2

Pure Politics
The Economic Times, Mumbai, Saturday, 1 March 2014
DP BHATTACHARYA
AHMEDABAD
BJP patriarch LK Advani is just not
ready to hang up his boots as he reit-
erated his wish on Friday to contest
from Gandhinagar once again.
The senior BJP leaders stand as-
sumes significance in the face of
perceived uncertainty over the
Lok Sabha seat of BJPs prime
ministerial candidate Narendra
Modi. There is speculation that
Modi could contest from Gandhi-
nagar. The advocates of the idea
say its one of the safest seat, the
possibility of most spectacular
victory is high and, also, it will be
convenient for Modi as he would be
busy campaigning for the party
across the country.
The undercurrent of tension be-
tween Modi and Advani has been
surfacing quite regularly in spite of
efforts to brush it under the carpet.
Advani, who was in Gandhinagar
on Friday for a vigilance committee
meeting for his constituency, said
his visit showed his interest in his
constituency and the rest was upon
the party to decide.
While Advani has been contest-
ing from Gandhinagar since 1991,
he garnered 5,16,120 votes in 2004
against Congress Gabhaji Thakor
who got only 2,98,982 votes. But the
victory margin declined in 2009
when he could manage only
4,33,954 votes against Suresh Patel,
who polled 3,12,027 votes. In 2009,
Advani and his family cam-
paigned extensively in the constit-
uency, fuelling speculation that
Gujarat BJP was reluctant to work
for the octogenarian.
The simmering tension between
Modi and Advani resurfaced in
2011, When Modi launched his
high-profile Sadbhavana Mission
in Ahmedabad that virtually up-
staged Advanis nation-wide anti-
corruption yatra, which he was to
take out from South Gujarat. In re-
sponse, Advani moved the starting
point of his yatra to Bihar and got
Modis bete noire Nitish Kumar to
flag off the same. Ever since it has
been a popular subject of specula-
tion in Gujarat whether Advani
would like to move to some other
constituency for the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections, though BJP always ne-
gated any such possibility. In this
backdrop, Advanis claim assumes
significance as denying him Gand-
hinagar would attract great
amount of bad press for Modi,
which the BJPs PM candidate can
ill-afford at this juncture.
BIKASH SINGH
GUWAHATI
An ally a day almost seems like
BJPs aim. After rapping up an
alliance with Ram Vilas Pas-
wans Lok Janshakthi Party on
Thursday, BJP was on the verge
of striking a deal with the Asom
Gana Parishad (AGP). If the deal
goes through, this will be NDAs
first ally in the northeast for the
upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
However, the BJP state unit is op-
posed to the alliance.
BJP has offered five of Assams
14 seats to AGP, a source said. The
parties had a pact for the 2009
polls, which worked well for BJP
as it won four seats, the highest
from the state. AGPs central ex-
ecutive body has authorised
president Prafulla Kumar Ma-
hanta and working president
Atul Bora to make the final deci-
sion on electoral alliances. Both
AGP and BJP have had several
rounds of discussions.
Four AGP leaders are camping
in New Delhi to finalise the nitty-
gritty of seat-sharing, a senior
AGP leader said on condition of
anonymity. AGP has been of-
fered Koliabor, Tezpur, Kokraj-
har, Barpeta and Dibhu seats.
The party however wants one
more either Guwahati or Man-
galdoi, the source said.
BJP is not ready to part with ei-
ther Guwahati or Mangaldoi as it
has sitting MPs. Mahanta said
his party was open to alliances.
But till now, we have not entered
into an alliance with any politi-
cal party, he told ET. BJPs state
unit has opposed the alliance
stating that AGP was a spent
force, as repeated electoral deba-
cles have shown. BJP has streng-
thened its base in the state and
had put an impressive show in
the district council polls. Local
BJP leaders insist that it would
be better if the party goes to poll
on its own. Analysts feel an AGP-
BJP tie-up will benefit BJP huge-
ly as there will a concentration
of anti-Congress votes. In the
2011 assembly polls, BJP and
AGP fought separately and the
results were disastrous for both.
While BJP managed to win five
seats, AGP got nine. In the 2004
Lok Sabha polls, where there was
no alliance between BJP and
AGP, the saffron party won only
two seats. AGP got none.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi said AGP and BJP have a
long, hidden relationship. Both
know how to loot, he said.
BJP Inching Towards Poll
Pact with AGP in Assam
If deal goes through, this will be NDAs first ally in NE for LS elections
IN DEMAND: Prafulla K Mahanta
SUTANUKA GHOSAL &
TAMAL SENGUPTA
KOLKATA
Why would anybody opening a
Twitter account make news? Be-
cause its perhaps the first time the
Left in India is formally embracing
the social media to express itself to
the new generation.
CPM this week opened a Twitter
page. As on Friday, it has some 1,051
followers and about 22 tweets in-
cluding those from party general
secretary Prakash Karat, his wife
Brinda Karat, Rajya Sabha member
Sitaram Yechury and Polit bureau
member and former Kerala educa-
tion minister MA Baby.
