samosa still has ALOO, But Bihar has no LaLoo!!

Arrogance has no limit, and there is no eternal flight, people tend to forget during times of power. Being from the state of Bihar, I can never forget RJD's slogan to eulogise Laloo and his party, "Jab tak hai samosa mein Aloo, TAB tak hai Bihar mein Laloo". This slogan heralded the epitome of Laloo raj. It's a strange coincidence that laloo, a staunch follower of Jyoti Basu and Left, during his peak Bihar days, has seen the biggest drubbing of his life at a time when left has also been totally negated in West Bengal.
Laloo ji forgot that in this ephemeral life, there is no such thing as eternal power, and you can't take people for granted, all the time.
I sincerely hope all the politicians in making or in power, remember this formula and work diligently towards development and true welfare of people, as rhetoric can keep you alive for some time, but not always.

The D-day for democracy: Who will form the government?

Tomorrow India shall awake, to witness the world's largest democracy results leading to probable government formation. Exit polls unanimous shows that there Will be a hung verdict and no party getting absolute majority and this is totally on expected lines. UPA does have an edge over NDA in terms of numbers as per the exit polls and also the alignment of potential allies.
All the parties are in hectic parleys with their potential and existing alliance partners, while the smaller parties taking an ambiguous stance over their preference.
Nitish Kumar has played the "special status to Bihar card" at an opportune moment, to which Congress has immediately agreed in principle. jayalalitha is still to open her cards, whether she will be with third front, UPA or NDA, but her agenda is simple, she wants DMK out of Tamil Nadu. SP-RJD_LJP will in all probabilites side with UPA, as they don't have much options.
It will be quite interesting to wake up tomorrow and see what future holds for India.
As there have been innumerable instances when all the predictions have gone for a toss, and the biggest of political pundits, have not been able to predict the mood and pulse of people.

Nitish-Modi sharing dais: A conflicting signal

Personally I have nothing against Mr. Narendra Modi, I find him to be a great administrator, who has done well for the development of Gujarat. All the corporate honchos, have hailed him as the perfect individual for PM posts, which has been endorsed by even select BJP members.
However, on the other side, his perception, is also that of a hardline hindutva personality, who has been held allegedly responsible for the godhra riots, by a large part of population.
Nitish Kumar, had not allowed Modi to canvas in Bihar, and this was openly admitted by Mr. Advani. To win over minority support, Nitish, did give a stern signal, that no hardline religious insinuations or campaign would be tolerated in Bihar. BJP, owing to the influence Nitish wields readily obliged. Bihar was one place, where the star campaigner Mr. Modi did not visit.
I am sure this did appease a large part of the minority populace, who are inherently inimical to Modi.
But, just after the end of the voting in the state of Bihar, Mr. Nitish Kumar, visited ludhiana, and shared dais with Modi, which made big news and was the headlines of all the news channels.
As there was much speculation on Nitish's visit to that place.
This did give laloo and Paswan a rare chance to take snide at Nitish, saying that the latter has shown his true colors, once the voting was over.
I feel Nitish's presence as an alliance partner and sharing the dais is not really a big deal, keeping in view the alliance, however, it could give a conflicting signal to a large part of minority voters in Bihar, as the timing was just too close for comfort.

Congress could be laloo's nemesis in Bihar

Laloo's snubbing of congress to form alliance with his long time detractor Ram vilas, might prove to be RJD's nemesis in Bihar. My own analysis based on talks with people on the ground, which shows that all the congress candidates standing in Bihar, starting from sadhu Yadav, are making a dent in RJD votes. Take for example Sadhu yadav in Bettiah, he has truly given BJP an edge there, as Sadhu's supporters are all erstwhile Laloo's followers.
Laloo's move to snub Congress was more because of expediency and "Real Politics" , but I feel it has not really paid off the way he would have wanted to. Today, Laloo who was seen as the staunchest supporter of Congress, has lost his credibility in the eyes of Congress. The fact Rahul Gandhi, appreciated Bihar's development, is a point in case, that Congress, would not really mind aligning with Laoo's staunches enemy--Nitish.
Politics has strange bedfellows, and we can only keep our finger crossed on enmities and friendships.
But, I feel that Laoo's move to leave congress in Bihar, might prove to be a costly gamble!!

