Poll code ends advertisement war
3 Mar 2009, 0000 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: The advertisement war between the main players Congress and TDP which has been using animations of animals has come to an end with the model code coming into effect.
Henceforth the state government cannot take any policy decisions and the leaders will have to strictly follow decorum in their comments made against their opponents.
State CEO I V Subba Rao said a task force is being constituted which would keep a hawk eye on the parties and the leaders. The tone and tenor of the speeches should be within the guidelines and mutual respect for opponents during public meetings and statements has been emphasised in the model code.
Rao said the Supreme Court had given certain direction in regard to the issue of television advertisements. Accordingly all parties will have to seek the clearance of election commission before airing them. Any violation of this would be treated as contempt of court.
In Andhra Pradesh, the committee to clear TV advertisements would headed by the additional chief electoral officer. The other two members will be joint collector of Hyderabad and deputy director of Doordarshan.
Defacement of public properties, putting up of banners, hoardings and posters on private properties is not permitted. Even survey results are also not permitted.
Extensive video coverage during polls will also be in place along with rapid response system and the citizens can bring any violation of the code and mistake in the electoral rolls. A toll free number 1100 is being set up for the purpose.
Rao said a meeting with all the political parties will be held on Tuesday explaining to them about the do's and don’t's during the campaign. The model code of conduct will be applicable to all the parties.
The SMS and e-mail campaign of the parties will also have to end before 48 hours of the polling. The citizens can complain about such violations at ceo_andhrapradesh@eci.gov.in.
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CM begins candidate selection
3 Mar 2009, 0000 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: With the election schedule out, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy wants to complete the finalization of candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies by end of the week.
Reddy decided to focus attention on the identification of candidates and spent the day at his camp office discussing the probable names to prepare a draft list to be ratified by the state election committee of the PCC on March 4. He was joined by his political advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao and later by PCC president D Srinivas in the exercise.
According to party sources, the meeting would continue on Tuesday as well. It is learnt that the there was no problem in regard to about 160 assembly constituencies. The Monday meeting discussed mainly about the probable names for these 160 constituencies. On Tuesday, they are likely to discuss about 120 seats where the number of claimants are more than two.
The list of 280 candidates would be placed before the state election committee of the PCC on March 4 and after it is ratified, Reddy would go to New Delhi and submit it to AICC.
It is also learnt that the chief minister reviewed the situation arising out of the agitation taken up by Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MPRS) activists with some party leaders from the Madiga community who called on him at his camp office. Reddy is understood to have told them that they should go to the people and explain to them how the Congress government had set the process of reservation in motion. The state assembly had passed a resolution recommending sub categorisation of Madigas.
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TDP, Left to complete seat-sharing
3 Mar 2009, 0055 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: The TDP and Left parties have decided to complete the process of seat-sharing in the next two days so that they can kickstart the joint campaign.
Leaders of the two Left parties met TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday evening and discussed the claims and counter claims being made by each party on certain seats. They also reviewed the arrangements being made for the joint public meeting by alliance partners on March 9 on the city outskirts.
Sources point out that the Left party was demanding about 35 seats each while the TDP was willing to share only 35-40 seats with the two Left parties. The TDP, Left and TRS are locked in a controversy over certain seats particularly in the Telangana region. In many areas in Nalgonda, the Left, the TDP and the TRS are having common claims.
For example, the TRS wants to contest from Bhongir and Suryapet which are considered to be strongholds of the TDP. Bhongir is represented by Uma Madhav Reddy, wife of slain TDP minister A Madhav Reddy. Similarly, Suryapet also has been a TDP bastion till 2004 when Congress wrested the seat.
The Alair seat is presently held by TRS but TDP leaders are putting pressure to get it back. Former minister M Narsimhulu is the contender from this seat.
In the Krishna district and in the north coastal region, the TDP and Left are eyeing certain constituencies. The TDP is insisting that whichever party had won in 2004 should contest from the same seats and no fresh claims on these seats be made.
