Demonetisation to Derail Electoral Fortunes

Five Indian states are going to polls to elect their respective state legislature members in early 2017. The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the poll dates as soon as publishing the revised electoral rolls expected latest by January 15, 2017. The states going to polls are Uttar Pradesh (UP), Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

Elections in India are notorious for what is known as ‘buying of votes’ or ‘cash for votes’ practiced by some candidates and/or their political parties. The maximum limits of election expenditure for parliamentary and assembly constituencies have been prescribed by the election commission.

And it varies from state to state and it may vary from one election to the next election. For instance, the current maximum limit for small states like Goa and Manipur is Rs 8 lakh, and for a large state like UP, it is Rs 16 lakh. But, based on what was reported by news agencies during the previous elections, several candidates were spending in crores.

Where does all this money come from? Of course, it is an open secret that overspending depends on black money, which is amassed through corruption and other illegal practices.

In the past elections, liquor and cash were distributed liberally and openly to voters. All kinds of freebies, including electronic gadgets, clothing items such as saris, etc. were also distributed. These practices are also illegal. It is common sense that legally earned money cannot be spent in such ways.

One of the fallouts of demonetisation of high value Indian currency could be a substantial reduction in illegal election funding and spending. It is not that all candidates are corrupt. It is also not to claim that black money has been wiped out.

As news reports show, several people might have found ingenious ways to convert black money into white. That means cash for vote may still be at play in the coming elections, though the recent demonetisation drive might have dried up a substantial portion of unaccounted money that is usually hoarded in high value currency notes.

The Five States Going to Polls

The most populated state Uttar Pradesh will go to polls to elect 403 lawmakers for the Vidhan Sabha. The incumbent CM Akhilesh Yadav is seeking reelection of his Samajwadi Party (SP). His main rivals are the former CM Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Congress (INC).

Punjab will go to polls to elect 117 members of the state Legislative Assembly. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance, led by CM Parkash Singh Badal, may face tough competition from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), INC and BSP. Aawaaz-e-Punjab, a new party formed by Navjot Singh Siddhu and others, is expected to be in the fray independently, or in alliance with other parties.

In Goa, election will be held to elect 40 members of the state Legislative Assembly. The current CM Laxmikant Parsekar of the BJP is seeking reelection. The main rivals are the Congress (INC), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Election will be held for 70 seats of the Vidhan Sabha in Uttarakhand. CM Harish Rawat and his party, the Congress, mainly face a tough challenge from the BJP. The Congress and BJP have ruled the state alternatively.

Election will be held in Manipur to elect 60 members of the state Legislative Assembly. The incumbent CM Okram Ibobi Singh is facing the main contenders BJP and the Trinamool Congress led by the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

Protests against Demonetisation

Several opposition parties organised a Jan Aakrosh Diwas (public outrage day) on Monday to protest against demonetisation of high value currency notes. The parties said they do not seek a rollback of the scheme but want urgent measures to help rural India, especially the farmers stranded without cash. The Congress party, leading the agitation, was the first to call for protests. Others joined them later. The Congress said they did not call for a Bharat Bandh. Only the Left Front had called for Bharat Bandh.

The protests were more or less peaceful. There were almost no protests in several states. A state-wise account of the protests, in brief, compiled from various news reports follows.

Andhra Pradesh

The response to the strike call was lukewarm in Andhra Pradesh. The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) did not support bandh. Though Congress too did not support it, it took part in protests and torched effigies of PM Narendra Modi at various places. The main opposition party, YSR Congress, of the state and the Left Front parties, tried to disrupt bus service and to shut shops. However, the response was poor. The Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was the lone top politician to consistently demand the ban of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes.

Bihar

Road traffic and normal life were mostly not disrupted in Bihar, but rail traffic was affected with 15 trains stranded at various places. The Congress held a Jan Akrosh Diwas march in Patna. The supporters of the Left such as CPI, CPI (M), CPI (ML) and others blocked trains at Bhagalpur, Gaya, Jehanabad, Muzaffarpur and Patna stations. The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who supports demonetisation, has said that his party, JDU, is opposed to the protests.

