SP prepares for winter date
CHIEF MINISTER Mulayam Singh Yadav’s development overdrive has kicked off speculations about early polls. Of late, the Chief Minister is on a foundation-laying spree, which is reminiscent of Rajnath Singh’s drive at the fag end of his regime.
While Yadav has already directed party workers to be ready for elections, his announcement in Agra about early polls has led to debate among party men and officers over its timing. They feel that the polls will be held in November-December. They reason that election in January-February will be difficult because of the Ardh Kumbh in Allahabad. The event will require massive deployment of force.
Yadav’s repeated comments about early polls is also aimed at keeping local leaders under pressure, who were so far more interested in transfers and postings.
The recent disbanding of Ghaziabad and Kanpur Dehat district party units has also alarmed leaders. Party sources said though the chief minister had time till April 2007, as the term of the present Assembly expires in May, he would opt for poll in winter because the State faces less power and water crises during that time of the year.
The Chief Minister has also expressed the possibility of staggered polling on the pattern of the recent West Bengal elections. In the past, polling was held in four phases, but a senior cop feels this time a six-phase poll with “unprecedented deployment of central security forces” is a distinct possibility. He said, “State police will be nowhere near the polling booths. It happened in the West Bengal where state police were kept 200 metres away from the booth.”
{{/usCountry}}The Chief Minister has also expressed the possibility of staggered polling on the pattern of the recent West Bengal elections. In the past, polling was held in four phases, but a senior cop feels this time a six-phase poll with “unprecedented deployment of central security forces” is a distinct possibility. He said, “State police will be nowhere near the polling booths. It happened in the West Bengal where state police were kept 200 metres away from the booth.”
{{/usCountry}}The Chief Minister claims that the coming elections will be the toughest for him. During his Agra and Auraiyya trips he also said that the polls would decide the political future of the country.
So the CM is alert and asked his cadres to be so. While he has directed party workers to ensure foolproof voters list, he ordered officials to start making voters identity cards.
The CM is taking no chances and he his rolling out largesse to the masses. While youths have been given unemployment allowance, weavers earned reduction in power tariff. A commission on the pattern of the Sachar Committee has been set up to recommend welfare measures for the minority community.