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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

[ZESTCaste] Mulayam delivers hard blow to Maya, upends Rahul

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2966235.ece

Lucknow, March 6, 2012
Mulayam delivers hard blow to Maya, upends Rahul
Smita Gupta

In a stunning electoral performance that decimated the ruling Bahujan
Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party won 224
Assembly seats, shattering the 'national' conceits of both the
Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party along the way.

Click here for a .pdf of the poll results graphic
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00944/Poll_graphic_944392a.pdf

Even though the gap in seats between the SP and the BSP was over 140,
the vote share difference was only about 2.5 per cent, indicating that
the outgoing Chief Minister, Mayawati, had retained her core vote.

In the other four States whose results were also declared on Tuesday,
the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-led government in Punjab defied the
pollsters and made history, becoming the first since the State was
created in 1966 to win two consecutive elections. In Goa, the BJP
ousted the Congress from power; winning 21 to the latter's 9. The
Congress returned the compliment in Uttarakhand, narrowly defeating
the BJP, while comfortably retaining the north eastern State of
Manipur.

If the people's verdict in the five States brought little cheer to the
two national parties, for the ruling Congress, it was particularly
grim: by coming in fourth in U.P., adding less than a half a dozen
seats to its 2007 score of 22, questions about the Congress' ability
to spearhead a revival in the Hindi heartland began to be asked again,
with its heir apparent Rahul Gandhi in the dock. The party's victory
in Uttarakhand, by a whisker, was cold comfort, even though it ensured
that the BJP's Chief Minister, B.K. Khanduri, lost his own seat. Only
Okram Ibobi Singh, who was virtually written off after last year's
crippling economic blockade in Manipur, scripted a splendid hat-trick
for the Congress in the strife-torn State.

For the BJP, its joy in snatching Goa from the Congress and returning
to power in Punjab as the junior partner, was more than offset by its
dismal showing in U.P., where it could not even maintain its 2007
score of 51. The BJP, like the Congress, had staked a great deal in
U.P., hoping that an improvement in its fortunes would pave the way
for the big national showdown in 2014. If the Congress's poor strategy
and lack of organisation failed it in the State, the BJP was not just
a divided house — its admitting the tainted Baburam Kushwaha erased
the gains it had made by its skilful riding on the coattails of the
Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement.

The big story was, of course, the father-son duo of Mulayam Singh and
Akhilesh Yadav who powered the SP to a brilliantly strategised
electoral triumph. If Mr. Mulayam Singh, who will be the next Chief
Minister of U.P. — for a fourth time — was the inspiration for his
clan of Yadavs, desperate to be back in power after a five year
drought, it was his 39-year-old son who was the star of the show.

Akhilesh Yadav covered 10,000 km on his "cycle of hope," addressed 800
rallies in six months and transformed the image of the party. In doing
so, he added a whole new constituency to his party — if his infectious
smile and easy manner acted like a magnet for the youth, his tech
savviness, combined with the party's manifesto promise of laptops and
tablets for students, gave the party a contemporary look. Finally, his
shunning of strongman D.P. Yadav sent out the message that the SP
wanted to shed its image of a party of muscled lawbreakers.

In Punjab, another father-son duo, Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir
Singh, rode back to power battling accusations of nepotism and
corruption, winning 56 seats in the 117-member Assembly, against the
Congress' 46, dashing Captain Amarinder Singh's hopes of becoming the
Chief Minister. The SAD's partner, the BJP, lost seven seats, winning
only 12 against 19 in 2007. Two local parties, the People's Party of
Punjab, led by Manpreet Singh Badal, a rebel cousin of the Badals, and
the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) headed by the maverick ex-cop,
Simranjit Singh Mann, together secured 10 per cent of the vote,
evidently damaging the Congress rather than the SAD's prospects. As in
the case of the SP in U.P., Sukhbir Badal told journalists that his
octogenarian father would be the Chief Minister again.

In Goa, the IIT-educated Manohar Parrikar, whose campaign against the
Congress-led government on the issue of illegal mining became a
rallying point for anti-Congress sentiment in the State, will be the
Chief Minister for a third time.

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[ZESTCaste] SP also sweeps reserved assembly constituencies

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/SP-also-sweeps-reserved-assembly-constituencies/articleshow/12170447.cms

SP also sweeps reserved assembly constituencies
TNN | Mar 7, 2012, 07.02AM IST

LUCKNOW: The SP also swept the reserved assembly constituencies for
SCs winning more than half of them way ahead of BSP that is actually
known for its Dalit base. Of the total 84 reserved constituencies, SP
won 54, while BSP could win only 17. Congress got four, BJP three, RLD
two and others took the rest. This shows that the SP not only got the
support of Muslims and backward classes but also of Dalits. In fact,
in a reserved constituency, parties face real test of their support
since every party puts up Dalit candidates that splits the votes. The
one having more support of other castes and communities wins
eventually.

