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FEBRUARY 1
Crushing blow for women power
All the hue and cry over 33.33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament is 'hypocritical'. No major party is willing to spare more Lok Sabha election tickets for women, says the apex National Commission for Women which is about to launch a major agitation on the issue.
'No necessary correlation between Sonia's public meetings and votes on polling day'
'Political parties cannot manufacture charismatic leaders. Charisma comes from being able to take action which is meaningful to the people and at the same time convince them.' Former Union minister K C Pant explains why he left the Congress this week.
BJP incurs Christian wrath in AP
The Christians are sore with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh, where the saffron brigade is making its first major bid to capture a sizable number of Lok Sabha seats.
BJP has an edge in Orissa's tribal belt
Another Congress bastion faces a threat, with the saffron surge spreading to the tribal areas of the state.
LS poll will cost Rs 46 billion
The Lok Sabha election will cost the nation a whopping Rs 46 billion -- more than a hundred per cent increase over the 1996 poll figures. As much as Rs 90 will be spent on every vote polled.
Dara Singh joins BJP
The man who played Hanuman comes home.
Six-time Mirdha stays on the record books
Rajasthan is well-known for long-term members of Parliament.
Elections and the village woman
In a small south Indian village, women have definite opinions about the forthcoming election.
What's cooking in the kitchen cabinets?
Arun Nehru on the importance of dynasties.
'The housing problem in cities has to be solved because there are no opportunities for our people in villages'
Housing rights activist P K Das believes the problem of housing should be high on any new government's agenda.
'When I have a child, I will not let
him have any religion'
Malar on what she expects from this election and the politicians.
OTHER NEWS REPORTS:
'They want the valley to be Islamised
completely. And even the BJP is playing vote-bank politics now'
Is there a move to clean the valley of Kashmiri Pandits?
Nine killed, 40 injured as troops open 'indiscriminate' fire in Jammu
Close on the heels of Sunday's massacre, nine
more civilians, including a woman, have fallen prey to
militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
US flays human rights situation in India
The US state department annual report targets pro-government militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
Don't attack Iraq, Gujral tells US
It will harm the West Asian peace process and the 2.5 million Indians living there.
Bihar: Congress decides to fight it out with RJD
Karnataka: Hegde will not be deputy PM says Advani
Karnataka: Sonia's campaign postponed
Kerala: Electorate up by 400,000
•The family way
It's called dynastic politics. And it arrived in the North-East just the other day.
JANUARY 31
The Bofors gun booms again
'Who is Quattrocchi? He is Sonia's friend. It is no secret in Delhi that this Italian ran his own durbar including interfering in issues of national interest to India.... What gave this obscure Italian so much power and influence that even Cabinet ministers lined up for his attention?' Chitra Subramaniam's startling revelations on the kickbacks scandal.
Keep Ayodhya on backburner for 20 years: Jaya
''The AIADMK will fight tooth and nail to prevent a foreigner being pushed to the forefront of Indian politics," thunders the party supremo.
Fear hits Telangana as Naxals call for poll boycott
The police brace up for the challenge as the banned People's War Group plans to ruthlessly enforce its poll boycott in Andhra Pradesh.
'In the last seven years nearly 5 million Biharis
have left the state'
'I have known Laloo for the last 30 years.
In fact, I know him better than any RJD leader. I know his
plus and minus points. And that is the reason why we have been
able to gain in Bihar.' Sushil Kumar Modi, the BJP leader who led the campaign against Laloo Yadav in the fodder scam case, in an eloquent interview.
Arjun Singh punctures Rao's claim
The Congress Working Committee member has denied that he drafted the P V Narasimha Rao government's reaction to the Babri Masjid demolition.
Arjun Singh, Karunakaran, Vohra and V C Shukla in Congress list
The controversy over the Mukundapuram constituency in Kerala
has been sorted out.
Gujral not a registered voter from Jalandhar, claims rival
If he was truly a resident of Jalandhar, why did Gujral sell his ancestral property and register himself as a voter in Patna, asks Umrao Singh.
Gujral to visit Jalandhar to shore up support
While one local politician is backing the prime minister, another is
categorically against Gujral.