In case of other seats, they should go by the number of votes polled by each party in the last elections, the image of local candidates and the winning chances. Any miscalculation could become advantageous to the Congress party.
But the Left is unhappy over the TDP's delaying tactics. According to the Left party leaders, they had mediated between TRS and TDP to break the stalemate and made TDP agree over the number of seats it would concede to TRS before TRS made the final announcement to join the alliance. But when it came to finalising seats for Left parties, TDP had been dragging the matter and testing their patience.
However, Naidu told the media that the issue would be sorted out in the next two days and a joint announcement would be made on the issue. The CPM state secretary B V Raghavulu also endorsed the view. He said, in case there are some seats where no agreement can be arrived at the state level, the central leadership of Left parties will talk to Naidu and take a decision.
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Maganti Babu to join TDP on March 6
4 Mar 2009, 0332 hrs IST, TNN
ELURU: In what could be seen as a direct attack on the Congress party for being overtly "Reddy-friendly," former minister Maganti Venkateswara Rao (Babu) has alleged that Kamma caste leaders have always felt insecure and are given a raw deal in the party.
Maganti, who resigned from his ministerial post after the Congress candidate's defeat in the ZPTC elections in Denduluru, said he would join the Telugu Desam Party on March 6. He said he was cheated by the Congress fair and square.
"When chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy asked me to resign from the cabinet for the Denduluru ZPTC poll debacle, I did it without batting an eyelid in order to improve the image of the party in the district. But, I have realised that I was made a scape goat by the party leadership," he said. "Hence, I had decided to quit the party and join the TDP," he added.
Maganti claimed that despite Kamma caste people's apprehensions, he had stuck with the party as his father and forefathers had a long association with the Congress. "But now, I have come to a conclusion that Kammas will never be recognised in the Congress," he charged.
Asked whether the TDP has offered him a seat, he said the TDP has extended an invitation to him to contest from Eluru Lok Sabha seat.
3 Mar 2009, 0000 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: The advertisement war between the main players Congress and TDP which has been using animations of animals has come to an end with the model code coming into effect.
Henceforth the state government cannot take any policy decisions and the leaders will have to strictly follow decorum in their comments made against their opponents.
State CEO I V Subba Rao said a task force is being constituted which would keep a hawk eye on the parties and the leaders. The tone and tenor of the speeches should be within the guidelines and mutual respect for opponents during public meetings and statements has been emphasised in the model code.
Rao said the Supreme Court had given certain direction in regard to the issue of television advertisements. Accordingly all parties will have to seek the clearance of election commission before airing them. Any violation of this would be treated as contempt of court.
In Andhra Pradesh, the committee to clear TV advertisements would headed by the additional chief electoral officer. The other two members will be joint collector of Hyderabad and deputy director of Doordarshan.
Defacement of public properties, putting up of banners, hoardings and posters on private properties is not permitted. Even survey results are also not permitted.
Extensive video coverage during polls will also be in place along with rapid response system and the citizens can bring any violation of the code and mistake in the electoral rolls. A toll free number 1100 is being set up for the purpose.
Rao said a meeting with all the political parties will be held on Tuesday explaining to them about the do's and don’t's during the campaign. The model code of conduct will be applicable to all the parties.
The SMS and e-mail campaign of the parties will also have to end before 48 hours of the polling. The citizens can complain about such violations at ceo_andhrapradesh@eci.gov.in.
=======================================================================================
CM begins candidate selection
3 Mar 2009, 0000 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: With the election schedule out, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy wants to complete the finalization of candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies by end of the week.
Reddy decided to focus attention on the identification of candidates and spent the day at his camp office discussing the probable names to prepare a draft list to be ratified by the state election committee of the PCC on March 4. He was joined by his political advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao and later by PCC president D Srinivas in the exercise.