In 2007,BSP had won 62 out of total 89 reserved constituency, SP 13,
BJP seven, Congress five, RLD and Rashtriya Swabhiman Party (RPS) one
each. A look at BSP's performance makes it clear that the party has
not been impressive in reserved constituencies. But this time it was
less than expectations.

Sample this: In 1993, out of total 88 assembly constituencies reserved
for Dalits, BJP grabbed 38 followed by BSP and SP with 23 each and
four others. In 1996, again BJP was top runner with 36 seats followed
by BSP with 20, SP 18, Congress four, and 11 others. The scene in 2002
changed with SP grabbing maximum 35 seats followed by BSP with 24, BJP
18 and others 11. The results of the 17 reserved constituencies in Lok
Sabha is also more or less the same. In 1999, BSP won five seats.

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[ZESTCaste] Here, Brahmins roll on plantain leaves

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/Here-Brahmins-roll-on-plantain-leaves/articleshow/12173095.cms

Here, Brahmins roll on plantain leaves
Naveen Y, TNN | Mar 7, 2012, 12.29PM IST

TUMKUR: This is something that will perplex opponents of the infamous
'Made Snana' ritual, which is facing a ban in Karnataka. For, in this
case, the ritual can't be viewed as an atrocity against dalits going
by the way it is held in Beteraya Swamy temple at Turuvekere in Tumkur
district. Here, Brahmins roll on plantain leaves with leftovers of
meals served to dalits.

Usually, the ritual in Kukke Subramanya and other temples has lower
caste people roll over leaves in which Brahmins had their meals. While
the ritual is practised mainly in Naga temples across the state, in
Turuvekere, it happens in a Vishnu temple on March 6 every year.

The ritual has been on at Beteraya temple, which is under the muzrai
department, for over 400 years now and attracts Brahmins from all over
the state.

'Made Snana' is a 'harake' (an offering made for a wish). In this
case, the offering is to roll on leftovers of food consumed by dalits.
It is also believed that the ritual helps in curing skin diseases.

Several women and children were among the 600 Brahmins who took part
in the ritual on Tuesday. "Good things have happened to me due to Made
Snana. I wanted to be part of the ritual," said Ravi Narayan, one of
the participants.

"We wait till dalits finish their meals on the temple premises and
later roll on the plantain leaves," he added.

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[ZESTCaste] Elections results: Mayawati's statues, elephants not to be pulled down in SP wave

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Elections-results-Mayawatis-statues-elephants-not-to-be-pulled-down-in-SP-wave/articleshow/12162268.cms

Elections results: Mayawati's statues, elephants not to be pulled down
in SP wave
PTI | Mar 6, 2012, 04.42PM IST

LUCKNOW: The expensive giant statues of BSP chief Mayawati and party
symbol elephant in Uttar Pradesh will remain safe with Samajwadi's
star campaigner Akhilesh Yadav saying they will not be pulled down
after the change of guard in the state.

Yadav, who powered Samajwadi's campaign to help his father and party
supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to regain power, had said in the midst of
a poll campaign last year that there would be no sign of these statues
once his party gains power.

The 39-year-old engineer-turned politician spoke about the statues and
memorials of other dalit leaders facing no threat when asked by
reporters whether they will be pulled down after the Samajwadi
leadership remained on course to dethrone arch rival Mayawati.

Akhilesh had said last year that Mayawati's statues would be pulled
down after the UP polls in the same way as seen in the recent cases of
"dictators" in foreign countries.

"In the recent times, uprising in some countries against dictators saw
their statues being pulled down...In 2012, the day Samajwadi Party
government comes to power there would be no sign of the grand statues
of Mayawati," Yadav had said while he was on Samajwadi Kranti Rath
Yatra in the Bundelkhand region.

He had said that the places vacant in the parks where the memorials
were set up spending huge sums of money could have been used for the
construction of hospitals and education institutes.

After remaining draped for 52 days with cloth and tarpaulin following
an order of the Election Commission, 11 statues of Mayawati and over
200 in Lucknow and Noida, a Delhi suburb, were uncovered on March 4.

The Election Commission had ordered the unveiling of these statues
after completion of the last phase of polling on Saturday last.

The directives came following complaints from political parties to the
Election Commission that Mayawati is a living leader and the elephant
is poll symbol of ruling party BSP.