Congress, SP, RPI come together in Bombay to take on BJP-Sena
In a move that could pose a stiff challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance in the metropolis, the Congress has for the first time agreed to contest only three out of the six seats in Bombay, leaving two to the Samajwadi Party and one to the Republican Party of India.
A secular, honest and representative govt
That, and much more, is what the United Front promises
Clash of Yadavs creates scare in Sambhal
The spectre of poll violence looms large over Sambhal constituency in western Uttar Pradesh, where Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has locked horns with his friend-turned-foe D P Yadav, contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket.
Congress vote bank will 'swing' fortunes in TN
The 'swing factor', put at a safe 35 per cent, and the 'traditional Congress vote bank' will make or mar electoral results in Tamil Nadu.
Sikhs will vote against Congress: Babbar
The All India Shiromani Akali Dal (Babbar) today claimed that Sonia Gandhi's apology and the denial of Congress tickets to party leaders H K L Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar will not bring the Sikh voters back to the party's fold.
BJP announces 20 more candidates
This takes the number of seats it would contest on its own to 387.
Things you need to know about BJP candidates
Twentysix of 'em are ladies, six belong to
minorities, 17 are doctors...
Gujarat Congress members flay tie-up with Vaghela
Former ministers, MP, and MLAs have warned that the alliance is not acceptable to them.
Nothing but a tamasha
Govind Nihalani and Saeed Mirza, known for their hard-hitting socio-political movies, say voters seem to have little 'real choice' in the coming election.
'We have to change our system to fight the evils of the cash economy'
Tax consultant H P Ranina on the fiscal challenges confronting the next government.
'They just make promises -- until they are elected'
Farmer Madhavrao Patil, on leaders and politicians.
It is not politics but economics that should engage the nation's attention
Astrologer K N Rao foresees a financial emergency.
OTHER NEWS REPORTS:
LTTE met Rajiv to camouflage its plot: judge
The TADA court says the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's emissaries's meetings with Rajiv Gandhi at Delhi in March 1991, two months before the assassination, were a smoke-screen and part of the conspiracy to eliminate him.
'The return of Pandits to Kashmir means the return of Kashmir to India'
The second World Conference of Kashmiri Pandits began in New Delhi with a demand for licenced arms for self protection.
Former MP acquitted in Kochi marine survey case
The court said the criminal conspiracy charge against Professor K V Thomas was without basis.
Tripura MLA released by kidnappers
Debrata Koloi, Indigenous People's Front general secretary, was kidnapped by
the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura
Maharashtra: Sena to field Vikhe-Patil in Ahmednagar
Tamil Nadu: AIADMK manifesto assures minorities' rights protection
Rajasthan: Poll results on the Net
JANUARY 30
Sonia issues tickets as the Congress train chugs along
By the time the process of ticket distribution is over, she would have
nominated nearly 150 candidates considered quite loyal and close to the Gandhi-Nehru family.
Who's afraid of the press, asks Sonia
But she stayed only 15 minutes at a Congress-organised iftaar and mingled mostly with diplomats, claiming she had other pressing engagements.
'Mr Rao started off as a Bhismapithamaha, became Dhithirashtra in the middle and ended up as Shakuni'
'Mr Kesri is not a PLU -- that is a person like us. But don't forget that he is more representative of India than either you or me.' Congress joint secretary Jairam Ramesh in a lively encounter on the Rediff Election Chat.
Rao had no role in Babri demolition: Pranab
The Congress today maintained that the former prime minister Rao had no role in the conspiracy to demolish the mosque and the denial of party ticket to him had nothing to do with the episode.
Keshubhai Patel tells NRI supporters to hold back cheques
His terms: chief ministership if the BJP wins the Gujarat assembly election, and more seats for the Patels.
Sparks fly as four editors jump into poll fray
With four Oriya newspaper editors contesting the Lok Sabha election, a war of words threatens to break out, adding colour to the campaigning in Orissa.
Ex-minister Pant quits Congress
A senior minister in the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi governments, he has now decided to support his wife, who will contest the Nainital seat on a BJP ticket.
EC gets court notices over poll survey curbs
The Rajasthan high court today issued show-cause notices to the Election Commission on a petition filed against the panel's directives on the publication or broadcast of exit poll surveys.
www.ananth.org
Bangalore MP Ananth Kumar is the first candidate to launch a website.