Nitish Kumar gaining national stature

I am actually elated to see, that the CM of Bihar is being alluded to for all the right reasons. Nitish Kumar, has silently hogged the limelight, be it Rahul Gandhi insinuating about good role Nitsh has played for Bihar's development to Advani accepting that Narendra Modi, did not canvas in Bihar, because of Nitish's request.
Nitish has been consistent in his support to NDA, but, his significance in forming the national government, is being looked on by all major political parties. Nitish's policy has been such, that he can never be an out caste for any party wanting to form government at center. His stance on not bringing the star campaigner of BJP, Narendra modi, so that it does not hurt Muslim sentiments, goes on to reflect, the significant role and power he wields in Bihar and on his alliances.
I am sure that Congress will leave no stone unturned to get his support for government formation if need be, overtures are being already made, be it sacking of Veerapa Moily, from being a congress spokesperson, for his anti Nitish tirade.
Well time will tell, what really comes out of it, but its good to see, that at a national level, someone from Bihar is being talked about for all right reasons!!
A wild guess, can Nitish, be a PM contender??????????????

The Trinity:Mulayam-Laloo-Paswan

One of the most interesting thing of this general election has been the coming together of vowed enemies of yesteryear's on one platform, with an aim to cling to power at center at whatever cost. Yes! mulayam, Laloo and paswan, could be a good plot for a bollywood film called the "opportunist trinity'.
The manner of their alliance, leaves not even an iota of doubt about their motives, there is nothing veiled or enigmatic, the motto is clear, together we can bargain power, with whoever comes to center (I am sure till now that BJP will not be considered).
Individually, both Laloo and Mulayam, has huge stakes if they are not able to cling to power, both can't afford to be in a state of affairs, where they have to face a hostile Center and equally hostile state.
At state level, elections are still years away, and the interregnum, without power could prove quite costly. Moreover, fading away of icons from public memory in nothing new, and both lalu and Maulayam can't afford the same. For, the first time, both RJD and SP are not able to take Muslim votes for granted. In Bihar the MY (Muslim yadav), equation has been badly shattered, while in UP, the induction of Kalyan singh to SP, is being called a hara kiri, done by Mulayam singh, as far as Muslim votes are concerned.
Kalyan Singh, who has been widely perceived to be the man behind Babri Masjid demolition, will always be a pariah for the muslim community.
As far as Paswan is concerned, I would call his position not as precarious as Lalu and Mulayam. Paswan as it is would not be hoping to win more than 5-6 seats, and all his strategy would be based on the same. A forecast of hung Parliament, where even one MP can make a difference, paswan would have a role to play, moreover, Paswan, would not be as inimical to joining hands with parties like BJP, as Mulayam and Laloo would be.
Whatever the outcome of the elections, the thing worth waiting for would be what fate do the trinity meet, if they are able to hold to the power, through collective bargain, it would be considered a master stroke and if they don't muster up enough numbers, history would condemn them for their short sightedness...

Bihar tops list of LS candidates facing criminal charges

Just found an article on the web, which basis a report shows that Bihar still tops the list of candidates facing criminal charges, followed by UP. Find below the news with the links:

Bihar has topped the list of states having the highest number Lok Sabha candidates facing criminal charges so far for this year, a report prepared by NGOs has claimed.
The report, jointly prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), claims that out of a total 200 candidates contesting general elections, 51 contestants have been found facing various criminal charges.
The number amounts to 25.50 per cent of the total number of candidates contesting general elections from the state.
Uttar Pradesh has figured a close second with 46 candidates of a total 268 contestants in the fray facing criminal charges.
Maharashtra comes third in the list with 42 of 242 Lok Sabha candidates from the state having criminal charges against them.
In Andhra Pradesh, out of a total 314 candidates in the fray, 34 contestants are facing criminal charge, the report claims.
ADR and NEW said the report was prepared by analyzing 1,440 affidavits filed by the Lok Sabha candidates contesting from 11 states in the first phase of polls. NEW comprises more than 1,200 NGOs and other citizen-led organisations.