After years of dependence on graf-
fiti, wall posters, banners and leaf-
lets, besides direct interactions, the
Left seems to have finally woken up
to the fact that they are having less
and less impact on upcoming gener-
ations glued to social media, inter-
net and touch phones or tablets.
I think this is the most effective
way to communicate with the
younger generation, Nilotpal Ba-
su, CPM central committee mem-
ber, told ET.
He agreed that the upcoming Lok
Sabha elections influenced the tim-
ing of the Twitter entry to some ex-
tend, but the key reason was to put
across our political views to the
tech-savvy population and get their
feedback as well.
Most definitely peer pressure has
had its impact on the Lefts new so-
cial media initiative. BJP had its
twitter service ready before 2009
polls and now has 3.70 lakh follow-
ers. Nevertheless it lost the polls.
Congress followed more recently
and has some 1.33 lakh followers.
And then there is Mamata Baner-
jees All-India Trinamool Congress,
which ended the Lefts 34-year rule
in West Bengal and its rival number
one. Even before she came to power
in May 2011, Mamatas party had
been active on social media plat-
form.
Spearheaded by the partys Rajya
Sabha MP, Derek OBrien and aided
at times by Hotmail founder Sabeer
Bhatia and a host of other global so-
cial media giants, Trinamools
Twitter and Facebook services have
been runaway hits from the very be-
ginning.
Suspicious always of anything as-
sociated with the West and, particu-
larly the United States, CPM never
paid much heed to social media de-
spite gradually losing its appeal to
the youth and college students as
well as intelligentsia, which once
was solidly Left in ideology.
The partys embracing of social
media may be its attempt to regain
influence on these segments but it
needs to be seen if tweets from Ali-
muddin Street in Kolkata and AKG
Bhawan in New Delhi can help
make the Left popular among the
new generation.
CPM Realises Political Power
Can Grow Out of Tweets Too
Party opens Twitter Page, 1,051 followers, 22 tweets by Friday
KRISHNA KUMAR
MUMBAI
Vinod Khanna, Anupam Kher, Na-
na Patekar and Hema Malini had a
visitor in the last few days. It was
not any film director wanting to
cast them in a movie, but a member
of BJPs Mumbai unit, asking if
they were willing to contest the
Mumbai North Central seat
against Congress Priya Dutt.
Dutt has been representing the
constituency since 2004 and BJP is
desperate to defeat her in the Con-
gress stronghold. During the last
election, it fielded lawyer Mahesh
Jethmalani. Despite an SP candi-
date contesting, Dutt won by a mar-
gin of 1.75 lakh votes. Her margin
even in 2004 was around the same.
BJPs view that a film star was
best to defeat Dutt saw its Mumbai
unit approaching Vinod Khanna,
who won Punjabs Gurdaspur seat
for the party four times. Khanna
declined to contest saying he had
very good relations with the Dutt
family. The party also approached
Anupam Kher, who gave the same
reason for declining. Hema Malini
too declined the offer.
BJP then decided that it would ap-
proach someone who had not both-
ered to maintain cordial relations
with the Dutt family Nana Pate-
kar, who had criticised the lenient
treatment given to Priya Dutts
brother Sanjay Dutt in the Mum-
bai blast case. However, Patekar
too rejected BJPs offer saying he
was not interested in politics.
When contacted, Hema Malini
denied such an incident took place,
while Kher said he has not been
approached by any political party
to contest. Patekar declined to an-
swer ETs query and Khanna could
not be contacted.
However, a senior
BJP leader con-
firmed the devel-
opment. The list
of film stars that
we had ap-
proached is too
long. Most of them
said that since Pri-
ya is Sanjay Dutts
sister, they would
not like to contest against her.
Another senior BJP leader had a
different take. He said all those
who approached may have refused
the offer as they knew it would be a
tough contest. A margin of 1.75
lakh votes is not something that
can be easily erased. Which is why
they are not willing to contest, the
senior BJP leader said.
With no star power, BJP has
shortlisted Mumbai unit presi-
dent Ashish Shelar and business-
man Mohit Khamboj, while Sal-
man Khan will be Priya Dutts star
campaigner.
BJP Fails to Get
Cinestars to Take
on Priya Dutt
Dutt is a two-time Congress MP from Bandra
With no star
power, BJP
shortlists
Mumbai unit
chief Ashish
Shelar and
bizman Mohit
Khamboj
DIPANJAN ROY CHAUDHURY
NEW DELHI
West Bengal Chief Minister Ma-
mata Banerjee will hold a joint
rally with Anna Hazare in New
Delhi on March 12, to make her na-
tional aspirations public ahead of
the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Banerjee is likely to unveil her
national agenda at Ramlila Mai-
dan, the venue of Hazares anti-
corruption fast in August 2011.
A Trinamool leader told ETthat
the party was planning to make
noteworthy announcements. He
hinted it would include Annas 17-
point agenda along with a cri-
tique on the Centres perform-
ance in the last 10 years. Hazare is
expected to make an emotional
appeal to the public to support Ba-
nerjee as PM. This will be Baner-
leader also claimed that people
dissatisfied with Aam Aadmi
Party were flocking back to An-
na. In fact it would be a battle be-
tween mentor Anna and his disci-
ple Arvind Kejriwal at least in
Delhi, a Trinamool source said.