Goa

The Congress, NCP, AAP and CPI (M) organised token protests in Goa. The Congress held protests near the main office of State Bank of India in the capital, Panaji.

Himachal Pradesh

The Himachal Pradesh government (Congress-led) did not participate in Bharat bandh.

Jammu and Kashmir

Police detained Congress party supporters participating in Jan Aakrosh Diwas rally in Jammu.

Karnataka

The Congress and CPI (M) held rallies in Bengaluru. The Congress government in Karnataka said it would mark the Aakrosh Diwas rather than a bandh. The state Education Department had allowed colleges and schools to be closed, but schools were mostly open. Public transport was not affected.

Kerala

Cabinet ministers of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and MLAs of CPI (M) participated in a protest march in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city. The bandh disrupted normal life in the state. Schools, colleges, shops, public transport and offices remained nonfunctional. Even private vehicles were stopped by protestors in north Kerala. In some places auto-rickshaws were plying. Patients visiting the Regional Cancer Centre and railway passengers were transported in Police vehicles. Sabarimala pilgrims and marriage parties were exempted from bandh. It’s the peak tourist season in Kerala. So, the government exempted tourists from the bandh.

Maharashtra

The NCP called for protest marches in several districts. The Congress party held a Jan Aakrosh march from Kalina in Mumbai.

Meghalaya

In the state capital Shillong, Congress workers organised a rally, holding posters that read ‘organised loot’, ‘legalised plunder’ and ‘monumental mismanagement of demonetisation’.

Nagaland

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee staged a protest rally in the commercial centre Dimapur, and the District Congress Committees held rallies at district headquarters.

Odisha

The BJD-led government, which backs demonetisation, ordered schools and colleges to close, fearing law and order deterioration. But Maoists supported bandh. Congress supporters and workers of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) affiliated to CPI (M) protested before the RBI office in Bhubaneswar.

Tamil Nadu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) held protests in Chennai. The leader of the opposition M K Stalin and a party worker were detained by police.

Telangana

The ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) decided not to support bandh. Though the Congress too stayed away citing inconvenience to traders, it staged protests and torched effigies of PM Narendra Modi at various places. Life was normal, except a number of auto-rickshaws going off the roads.

Tripura

Life was disrupted in Tripura as the Left Front organised Bharat Bandh. Vehicles remained off the roads. Offices, shops, educational institutions and banks were closed. Rail transport was disrupted as workers of the leftist parties blocked trains.

Uttar Pradesh

The Samajwadi Party (SP) workers torched an effigy of the Prime Minister in Allahabad. Leaders of both BSP and SP said that they are not enforcing Bharat Bandh but they are only protesting against demonetisation. Normal life was not affected in the capital Lucknow as the traders union refused to shut shops. Markets, including Aminabad, Hazratganj, conducted business as usual. Shops in Shahganj market in Agra remained open though Monday was a weekly off day.

Uttarakhand

Life was normal in Uttarakhand on Monday, with business establishments and educational institutions remaining open. However, the Congress held rallies at all district headquarters.

West Bengal

Life was normal in West Bengal despite the Left Front call for bandh. Public transport and markets were functioning normally. The strike was opposed by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). So, the state government ordered all employees to attend offices, with some exceptions. The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee joined a protest rally in Kolkata. Banerjee wants demonetisation to be reversed. The leftists, including CPI (M) and CPI, staged protests.

Kumbh Mela in Haridwar - Video

Haridwar is currently hosting the Purna Kumbha Mela from Makar Sankranti (14th January 2010) to Shakh Purnima Snan (28th April 2010), attracting millions of pilgrims from almost all walks of life, and from around the world. According to Indian astrology, it is celebrated when the planet of Brahaspati (Jupiter) moves into the zodiac sign of Aquarius (Kumbha).

