Manifesto hitch
Political parties usually launch their meticulously designed election manifestos with much fanfare. Surprisingly with all resources at their disposal one finds that the points raised and promises made in the manifesto are failing to reach to the foot soldiers of the party. A visit to the ‘Ground Zero’ reflects that the elections are being contested on the time tested caste, region, religion and local issues and not on the development plank or points raised in the manifesto. The Congress party which takes pride in taking services of experts and views of locals in designing its manifesto with the punch line ‘Char Dham Char Kam’ has also failed to percolate the promise of Rs 40,000 per year to five lakh families, Gas cylinders at Rs 500, four lakh employment and door step delivery of health services despite of the fact that it had released its manifesto well in time. On the other hand the ruling BJP released its manifesto very late which makes it very difficult to perpetuate it among its rank and file. With nothing much to boast the saffron party has also refrained from toeing the line of Congress and AAP in making populist proclamations in its manifesto. It hopes to ride on the popularity of PM Modi to continue in power in the Himalayan state.
Tiger tamed?
A politician who after being dropped from Dhami cabinet and expelled by the BJP managed to find an entry into the Congress party just in time is finding things tough in the new party. This leader who claims to have influence in many assembly constituencies of Garhwal region was made the star campaigner by the Congress with high hopes. The party also provided this self proclaimed ‘Tiger of Garhwal’ with a helicopter in the hope that the angry Tiger would maul the saffron outfit in Garhwal. However Congress’s hopes dashed as this leader who in his political career has earned a reputation of being a party hopper is finding few takers for its talent. It is learnt that many contestants of Garhwal have flatly refused the party’s offer of sending this leader for campaigning in their constituencies. Snubbed, the Tiger has now assigned himself the tasks of getting his daughter in law elected to the assembly and creating things difficult for his new bête noire Pushkar Singh Dhami in Khatima.
Kejri’s ways
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal baffled everyone by not stepping outside the hotel he was staying in Haridwar during his recent three day visit to the city. The party leaders and candidates were hoping that AK would address public meetings and hold road shows in the district which sends maximum number of MLAs (11) in the state assembly but to their astonishment he preferred to remain inside the hotel to discuss strategy with the party men. This move of his is intriguing the party strategists since the election campaign is at its peak in the Himalayan state. Some of them argue that instead of wasting time in Haridwar AK should have campaigned in Punjab where unlike Uttarakhand the stakes of the party are high. Interestingly in Uttarakhand too AK has concentrated himself in the plains of Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts only and has not ventured into the hills.
