Indian General Elections - 2014

[anant_s]

It will be all about nos., BJP with 180+ seats means that every party except Left will be willing to support it.

Yes thats a very important point you make, both congress and BJP would want to win atleast 180-200 seats on their own for them to have a dominant say in policy matters.
If you ask me the most depressing part of UPA 2 hasn't been the corruption and scandals that broke with a depressing monotony, but govt's sheer inability to have courage to stand for a policy like it did for Nuclear deal against Left. Allies like TMC took advantage of this and the so called Policy Logjam led to wastage of time on economy front. The fact that government took cover under Global economic crisis to hide its own inability will, to me remain one of the most frustrating parts of UPA 2 regieme.
And it is here that lies a lesson for country's electorate. if the country chooses one of two major national parties it will do itself a great favor, any fractured verdict, we will have no will else but to blame ourselves and face the music (or should i say cacophony)

PS: I just get a feeling, RG won't be Congress's PM candidate. Congress knows better than anyone else, the kid stands no chance against seasoned leaders like Sushama swaraj, Arun jaitley, Modi etc, he simply has no credentials at all. I just get a feeling P Chidambaram or A K Anthony could be the dark horses.

Third Front is just a Mirage. It's just a lose coalition of parties which will ultimately join either of the two fronts, but they have kept there so called front such that they can get a better deal from either of the two fronts.

As for the Third Front

Before Elections

After Elections

 

[Marxist]

Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief to share dais with Narendra Modi, may walk into NDA fold

HYDERABAD: The TelanganaRashtraSamithi (TRS) is all set to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and, as a first step, its chief K ChandrasekharRao will address a public meeting along with BJP leader and Gujarat chief minister NarendraModi in the Telangana region.

Party sources said the TRS has no option but to join the NDA in view of the lack of commitment on the part of the Congress to the separate state demand. However, the TRS will join the NDA only if it gets a major say in the Telangana region besides the lion's share of seats in the 2014 elections. "The TRS is not averse to joining hands with any force including NDA in the interest of Telangana. The Congress has ditched us time and again, and it will be foolish to trust them. And as an alternative, one can look for a platform at the national level, including the NDA. However, we are particular about the TRS remaining the leading force in Telangana. As far as an electoral understanding is concerned, a final decision will be taken in the due course," Sircilla MLA K Taraka Rama Rao told STOI.

Sources said the Gujarat chief minister has already confirmed his visit to Hyderabad and the Telangana region. "Modi's visit will most likely happen in the last week of March or the first week of April. And he will address one public meeting most likely in Hyderabad and tour the Telangana region," said the BJP sources.

While KTR did not want to comment on Narendra Modi's tour, sources in the TRS said KCR is likely to share the dais with the Gujarat chief minister and they will address a rally in any selected town in Telangana. "We have invited Narendra Modi to tour the Telangana region as he is the best person to convey to the people that a separate state is a certainty if the NDA comes to power," said BJP state president G Kishan Reddy.

The game plan of the NDA is to convey the message to the Telangana people that a national party like BJP and a regional party that has been spearheading the separate state movement for the last decade and half could realize the aspirations of the people of the region. "With the combination of Modi and KCR, the NDA should put up a good performance in the region," said the sources.

Independent MLA Nagam Janardana Reddy too indicated that he would join the NDA. Nagam heads the Telangana Nagara Samithi. "It is time all pro-Telangana forces got consolidated under the NDA umbrella," he said.

Following Modi's visit, the local leaders will launch a 'Poru Yatra' led by Kishan Reddy in Telangana. And the pro-Telangana forces including the TRS, Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TJAC), and Telangana Nagara Samithi (TNS) of Nagam are expected to support the 'Yatra.'

"We are confident that Modi would be made the prime ministerial candidate shortly, and we are waiting for the announcement. Telangana movement would get a fillip once the leader of Modi's stature champions the cause," said Kishan Reddy.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief to share dais with Narendra Modi, may walk into NDA fold - The Times of India

@jbt90 now what ?

 

[kurup]

^^^^ I think AIADMK will also join NDA .

 

[SURYA-1]

What do you do with Prince Hamlet of Amethi?

The intriguing aspect of Rahul Gandhi's confessional is not his uncertainty about becoming Prime Minister but the certainty with which he rejected the thought of marriage and children. The first is easier said than done. The second is easier done than said. You need the consent of around 100 million voters to become Prime Minister; to become daddy you just need the consent of your wife.

Rahul Gandhi explained that if he got married and had children, he would "become a status quo-ist and be concerned about bequeathing my position to my children". There was a bit of a contradiction. After all, if you do not want to be PM then there is no position to bequeath to your children, so go ahead and enjoy a family. But mild confusion can be forgiven in a man at a transitional stage of his life.

