into force.

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Jaya ridicules DMK’s poll promise of 27% reservation

Sankarankoil, Tamil Nadu: Launching a sharp attack on archrival DMK, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today ridiculed its electoral promise of fighting for implementation of 27 percent reservation, alleging party president M Karunanidhi was more inclined towards getting ministerial berths for family members and partymen.

In her election campaign for her party's Tenkasi (SC) candidate Vasanthi Murugesan, Jayalalithaa said DMK's election manifesto had said the Mandal Commission recommendation of 27 percent reservation for BCs was not being implemented in toto and therefore it would strive for the same.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Reuters

"Who was in power at the Centre for 17 years? Wasn't it DMK. Why didn't it then ask why reservation was not implemented fully? Karunanidhi should explain if it was at least implemented in ministries held by DMK," she said.

She said Karunanidhi had remained steadfast on getting 'plum' portfolios including IT for family member (Dayanidhi Maran) and partymen even as he had "pleaded" for Congress' support for his daughter Kanimozhi's Rajya Sabha candidature.

"Why didn't he insist on (implementing) 27 percent reservation? As far as Karunanidhi is concerned, reservation for BCs is not important; allotment of ministerial berths for family members is.....," Jaya alleged.

Karunanidhi has compromised on reservation policy, she charged.

DMK's election manifesto had claimed that despite many years since it was introduced, 27 percent reservation in Central government jobs was not implemented in toto as only 14 percent was followed. The party would strive for the complete implementation, DMK had promised in the election anifesto for the 24 April Lok Sabha polls.

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