The Purna Kumbh Mela takes place at four locations of India: Prayag (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh), Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Nashik (Maharashtra) after every twelve years, while the Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag. The Maha Kumbh Mela ('Great' Kumbh Mela) that comes after 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas' (every 144 years) is held at Prayag (Allahabad). Each location’s celebration dates are calculated in advance according to a special combination of zodiacal positions of Sun, Moon and Jupiter.

Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day (according to reports, the Maha Kumbh Mela of 2001 was attended by about 60 million people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world). The major event of the festival is a ritual bath. Other activities include religious discourses, devotional songs, religious assemblies, etc. Many thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and sadhus) attend the religious fair. The sadhus are seen clad in saffron cloths as per the requirements of ancient traditions. Some saints called Naga Sanyasis may be seen without any clothes even in severe winter.

After visiting the Kumbh Mela of 1895, Mark Twain wrote, “It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites.”

The auspicious bathing dates of Haridwar Purna Kumbha Mela are as follows:

• 14 January 2010 (Thursday) - Makar Sankranti Snan
• 15 January 2010 (Friday) - Mauni Amavasya and Surya Grahan
• 20 January 2010 (Wedesday) - Basant Panchmi Snan
• 30 January 2010 (Saturday) - Magh Purnima Snan
• 12 February 2010 (Friday) - Maha Shivratri - Pratham Shahi Snan (First Royal Bath)
• 15 March 2010 (Monday) - Somvati Amavasya - Dvitya Shahi Snan (Second Royal Bath)
• 16 March 2010 (Tuesday) - Navsatrambh Snan
• 24 March 2010 (Wednesday) - Ram Navmi Snan
• 30 March 2010 (Tuesday) - Chaitra Purnima Snan
• 14 April 2010 (Wednesday) - Baisakhi - Pramukh Shahi Snan (Main Royal Bath)
• 28 April 2010 (Wednesday) - Shakh Purnima Snan

River Ganges at Haridwar

River Ganga (Ganges) in Haridwar, India, originally uploaded by click.man.

Here is one of the most beautiful photos of the River Ganges at Haridwar, a highly revered holly place in India. It is one of the most visited and cleanest places on the route of the meandering Ganga, a favourite destination for tourists from around the world and India. Haridwar is situated quite close to New Delhi with International Airports and many hotels for foreign tourists. From New Delhi Haridwar is just a few hours by taxi and other means of transport, and it is situated in the beautiful Himalayan foothills.

The Temple of Tunganath in Garhwal

The Temple of TUNGANATH, originally uploaded by asis k. chatt.

Tunganath is an important temple of Lord Shiva, the 3rd of the five important Shiva temples in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India, known collectively as The PANCH-KEDARS. It is situated at an altitude of 3886 metres above sealevel in the mighty Himalayan ranges. Tunganath Temple is the HIGHEST of all temples in India.

Tunganath can be reached from CHOPTA, a small hamlet well connected by road to important places like CHAMOLI and UKHIMATH. From Chopta, it is a journey of about 3.5 km, but the road is very steep, gaining a height of about 3500 feet for a distance of only 3.5 km, one of the steepest motorable roads.

The scenic beauty of this area is just fantastic, with a large number of Himalayan peaks visible in clear weather.

Kedarnath - The Golden Mountain

The Golden Mountain, originally uploaded by asis k. chatt.

Kedarnath mountains at sunset pic 1

Sunset at Kedarnath mountains 1, originally uploaded by asis k. chatt.

Kedarnath is situated in the Garhwal Himalayas in the Indian State Uttaranchal. On the left is the Kedarnath Peak ( 6940 m) and on the right is the Kedarnath Dome ( 6831 m).

This photo is shot from Sri Kedarnath Dham situated at a height of 11780 feet above the sealevel by the author of this photo. This talented photographer has displayed an amazing range of breathtaking views of the peaks of the mighty Himalayas, the worlds highest and youngest mountain range. To view his work click on the photo to go to his page.