Monday, March 17, 2014

I See Nitish Doing Well In Bihar

हिन्दी: देश के उप राष्ट्रपति मोहम्मद हामिद अंस...
हिन्दी: देश के उप राष्ट्रपति मोहम्मद हामिद अंसारी पटना में पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री सत्येन्द्र नारायण सिन्हा(छोटे साहब) की 94वीं जयंती पर आयोजित व्याख्यानमाला श्रंखला पर पूर्व सांसद किशोरी सिन्हा और मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार के साथ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Because he has done good work. And he understands caste equations better than anyone else in Bihar.
 
Nitish Kumar takes battle to rival camps, eyes their votebank
fielded more than 16 candidates from OBC and EBC communities out of the 38 Lok Sabha seats that Nitish Kumar's party is contesting in Bihar. The JD(U) has left two seats for its ally, the CPI, and would be in triangular contest in nearly all the remaining 38 seats. ...... the JD(U) has given six tickets to Yadavs to rattle the RJD applecart. Also, perhaps flustered by the desertion of top Kushwaha leaders, Kumar has given six tickets to this influential "backward caste" to ensure the BJP doesn't gain from the entry of Vijay Singh Kushwaha, the husband of Renu Kushwaha who quit the JD(U) government last week. ....... "This isn't unusual," said Pataliputra MP Ranjan Prasad Yadav of the JD(U), adding that out of the 20 seats the party won in 2009, four were held by Yadavs. Only two more have been added this time ...... The OBCs and MBCs in Bihar are more than 45% of votes and vital for any party trying to win. Interestingly, these societies have traditionally backed regional parties like the JD(U) and RJD rather than national parties like the Congress and BJP. ...... Sanjay Jha, the JD(U) candidate from Darbhanga ..... the JD(U) has given tickets to the backwards classes, which have traditionally backed the party. ..... Kumar has left eight seats for the upper castes besides five seats for Muslims, and four for Bhumihars who are supposed to be arrayed behind the BJP. His giving ticket to Muslims is another clear indication of his sharpening his competition with Lalu.
Third Front will emerge as First Front after polls: Nitish Kumar
For BJP’s new catches, tickets are rarer in UP than in Bihar
Anger over BJP list in Bihar trickles to Delhi
The BJP’s third list of Lok Sabha candidates has opened a Pandora’s Box, with senior party leaders in Bihar openly expressing their displeasure at being ignored or given seats they don’t want to contest from. ...... The trouble in Bihar spilled out into the open, with former state minister Giriraj Singh meeting party president Rajnath Singh here on Friday and complaining about “selective targeting” of upper caste leaders. Giriraj is miffed with the party for giving more weightage to the opinion of leaders like Sushil Kumar Modi who he said had compromised the BJP’s interests during the alliance with the JD(U) at the “behest” of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar...... Giriraj did not get the seat of his choice, Begusarai, and has been fielded from Nawada, which the BJP pledged to ally Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushwaha. ..... “It is Begusarai or nothing for me.” ..... He blamed the denial of the seat of his choice on a “conspiracy” by those in the BJP “who had publicly opposed Narendra Modi for the PM’s post and instead endorsed chief minister Nitish Kumar”. ...... Actor-turned politician Shatrughan Sinha was in a sulk after he found that he was the only one among 12 sitting party MPs whose re-nomination (for the Patna Saheb) seat was “put on hold”. ........ BJP sources said Sinha’s woes might be rooted in his flip-flop on Narendra Modi, when a debate was on in the party whether he should be declared the BJP’s PM nominee. Former Minister Ashwini Chaubey, the BJP’s Brahmin face in Bihar, too is upset over being denied a ticket from Bhagalpur, where sitting MP Shahnawaz Hussain has been retained. ..... Another ‘original’ Modi supporter, former minister Chandra Mohan Rai, who was denied a ticket for Valmikinagar in north Bihar, said his long association with the party had counted for nothing.
Bihar BJP legislators upset after being ignored
Six BJP legislators, including two vocal supporters of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, expressed their displeasure after being denied tickets for the Lok Sabha election.
BJP now plays caste card
For a greater part of its political history, Hindus of the upper castes have dominated BJP. The BJP is confident of winning support of upper-caste Hindus, who form around 20.5 percent of the population in UP and 13 percent in Bihar. The party has, however, realized that without the support of the backward classes, scheduled castes and other segments of the Indian society, prospects of it faring well from UP and Bihar are limited.
BJP ticket aspirants in Bihar wary of new entrants
22 of 25 seats vacated by JD(U) seem headed to non-BJP workers. ..... The document, which runs into 100 pages, will dwell on 40 themes relating to various aspects of political economy........ The document envisages thrust to the manufacturing sector by “addressing unfavourable input costs” at a systemic level. For example, the issue of high lending rates, high cost of capital, high energy cost, cumbersome access to natural resources, logistic bottlenecks will be re-looked, the source said. It is also likely to stress the need to dismantle the impression of prevalence of licence raj in the country........ The advocates of the vision document seek to draw inspiration from DICCI (Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry) model of economic empowerment of Dalits and tribals........ The source said there will be no direct reference to the GM crops, but the document advocates use of technology to enhance productivity.
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Modi's Last Mile Problem That Nitish Does Not Have

English: Indian actor Salman Khan
English: Indian actor Salman Khan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
NDA gets 229, UPA 129 but Modi faces a last mile challenge: survey
the NDA is likely to get 229 seats while the UPA is likely to win 129. The survey gave alternate front 55 seats and the others got 130. Significantly, the others include parties like Trinamool Congresss and the AIADMK. Independently, the BJP is likely to get 195 seats and the Congress 106.
Modi is my second choice for PM. I don't dislike him. I think his economic record in Gujrat is impressive. But why settle for second when first is available? Nitish is my first choice. Like Salman Khan said, may the best candidate win. But Nitish is only a contender if he gets more than 20 seats in Bihar. Otherwise it is a mad dash to 271 by the likes of Modi and Jayalalita. Nitish getting less than 10 MPs might also be read as a mandate for Modi. If the leader of the so-called Third Front can be beat on his own turf by Modi, that perhaps would mean Modi has a mandate, even if not a majority.
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