36 Punjab villages threaten to boycott polls for a bridge across the Ravi
For constituents of four-time MP Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, it has been a bridge too far.
40 per cent of polling booths are sensitive in MP
The sensitive polling stations were in Naxalite-prone areas in Bastar, Rajnandgaon, Mandla and Balaghat districts, places bordering Uttar Pradesh and tribal areas in Khargone district.
Ex-bureaucrat Dharmadhikari joins the fray in Pune
The Pune Lok Sabha constituency now has the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance backed Suresh Kalmadi, Vithal Thupe (Congress), Namdeo Dhasal
(Dalit Panther), Anna Joshi (Independent) and
Dharmadhikari (Independent) in the fray.
Parties square up for the battle of Gwalior
The BJP, the BSP, the Congress in fray, but seat likely to go the maharaja's way.
Sarangarh seat: Congress bastion
This seat reserved for the scheduled caste has been held by Parasram Bharadwaj since 1980.
Nominations hit 18-year low in Rajasthan
A record low of 291 people have filed their
nominations for the February 16 Lok Sabha poll for the 25 seats in
Rajasthan.
'Everyone is corrupt; I don't think there
is anyone here who is good and fair and honest'
Satish Dharma Patil on what he expects from this election and the politicians.
THE MAHATMA'S ASSASSINATION
'Gandhi systematically fooled people. So we killed him'
Gopal Godse in an exclusive interview.
Gandhi's dilemma was the same as Yudhishtira's: what and where
was the sanatana dharma he claimed to follow?
Rajeev Srinivasan looks at the spiritual roots of the
Mahatma.
Pappu Makes A Friend
Dilip D'Souza on the Mahatma's legacy.
OTHER REPORTS:
Diabolic motives, 'inhumaneness' earned 'harsh' verdict
The 'inhumaneness' of the assassination -- Rajiv Gandhi was blasted off by an innocent-looking woman offering him a garland, of all things -- and the 'motives' behind it obviously went into the court handing down a death verdict on all the accused
Judge gave me inspiration to carry on, says Rajiv case sleuth
Some feeble attempts were made at politicising the investigations but D R Kartthikeyan said a firm no.
Gokhale, Gruner bag Gandhi award
The award, conferred by the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation, is for outstanding work in leprosy eradication.
SC refuses to extend CBI chief's term
The Supreme Court today refused to modify its judgment, directing the Centre not to extend Central Bureau of Investigation Director R C Sharma's term which expires on Saturday.
Andhra Pradesh:Telugu Desam misusing official machinery: Upendra
Gujarat: JD to contest 15 LS, 100 assembly seats
Gujarat: IAF to get land for headquarters
Manipur: Two killed in ambush
Tamil Nadu: CPI-M rejects TMC's appeal
Tripura: Congress changes candidates
•Stars above, what's happened to Deve Gowda!?
Something strange has happened to the former prime minister -- he is acting outright out of character.
JANUARY 29
26 sentenced to death for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination; LTTE held responsible
Designated Court Special Judge V Navaneetham today convicted all the 26 accused in the sensational Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and held the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam responsible for the killing.
Longest assassination trial reaches appeals stage
Compared to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination trial, the Mahatma Gandhi assassination and the Indira Gandhi assassination cases were short.
Judgment first of its kind in India's legal history
Historic as it is, the death sentence on all the 26 accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case must be confirmed by the high court.
V Gopalsamy, three other witnesses turned hostile
The MDMK leader turned hostile when he was questioned about the telephonic conversation he had with LTTE chief V Prabhakaran during the latter's stay at Hotel Ashoka in Delhi, a day after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan accord on July
29, 1987.
Prabhakaran had Rajiv killed for being 'anti-Tamil'
He feared that the former prime minister might re-induct, what he termed the 'satanic force' if he staged a comeback in the 1991 election.
SIT built up a huge bank of material evidence against LTTE
The reconstructed free-size churidar worn by the assassin Dhanu to conceal the belt bomb, an improvised bomb itself,
remnants of batteries used to trigger the blast, were among the
exhibits produced before the court by the CBI.