Is this a subject for a political columnist or a Freudian analyst? Is Rahul Gandhi's reluctance towards both the chair and the cot the cry of a son forced into a job he does not particularly relish by a mother who will not take no for an answer?

There is something bewitching about the thought process in a dynasty. It does not seem to occur to anyone that it is perfectly possible for a prime minister to have a child without forcing him or her to become a carbon copy. Rahul Gandhi did not have to become a politician. He could have led an extremely rewarding life as a professional. There are presidents and prime ministers all over the democratic world whose children believe their parent made an awful career choice. There are other offspring who think politics is a pretty good idea. In either case the decision lies with the child once he or she turns an adult. A parent should at best have an advisory role, not a decisive one.

Some of the most powerful politicians in India are childless: Jayalalithaa, Navin Patnaik, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Narendra Modi. Does this make them either more honest or better administrators than Nitish Kumar, Shiela Dikshit, Raman Singh or Shiv Chouhan, who have children? Those who can rule with competence and honesty will do so whether or not they have children.

Politics is a demanding profession. Its occasional spasms of glamour quickly fade before the grind of detail, whether in constituency management or governance through files and voter persuasion. Public life is a business in which the voter is a shareholder. Rahul Gandhi has taken the important responsibility of a radical surgery on his party, but does give the impression he is bored by the demands of government. He finds it difficult to sit through a Budget speech, for instance, where a normal politician would be engrossed.

This leaves Congress with a peculiar problem. What do you do with Prince Hamlet of Amethi? How do you infuse electoral sparkle around a PM-in-waiting who prefers waiting to becoming PM? Do not blame Congress spokesmen for looking bewildered. This is not the script they got from AICC.

But this dilemma could set off private - very private - rejoicing in the heart of many Congress leaders within the 60-70 age band. As Rahul Gandhi delves into soliloquy and wonders whether it is to be or not to be, ambition flowers elsewhere. Seniors like P Chidambaram or Kamal Nath would love to be a Dr Manmohan Singh to Rahul Gandhi, giving him as much power as he wants as Congress president while they got on with the complicated job of running a government.

Rahul Gandhi is serious about reform within the Congress; he believes, correctly, that Congress has become, like other parties, an oligarchy. He is trying to change a system that Sonia Gandhi could not, or preferred not to. The problem is that after five years of disarray Congress does not want two heads. There is enough confusion in the ranks without adding any at the top. Power is about problems. One headache is bad enough; two can be unbearable. Power and responsibility must sit on the same chair.

Perhaps Rahul Gandhi is preparing his party for postponement, not abdication, and has decided that even if he does become PM it will not be as leader of a fractious coalition in which policy is under constant pressure from implicit blackmail by partners. But if he means what he says about children, will the dynasty that began with Motilal Nehru, gave India three Prime Ministers and might offer a possible fourth, end with him?

One cannot see Congress reaching out to Priyanka Gandhi's children when Rahul retires in three or four decades. Rahul's decision might even be a practical move. If he married now and had a child in a year, he would be around 85 before he was in a position to transfer the torch. Unlikely, although not impossible.

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatime...y/what-do-you-do-with-prince-hamlet-of-amethi By MJ AKBAR

 

[SURYA-1]

Roughly 1 year 3 months left, when the people of the largest democracy on earth will elect there Govt.

There have been too much threads opened on this topic of late. Let's converge all the discussion here.

This is an important issue for the future of not just India but the region as whole.

Dump every related news here, discuss & elect your leader & your Govt.

Also, Pls don't make this thread a one sided affair, discuss all possibilities which can appear come 2014.

EDIT: Poll Added

P.S. @KRAIT is it ok??

This poll is being rigged in the favour of Kangress by Pakistanis.Take steps to check that.

 

[arp2041]

This poll is being rigged in the favour of Kangress by Pakistanis.Take steps to check that.

I know that buddy, actually i can't do much.

There was an option in the poll by which we could have seen the names of the voters, but as u can see it is not working for some reason.

As it is, this poll doesn't matter much as it will hardly have any impact on the real elections.

This was put up for the sole purpose of knowing the preference of Indian members here.

But nearly 80% votes for BJP in total is something that i never imagined, & you are right, if there was some way that only Indians could have voted than this no. would only had risen.

I am assuming that at max 4 non-Indian members have voted in this one, i think we can allow this much of distortion.

 

[Mritunjaya]

Some Gems from M J Akbar's article ..........

You need the consent of around 100 million voters to become Prime Minister; to become daddy you just need the consent of your wife


This leaves Congress with a peculiar problem. What do you do with Prince Hamlet of Amethi? How do you infuse electoral sparkle around a PM-in-waiting who prefers waiting to becoming PM?



Rahul's decision might even be a practical move. If he married now and had a child in a year, he would be around 85 before he was in a position to transfer the torch.

.........Hilarious .....