JD (U) first party to have Sahabhagi in its manifesto

Nitish Kumar led JD (U), takes to its credit for being the first party in India to have "Sahabhagi" in its manifesto. Sahabhagi is a concept of participatory governance where common citizens are also taken into account, in terms of decision making power. The basic idea behind this concept is to make government more decentralized and participatory.
Well, ultimately what matters is the implementation of the concept in spirit, that one has to wait and watch, but the very fact that such concept has made to the manifesto and political agenda of a party is laudable.
At least we all are getting to see Bihar in news for being 'FiRSt", for all the right reasons.

India Elections with Google, Yahoo, and Internet

Close to the heels of yahoo, google has also announced the launch of a website for Indian elections. This truly goes on to show, that elections like cricket, is becoming a good tool of monetization, for a lot of companies, with Internet brands like Yahoo and google, leading the flock. And why not, if we look at the kind of money being pumped in by political parties, unofficially people say that a single general election entails spending to the tune of whopping USD 2-4 Billion.
Online campaigning with social media, blogs, twitters, is truly the hall mark of this general election, heralding a new era of campaigning, aimed at targeting the "youths" and other people, for who, Internet is a way of life and primary source for gathering information.
Obama's election campaign can be seen as a watershed in the usage of web in political campaigns. Well, it would be unfair to compare in anyways, US with India in terms of Internet, defining users opinion, but still, in times to come, this medium, will be an integral part of all political campaigns.
I would not be surprised to see all our representatives having a blog address, on their cards, and rustic MLA's and MP's taking a lesson or two on Internet and its nuances.



This could be a good business model for budding entrepreneurs, to start up consultancy and Internet political advisory firms. The target audience will never be bereft of cash:)

Rabri devi's remark on Nitish Kumar Bihar CM: A Bankruptcy of RJD

The recent remarks of Rabri devi on Nitish Kumar's relations with Mr. lalan singh, not only reflects the moral bankruptcy of RJD, but also shows to what contemptible level politicians can go, to pander to the prejudices of people. Well, this remark only goes on to prove that JD (U), has put RJD and LJP alliance in the back foot (for me SP does not count in Bihar), and in its supreme frustration RJD is trying all tricks of the books to defame Nitish.
Or maybe Mrs rabri devi does not understand the import of her statement and how such statements can get some applaud from the crowd, but in the long run, prove to be the road to perdition for RJD.
The very fact that all the RJD alliance members are evading media query on their response to Rabri's statement, goes to prove,that they realize the futility of personal maligning and fear it may backfire big way.

Will Nitish & BJP sweep Bihar elections?

I personally feel yes. But after talking to people from diverse background and vocation, I found out, that there is a school of thought which has serious misgivings about Nitish's victory in Bihar. They feel that there is a widespread but subtle undercurrent against the autocratic nature of Nitish's style of functioning, which has huge potential of marring his election prospects and Bihar could be up for surprise.
A lot of allusion is being made to Nitish's own coterie, which has all the leaning of Laoo's days, though they are not truly on the face of it, in terms of quotidian disruption to public life.
Well, whatever may be the logic, I personally feel that if we truly do an introspection and see the changes brought about by Nitsh in Bihar, esp. in comparision to Laloo days, it is humongous in terms of better law and order and creation of basic infrastructure.
In the long run. that is what matters, rest, as it is said, there are no saints in politics, some are subtle others are blatant.