Penchant for photographic record nailed LTTE
Ten photographs vividly capturing the 'assassination
of the century', taken by LTTE sympathiser Hari Babu who himself perished in the blast, helped the SIT break open a blind case in three weeks.
25 LTTE militants committed suicide during the probe
A majority of the LTTE cadres bit deadly cyanide capsules to
conceal their secrets.
The Accused
Brief profiles of the 26 who have been sentenced to death.
Political assassination not new for LTTE
Bloodstained record includes a Sri Lankan president, minister and admiral.
ELECTIONS '98:
Heat and dust: the story of how parties face up to electioneering
The Congress election campaign, apart from Sonia Gandhi's tours, seems dispirited; the BJP is behaving like the future belongs to it; while the UF is still deciding who will go where.
Sonia Gandhi wows Rohtak as Kesri toes her line
The rousing reception accorded to Rajiv Gandhi's widow seemed acutely embarrassing for Sitaram Kesri.
Tytler, Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar denied tickets
The Congress has denied Lok Sabha tickets to three party stalwarts from Delhi -- Jagdish Tytler, H K L Bhagat and Sajjan Kumar -- tainted for their alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
You cannot convert a nark raj into a Ram rajya in 15 days: Gill
Coming down heavily on his critics, the Chief Election Commissioner said they tend to overlook the gigantic task faced by the Election Commission.
Talks must settle Babri row: Vajpayee
Only if talks fail should legislation be considered, says the BJP leader.
Kanshi, Mayawati, Arif Khan in BSP list for Uttar Pradesh
Other BSP candidates include former Union minister Brahm Dutt and Akbar
'Dumpy' Ahmed.
Vijayshanti joins BJP
The BJP's Andhra Pradesh unit has received a shot in the arm with leading Telugu star Vijayshanti finally joining the saffron brigade.
Anti-LDF fever runs high among Kerala farmers
The disenchantment is at its peak among roughly one million
small and marginal rubber growers who are facing a severe crisis because
of the unprecedented fall in rubber prices.
Sonia has partially improved
Congress chances, says V P Singh
The former prime minister nevertheless predicts a hung Parliament with all the attendant political instability.
Bombast and banter, but minus the demagoguery
' "Babar was a Mongol, not an Indian,'' goes one, "The Muslims can pray in
any mosque they like, we will assure them this,'' goes another, and so on,
culminating in the vision for Ayodhya -- the disputed area to be earmarked
for a beautiful garden in which will be a national monument in memory of the
legendary freedom fighter Mangal Pandey.' Ayaz Memon joins Bal Thackeray on the campaign trail.
'Does Sonia want to save the DMK and the TMC?'
Congress rebel and Jayalalitha ally Vazhappadi Ramamurthy, in a typically aggressive interview.
Pune ex-MP Anna Joshi quits BJP
Even after formally resigning from the party, Joshi told
reporters at a hurriedly convened press conference
that 'the doors for negotiation with the BJP leadership were open'.
Union ministers injured on eve of poll; security to be beefed up
On Tuesday, Union ministers M Arunachalam and D Adityan were attacked by a violent mob.
'100 % literacy should be the government's priority'
Educationist Dr M S Gore on the issues that confront candidates and the electorate.
'We have learnt to justify corruption, which is the worst thing that can happen to a country'
Novelist Sivasankari glances at leaders and politicians.
OTHER REPORTS:
Wandhama terrorists identified: army
All members of the group will be neutralised soon, a defence ministry
spokesman said in Srinagar.
Narayanan promises security to Pandits
He would look into their grievances, the President assured a
six-member delegation which met him on Wednesday.
Gujral visits Wandhama
He met Vinod Kumar Dhar, the lone survivor of Sunday's massacre, and promised the government would take care of his education and upbringing.
NHRC to probe Wandhama massacre
The Commission has asked its director general (investigation) to
proceed to the spot immediately.
'We are not going to bring the migrants back soon'
Dr Farooq Abdullah said the rehabilitation plan for Kashmiri migrants
will have to wait.
US condemns killings
And calls upon militant organisations in Kashmir to cease all acts of terrorism.
Bandh paralyses Jammu
The city witnessed a near total bandh in protest against Sunday's massacre.
India, Pak to be part of US security strategy, says Clinton
In his State of the Union address, the US president lists India and Pakistan as part of the strategy for security and international peace.