 

[Marxist]

Karnataka local polls

Karnataka local polls: Congress wins Bellary, Mangalore; BJP trails, BSY's party KJP routed- Politics News- Politics-IBNLive

not a big surprise ..

 

[anant_s]

Karnataka local polls

Karnataka local polls: Congress wins Bellary, Mangalore; BJP trails, BSY's party KJP routed- Politics News- Politics-IBNLive

not a big surprise ..

Congress is going to loose big in Andhra and the same may happen to BJP in Karnataka. These results are on expected lines and unless the two parties do something to arrest the tide, what this essentially means you have two more regional players who will with their 12-15 seats get to have a bargaining power with whichever alliance that forms the next government.

 

[anant_s]

Games have Started

NEW DELHI: Congress wants Jaganmohan Reddy to side with it or stay neutral in the post-poll scenario, pushing for an understanding with the rebel who is likely to be the big gainer in LokSabha and assembly polls scheduled to be held together in April 2014.

Congress ranks were silent after Vijayamma, Jagan's mother who is running the fledgling outfit during his incarceration in corruption cases, on Monday said YSR Congress would never tie up with "communal BJP" but could join hands with UPA or Third Front. She also ruled out a pre-poll tie-up with Congress.

This appeared Jagan's way to assure Congress following his continued stay in jail. Jagan has blamed Congress hostility for his woes, saying the mother party was angry at his rebellion.

Sources said the lead UPA player has been trying to persuade Jagan through emissaries for a pre-poll tie-up. A pre-poll arrangement would help the party tap the favourable sentiment in favour of Jagan that, ironically, he has generated with his rebellion against Congress. Also, that alone could check Jagan from joining hands with BJP if a situation so arises.

"If not pre-poll tie-up", a Jagan aide said, "Congress wants YSR Congress to stay neutral if it cannot form the government."

The demands are tough, a reason why there has not been a patch up despite the hope raised by presidential polls when Jagan asked his loyalist MLAs and MPs to vote for the Congress nominee.

Congress is desperately looking to counter the hostility in Telangana and erosion of support in Coastal and Rayalaseema regions after the death of YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Congress concedes Jagan may be a big gainer in coastal and Rayalaseema that helped the party return to power in Delhi as well as Hyderabad in 2009. The party is tipped to be a major loser in Telangana where it is on the wrong side of the popular statehood sentiment. A tally of over 15-20 seats would be crucial in determining who forms the government in Delhi.

However, despite failure at any understanding, Congress may still end up with a handle over Jagan. Sources said the party is sure to win a decent tally in assembly while YSR Congress is unlikely to get a majority on its own. A post-poll alliance that works to the benefit of both, like it happened with NCP in Maharashtra, is thus not ruled out.

May back UPA, won’t support 'communal' NDA: Jagan's mother - The Times of India

 

[Android]

Rahul Gandhi has only 4 votes and 50% of votes he received are from Pakistanis

 

[nike_007]

I still think that BJP is playing a safe game. Modi will express regret for 2002; just ahead of Election so liberal Muslim vote will be divided. Congress will try to play communal card which ultimately favor BJP. BJP needs to do well in UP; a 40+ tally in UP is required.

 

[Mritunjaya]

Games have Started

May back UPA, won’t support 'communal' NDA: Jagan's mother - The Times of India

Jagan and his Mother are Christians .....though they hold Sonia Gandhi responsible for assassinating his father/husband .......the communal pull is stronger than desire for justice or revenge.

Akbaruddin Owaisi had visited Jagan in Jail to convince him to stay away from BJP.

 

[anant_s]

Jagan and his Mother are Christians .....though they hold Sonia Gandhi responsible for assassinating his father/husband .......the communal pull is stronger than desire for justice or revenge.

Akbaruddin Owaisi had visited Jagan in Jail to convince him to stay away from BJP.

YSR and his family has disproportionate assets case against them and congress (as always) will try to use this situation to its full advantage. All this talk of supporting secular forces is farce, they are actually trying to save their skins.
Also can members from Andhra shed some light on Telangana issue and its possible implications in next years elections?

 

[anant_s]

I still think that BJP is playing a safe game. Modi will express regret for 2002; just ahead of Election so liberal Muslim vote will be divided. Congress will try to play communal card which ultimately favor BJP.

The question is why should he express any regrets. Courts have absolved Modi from any wrong doing. Yes as CM it was Modi's duty to protect citizens, but almost a decade has passed and if one keeps harping old issues, you cannot move forward.
I've lived for a significant amount of time in Gujarat (2003-2006) and if you take my word, an average gujarati (irrespective of his religion) wants to move forward.

BJP needs to do well in UP; a 40+ tally in UP is required.

I don't think BJP will win the no. of seats you've mentioned. The trouble is there is no stalwart in UP after AB Vajpayee who can rally people behind BJP (the same is true for congress). As usual the electorate in UP will vote on caste lines meaning SP or BSP to be significant players.