While the elephants were covered with plastic sheets which were tied
at all ends to prevent the sheets from slipping, iron scaffoldings
were put around the bigger jumbos to prevent any kind of damage to
them.

The exact cost of the mammoth exercise is yet to be worked out, though
it is estimated that it would have cost over a crore.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati, first UP chief minister to complete five-year stint

http://www.ndtv.com/article/assembly-polls/mayawati-first-up-chief-minister-to-complete-five-year-stint-183288

Mayawati, first UP chief minister to complete five-year stint

Press Trust of India, Updated: March 07, 2012 09:10 IST

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati may be on her way out
of 'pancham tal' -- Chief Minister's Office in the Secretariat
building -- but she has the distinction of being the first Chief
Minister of Uttar Pradesh to have completed a full five-year term in
the post.

The Dalit leader, whose social engineering catapulted her to simple
majority of 206 in the 403-member state assembly in the 2007
elections, became the first Chief Minister of the state to do so since
Independence.

The leader, who her rivals accuse of having megalomaniac tendencies,
became the Chief Minister for fourth time in 2007 achieving the feat
of former Chief Ministers Chandrabhanu
Gupta and N D Tiwari of Congress who had graced the post four times each.

The history of the state shows that none of the 31 Chief Ministers
were able to complete a five year term, not even stalwarts like Gobind
Ballabh Pant, Sucheta Kriplani, V P
Singh, Kamlapati Tripathi, Kalyan Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav among others.

Pant took oath as first Chief Minister of the state on May 20, 1952
but two years later he was succeeded by Sampurnand. In the next
assembly elections in 1957, it was Sampurnanda who led Congress to
victory but after his demise in 1960 Chandra Bhanu Gupta became the
Chief Minister.

After electoral victory in 1962, Gupta became Chief Minister for the
second time but had to resign within a year paving way for Sucheta
Kriplani to become the first woman
Chief Minister in independent India in 1963.

Kriplani was elected to Lok Sabha in 1967 and Gupta again became Chief
Minister for a brief period of one month after which Choudhary Charan
Singh, with the help and support of Raj Narain and Ram Manohar Lohia,
became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1967, and later in 1970.

But the Jat leader's tenure on both occasions was less than a year
before being dismissed by a Congress Government at the Centre and
imposition of President's rule in the state.
From the first time it was imposed during the tenure of Charan Singh
in 1968, till 2007, President's rule was imposed in the state nine
times.

Post 1970, Congress leaders like Chandra Bhanu Gupta, TN Singh,
Kamlapati Tripathi, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, ND Tiwari, VP Singh,
Sripati Mishra and Vir Bahadur Singh also
graced the post but none of them could complete the tenure of five
years. Brief tenures of non-Congress CMs like Ram Naresh Yadav and
Banarasi Das were also witnessed.

Mulayam Singh Yadav took oath of Chief Minister in 1989 for the first
time but remained in the post only two years. While the Mandal-Mandir
protests were at peak in the country, Kalyan Singh rode on the saffron
wave to be elected as the Chief Minister of the state on June 24,
1991. His term ended as he tendered resignation and President's rule
was imposed on December 6, 1992 after Babri Masjid demolition.

Mulayam Singh again came to power with support from Bahujan Samaj
Party in 1993 but lasted for nearly one-and a half year as Mayawati
pulled out her party's support. Mayawati
became the chief minister for the first time in 1995 with the BJP
support but could not complete her term.

After a brief President's rule, Mayawati again became Chief Minister
in 1997 as part of a six-month-each-agreement between BJP and BSP.

As per the agreement, Kalyan Singh succeeded her after six months. He
could not complete his term and Ramprakash Gupta took his place in
1999 and later Rajnath Singh became
Chief Minister in 2000.

Mayawati became Chief Minister for third time after 2002 election with
support from BJP. Within a year the government fell and Mulayam Singh
Yadav became the CM for the third time in 2003 and continued till
2007.

In the 2007 assembly elections, Mayawati's BSP won 206 seats giving
her clear majority and five years term to rule.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/assembly-polls/mayawati-first-up-chief-minister-to-complete-five-year-stint-183288&cp

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

[ZESTCaste] Mulayam delivers hard blow to Maya, upends Rahul

[ZESTCaste] SP also sweeps reserved assembly constituencies

[ZESTCaste] Here, Brahmins roll on plantain leaves

[ZESTCaste] Elections results: Mayawati's statues, elephants not to be pulled down in SP wave

[ZESTCaste] Mayawati, first UP chief minister to complete five-year stint

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