According to party sources, the meeting would continue on Tuesday as well. It is learnt that the there was no problem in regard to about 160 assembly constituencies. The Monday meeting discussed mainly about the probable names for these 160 constituencies. On Tuesday, they are likely to discuss about 120 seats where the number of claimants are more than two.
The list of 280 candidates would be placed before the state election committee of the PCC on March 4 and after it is ratified, Reddy would go to New Delhi and submit it to AICC.
It is also learnt that the chief minister reviewed the situation arising out of the agitation taken up by Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MPRS) activists with some party leaders from the Madiga community who called on him at his camp office. Reddy is understood to have told them that they should go to the people and explain to them how the Congress government had set the process of reservation in motion. The state assembly had passed a resolution recommending sub categorisation of Madigas.
============================================================================================
TDP, Left to complete seat-sharing
3 Mar 2009, 0055 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: The TDP and Left parties have decided to complete the process of seat-sharing in the next two days so that they can kickstart the joint campaign.
Leaders of the two Left parties met TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday evening and discussed the claims and counter claims being made by each party on certain seats. They also reviewed the arrangements being made for the joint public meeting by alliance partners on March 9 on the city outskirts.
Sources point out that the Left party was demanding about 35 seats each while the TDP was willing to share only 35-40 seats with the two Left parties. The TDP, Left and TRS are locked in a controversy over certain seats particularly in the Telangana region. In many areas in Nalgonda, the Left, the TDP and the TRS are having common claims.
For example, the TRS wants to contest from Bhongir and Suryapet which are considered to be strongholds of the TDP. Bhongir is represented by Uma Madhav Reddy, wife of slain TDP minister A Madhav Reddy. Similarly, Suryapet also has been a TDP bastion till 2004 when Congress wrested the seat.
The Alair seat is presently held by TRS but TDP leaders are putting pressure to get it back. Former minister M Narsimhulu is the contender from this seat.
In the Krishna district and in the north coastal region, the TDP and Left are eyeing certain constituencies. The TDP is insisting that whichever party had won in 2004 should contest from the same seats and no fresh claims on these seats be made.
In case of other seats, they should go by the number of votes polled by each party in the last elections, the image of local candidates and the winning chances. Any miscalculation could become advantageous to the Congress party.
But the Left is unhappy over the TDP's delaying tactics. According to the Left party leaders, they had mediated between TRS and TDP to break the stalemate and made TDP agree over the number of seats it would concede to TRS before TRS made the final announcement to join the alliance. But when it came to finalising seats for Left parties, TDP had been dragging the matter and testing their patience.
However, Naidu told the media that the issue would be sorted out in the next two days and a joint announcement would be made on the issue. The CPM state secretary B V Raghavulu also endorsed the view. He said, in case there are some seats where no agreement can be arrived at the state level, the central leadership of Left parties will talk to Naidu and take a decision.
======================================================================================
Maganti Babu to join TDP on March 6
4 Mar 2009, 0332 hrs IST, TNN
ELURU: In what could be seen as a direct attack on the Congress party for being overtly "Reddy-friendly," former minister Maganti Venkateswara Rao (Babu) has alleged that Kamma caste leaders have always felt insecure and are given a raw deal in the party.
Maganti, who resigned from his ministerial post after the Congress candidate's defeat in the ZPTC elections in Denduluru, said he would join the Telugu Desam Party on March 6. He said he was cheated by the Congress fair and square.
"When chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy asked me to resign from the cabinet for the Denduluru ZPTC poll debacle, I did it without batting an eyelid in order to improve the image of the party in the district. But, I have realised that I was made a scape goat by the party leadership," he said. "Hence, I had decided to quit the party and join the TDP," he added.
Maganti claimed that despite Kamma caste people's apprehensions, he had stuck with the party as his father and forefathers had a long association with the Congress. "But now, I have come to a conclusion that Kammas will never be recognised in the Congress," he charged.
Asked whether the TDP has offered him a seat, he said the TDP has extended an invitation to him to contest from Eluru Lok Sabha seat.
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