Muslims in ferment in Luton, UK
Protesters up in arms over a bingo hall named Mecca.
Andhra Pradesh: BJP fields Krishnam Raju from Kakinada
JANUARY 28
Pak will step up terror tactics in J&K to disrupt poll: IB
Home ministry sources said the ISI's game-plan was to prevent the Indian authorities from pulling out companies of security forces from the border belts for deployment at polling stations across the country.
Congress fields Satish Sharma from Amethi, leaves Aligarh for Kesri
Party spokesperson Ambika Soni also announced Sonia's hectic poll tour from February 2 to 5.
Star wars in Andhra Pradesh
The ruling Telugu Desam Party has roped in a battery of comedians -- Rajendra Prasad, Brahmanandam and Babu Mohan -- for its election campaign. The Bharatiya Janata Party is not far behind. But the Congress has been left high and dry, with all its stars ditching the party.
United Front disunited in states
United they may stand, but divided they poll. That in a line is the story of the UF as it prepares for the last lap.
Apologise for Babri?
What about Kashmiri pandits, asks BJP.
Water for blood
Vajpayee disappoints hardliners, eshewing aggression and discussing only his party's positive points.
'Elections are won on hawa, not on the work an MP does'
'The BJP's plank is stability, but they are fooling the people. When you talk to them privately they themselves say they can't form a government on their own.' Bombay Congress boss Murli Deora, in his most eloquent interview yet.
Sorry for Blue Star, '84 riots, says Sonia
Sonia Gandhi kicks off poll campaign in Chandigarh with veiled apologies.
Sena-BJP to back Kalmadi...
...If he damns the Congress and Pawar in writing.
Janata Dal announces fresh batch of candidates
Highlights of the list are Gujral from Jalandhar, Deve Gowda from Hassan, Sharad Yadav from Madheopur and Ram Vilas Paswan from Hajipur.
UF votes risk being divided
Miffed JD in Tamil Nadu walks out of UF.
Samata drops its defences for Bihar-friendly Paswan
The Samata Party has adopted a soft attitude towards the railway minister although it is fighting Janata Dal candidates elsewhere in Bihar.
Karunakaran godfathers new axis in UDF against Antony
The new group comprises two Congress splinters, the Communist
Marxist Party and the Janadipatya Samrakshana Samiti -- all bitter
because they weren't allotted any seats to contest.
Former Indian hockey captain joins BJP
Ajit Pal Singh has captained the Indian team thrice.
A five-year government is what's sought by voters
Dr N Bhaskara Rao on what Poll-98 holds for India.
'Only if
the Congress comes to power will we have a government which lasts five full years'
Bhoopalan, a tea shop owner in Sriperumbudur, on what he expects from this election and the politicians.
OTHER REPORTS:
'I heard the cries of my mother and sisters'
Terrorists kill 23 Kashmiri Pandits in the valley.
Farooq blamed for massacre
Pandits, politicians, religious leaders, demand the J&K chief minister's resignation.
Massacre has jeopardised Indo-Pak peace process: Farooq
Even as India struggles for peace, he said,
Pakistan is doing its best to neutralise the process
by 'indulging in heinous crimes on innocent women and children to satisfy their blood thirst.'
Nani Palkhivala, Lakshmi Sehgal conferred Padma Vibushan
South African anti-apartheid leader Walter Sisulu
and Gandhian Dr Usha Mehta are the other two recipients.
Rs 110-million project to preserve Netaji's house
But the fiery freedom fighter is still a war criminal in India!
Andhra Pradesh: BJP, TDP (Lakshmi Parvathi) reach seat accord
Andhra Pradesh: N T Rama Rao's son-in-law joins BJP
Bihar: Severe jolt for RJD as minister quits
Karnataka: J H Patel breathes easy again, wins trust vote
Karnataka: Congress nominates former CM Veerappa Moily
Maharashtra: BJP fields Kakade against
Pawar
Maharashtra: RJD to contest 2 seats in Bombay
Goa: Khalap keeps options open
Tamil Nadu: DMK fields Sarat Kumar from Tirunelveli
Tamil Nadu: TMC announces 5 more candidates
•Some poll strategy!
Straight-forward campaigning isn't the only way to get votes...
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