Bihar not to allow Wal-Mart-Bharti stores

There has been an announcement by Bihar Government not to allow walmart-Bharti stores in Bihar, as it will impact the lives of million vegetable and fruit vendors. Well, on the face of it, the logic for not allowing setting up stores looks quite pragmatic and populist. But I am not sure, as I personally feel that competition should not be excluded keeping in view populist measures and sentiments in mind. There should be a due diligence on how these stores will truly impact the vendors and not complement it.
The nitish government should not just go by logic of things, which superficially looks quite sensible. May be these stores would lead to a great demand for vegetable and fruits, which naturally due to reasons of logistics, be outsourced from Bihar only. The farmers will get a good price for it, and in turn get integrated to a larger economy. Or maybe the mom-pop stores, roadside vendors and large retail stores can co-exist in peace, as we see it in Delhi and NCR.
One never knows, but I feel that Bihar government should give a signal to larger private players that it is open to change and encourages healthy capitalist investments, as this state has no real large private players truly investing in Bihar, apart from telecom players, which by its very nature of service is unavoidable.

Yahoo! India launches special site for general elections 2009

Hi, Folks I found this piece of release informative for all my readers who wants to have an overview on the ongoing general elections in India.

News:
Yahoo! India, the leading Internet company, announced the launch of a new site focused on providing users with up-to-date information on upcoming 2009 general elections. Users can access all the election updates on elections.yahoo.in

As India gears up for its biggest parliamentary elections this summer, Yahoo! India’s elections site aims at creating an involved and an informed voter. With various political parties and leaders already using the Internet as a medium to reach out to voters, these elections are also about catering to a large online audience. elections.yahoo.in offers the best of election content through various features and tools.

Apart from being able to view the latest news updates, the elections site will let users share their opinions and updates on various leaders and constituencies during elections, thus help in making an informed choice. In order to cater to a large section of youth, several of whom could be voting for the first time, the special elections site also focuses on educating them on the importance of casting their votes.

Updates on election schedules, expert analysis, online polls, discussion forums, opinions and photos would be some of the other key features on the site. As the site evolves, Yahoo! India will also include interesting features like Manifesto Comparisons (a user can compare manifestos of various political parties) as well as comic strips on various news and updates during the tenure of the elections.

Bihar: Clash of ego's will benefit powerful Independent candidates

Political alliances changes color much faster than any chameleon, in the process creating opportunities for many and diluting possibilities for some. Bihar can be a case study for this, in the coming lok sabha elections.
My own thoughts are that the clash of ego's and the rift between parties has certainly created more opportunities for ticket distribution and in the wake strong independent candidates with good stature but in want of money to fight elections, this can be a golden opportunity, to get a ticket from a renowned party.
Say for example the Congress --Lalu/Paswan rift has made both the parties thinking of fielding their respective candidates from all the constituency, thus certainly increasing opportunity for, so many more candiates to fight on a reputed election symbol.
I will not be surprised that in the process we have a lot of not-so-well-known winners and many powerful faces biting the dust, just because they could not get their arithmatic right.
How will it impact the Bihar elections and subsequent government formation at the center only time will tell. But increasingly, trends are pointing towards a hung parliament where we can have the reminiscene of the Chandrashekhar, Dewe Gowda, and IK Gujral years.

Bihar elections: Sadhu Turns Shaitan for Lalu & paswan

Politics is all about expediency and machinations, no better place to prove than Bihar. The recent seat sharing announcement of Lalu with Paswan for Bihar Lok sabha elections, has really left Congress in the lurch with just 3 seats to the latter. However, much to the excitement of congress (or rather expectations or instigation!!), a revolt has cropped up from an unexpected quarter lalu's own sala, sadhu yadav. For sadhu the mandate is very clear he wants Betiah constituency to fight come what may!! Lalu has already given Betiah to Ram vilas's LJP.
This has made Sadhu approach Congress with a bunch of disgruntled RJD leaders, and Congress licking its fresh wound of being totally ignored by lalu, paswan combnation, is lapping up Sadhu.

Though, I personally feel, that congress is also very much aware, that sadhu yadav with his bunch of obsolete netas, will hardly have any impact in Bihar's real politic in terms of vote share or seat wins.
But, it does give congress a nuisance value for RJD and LJP. My own analysis is that the strength of Nitish Kumar's JD (U), has made parties nervous in terms of alignment, and Lalu sees in paswan, a better bet than Congress.

However, both Lalu and Paswan known for their selective memory and opportunism, anyone's guess how long this long lost love will continue??