NEW DELHI: The CPI-M is seeking the intervention of the Election Commission to ban any election campaigning that arouses communal feelings or is detrimental to India’s unity.

“Communal feelings are sought to be aroused and already some clashes have been reported every effort should be made not to allow this to happen” CPI (M) polit bureau member Harkishan Singh Surjeet told the press here on Friday.

Surjeet referred to a recent reported speech of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray in which he allegedly called for electing the BJP to power at the center in order to “protect and uphold Hindu interests.”

SJP TO CONTEST 5900 SEATS: The ruling Janata Dal (S) now the ‘Samajwadi Janata Party’ is making a second go at power locking itself in multi cornered contests in virtually all constituencies in the next month’s parliamentary polls.

Party leaders have decided to go it alone in the coming polls and contest all the 500 seats.

Barely six-months-old the party came into being following a split in the Janata Dal in November last year.

At least 62 MPs besides chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh Gujrat and Haryana threw in their lot with the Janata Dal (S) and elected Chandra Shekhar as the leader of the parliamentary party.

BJP FIELDS 475: The BJP has fielded candidates in 475 Lok Sabha constituencies the senior vice president of the party S.S.Bhandari said.

He said the decision to field senior party leaders A.B. Vajpayee and L.K.Advani from two constituencies was taken much earlier and all adjustments were planned accordingly. It was done to enlarge the scope of BJP victory in four states he said.

The BJP was contesting all 85 Lok Sabha and 425 assembly seats in U.P. and had no alliance with the Utrarakhand Kranti Dal in the state.

OF ‘WAYVES: Political “waves” rocking the North since 1977 have had little or no influence in south yet major political parties do not see any regional divide affecting their electoral fortunes in the next month’s polls.

Responding to a PTI questionnaire spokesman of the major Parties expressed confidence about improving their tally perceiving No set voting pattern in different regions.

While Congress (I) leader V.N.Gadgil said there would be no difference in the voting pattem insouth and north this time Janata Dal leader Jaipal Reddy feels that the temple-mosque dispute and the Mandal commission have led to basic changes in the balance of forces in various states.

Rightwing BJP leader Sharma while agreeing that the south and north had voted differently since 1977 said that south may hold some surprises this time. However Janata Dal (S) feels that the voting pattern would be the same this time throughout the country.

Surjit feels that the results would be pronouncedly anti-Congress in south this time while in the north there would be a two day division between the Congress (I) and the National Front-Left alliance.

The BJP would chip in a few seats in north but would not be able to retain its strength in Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan and Gujarat gained last time by one to one contests he says.

While the Congress (I) had swept the polls in south last time the north had rejected it.

INDEPENDENTS PERSIST: Undeterred by crushing defeat loss of money energy and the presence of towering party stalwarts independents continue to battle it out at the hustings.

Most of them lose their deposits but contest all elections in ever soaring numbers.

Their number in the coming poll is likely to reach a new high with over 30000 aspirants filing nominations. In the 1989 Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) poll a total of 3712 independents contested and only 12 saw victory.

But the support base of independents has nose-dived since the first general elections in 1952 with nearly 99% of them losing their deposits in the 1989 poll.

In 1952 a total of 533 independents entered the election fray with 38 emerging victorious while out of 3895 who tested their fortunes as independents in 1984 only five were elected to the eighth Lok Sabha.

The phenomenon of swelling independent participation could be due to the meager amount of deposits which is Rs 500 for a Lok Sabha and Rs 250 for state legislative assembly seat.

SENSITIVE SEATS: More than 300 constituencies have been identified as “sensitive” by the Home Ministry as it began the massive task of moving and deploying 64000 central Para military forces for election duties.

Briefing reporters here on the poll arrangements the home secretary said of the 300 sensitive seats 60 to 70 had been labeled as “highly sensitive” and extra precautions were being taken for these constituencies These include the seats from where V.V.I.P.’s are contesting he said.

JOINT STRATEGY: Four major political parties the Congress (I) the BJP the CPI and CPM had agreed to adopt a “joint poll Strategy” in Punjab as part of their continuing fight against secessionism and anti-national forces Stating this at a press conference BJP vice-president K L Sharma said the BJP high command had already approved the proposal and a formal approval from the other Parties is likely to come soon.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 3, 1991