As part of expanding her partys
base, Banerjee had made recent
trips to the northeast and has
been trying to make major in-
roads in the Left-stronghold of
Tripura. She addressed a well-at-
tended rally there. Earlier this
week, she was in Guwahati and
talked about land rights for
farmers. Even if Baner-
jees plans do not work
out, Trinamool must
be hoping to at least
gain enough votes to be
recognised as the sev-
enth national party.
will bank on Hazares appeal, the
leader said. Trinamool plans to
field 200 candidates in other
states, including all seven seats in
Delhi. The leader
said the party
feels it would not
be an overestima-
tion to expect it to
be the third
largest party in
the next Lok Sab-
ha. Trinamool
plans to field can-
didates also in Bi-
har, UP, Punjab,
Haryana and
Maharashtra. After the success of
the AAP and its emphasis on
clean candidates, Trinamool has
begun the search for taint-free
candidates. Team Anna is playing
a critical role in this process. The
jees maiden political rally at
Ramlila. During the Delhi rally 10
music CDs on Banerjee in Bangla,
Hindi & Bhojpuri would be re-
leased. They would highlight her
non-corrupt profile, pro-people
image and achievements of her
government in West Bengal.
West Bengals regional party has
no significant presence outside
but her ambition seems to stem
from the fact that the next Lok
Sabha could see a severely frac-
tured mandate. With Bengal hav-
ing 42 Lok Sabha seats and the Tri-
namool having won the 2011
assembly elections by a landslide,
Banerjees party is hopeful of
winning a majority of these seats
and becoming a major player
post-Lok Sabha polls.
The party is hoping to make
some inroads in other states and
Goaded by Anna, Mamata Banerjee Dreams Big
West Bengal chief minister to announce national agenda at Ramlila Maidan on March 12
Paswan: Sultan
OF SWINGS
RAM VILAS PASWAN,
the 67-year-old LJP
chief, who scripted a
political alliance with Modi-led BJP
on Thursday, has built a reputation
in Delhis political circles as the
surest indicator of which way
the political wind will blow. This
reputation took a severe beating
when he jumped out of the UPA-1
tent on the eve of 2009 LS polls
only to land himself in political
wilderness for ve long years. As
Paswan takes another jump, this
time right back to the NDA camp,
ET presents a brief sketch of
Paswans serial political pole-vaults
A PRODUCT of
anti-Emergency
movement, Paswan
has been through all
the factions of Janata
Parivar Janata Party, Lok Dal,
Janata Dal and now his own
Lok Janshakti Party
WAS UNION minister
when VP Singh formed
anti-Cong National
Front government with
outside support from
BJP and Left
WAS BACK as
Union minister
in Deve Gowda
and IK Gujral
governments,
backed by
Cong & Left
WAS A SENIOR
minister in the
AB Vajpayee-
led NDA
regime from
1999 to 2002
LEFT NDA in 2002,
joined UPA in 2004;
became a Union
minister in Manmohan
Singh-led UPA-1
ON THE EVE of 2009
LS polls Paswan and
Lalu Prasad walked out
of UPA to experience
a political rout
AFTER BEING
in wilderness
for ve years,
Paswan has
returned to NDA
CHENNAI: DMK chief M Karunanidhi has described
Modi as a hardworker and a good friend, re-
marks seen as sending signals to BJP ahead of Lok
Sabha polls. Karunanidhis response came in an in-
terview to one of the leading Tamil dailies Dinama-
lar, in which he refrained from commenting on a
possible tie-up with the BJP. The hectic election
campaign by Modi shows he is a hardworker. He is also a good
friend of mine, he said. Asked if his announcement in the recent
DMK state conference that his party would not align with commu-
nal forces meant BJP, Karunanidhi shot back are you giving a
confessional statement that BJP is communal. PTI
Modi a Good Friend: Karunanidhi
VINOD, ANUPAM, NANA, HEMA NOT INTERESTED
THE PAST AND THE PRESENT: LK Advani with Narendra Modi File photo
LK ADVANI
Senior BJP Leader
I have come to Gandhina-
gar to participate in a vigi-
lance committee meeting,
which clearly shows that I
am interested
Battle for Gandhinagar Begins:
Its Advani Vs Narendra Modi
Mamatas
ambition
seems to
stem from
the fact that
the next LS
could see a
severely
fractured
mandate
ARINDAM
Look what has been done by dus numbari Gandhi.
Bifurcation of Andhra was like killing the mother while
giving birth to a child Dont trust the Congress
NARENDRA
MODI
in Gulbarga
(Karnataka)
BJPs PM candidate
punning on the
house number of
Sonia Gandhi in New
Delhi 10 Janpath
SOME ACTION HERE While patriarch stakes claim over his LS seat, Modis followers want Advani to make way for Guj CM