Who was Rajiv Gandhi's nearest rival in 1984 Lok Sabha polls after Indira's death ??
New Delhi, Apr 10 (UNI) Narendra Modi may have dislike for the 'dynastic' Nehru-Gandhi family or vice versa; but there is at least one common feature between the incumbent Prime Minister and one of his illustrious predecessors Late Rajiv Gandhi.
Interestingly, both the names figure among the record holders of highest margins of votes in their moment of electoral glories.
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| File snap: 2013 |
Rajiv Gandhi attained the highest margin of victory in 1984 when he sailed home from Amethi in the polls held shortly after the assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi.
Late Rajiv Gandhi was already the Prime Minister in office.
Rajiv Gandhi had earlier won from Amethi in 1981 by-election after the death of his brother Sanjay.
Interestingly, Rajiv's nearest rival in 1981 was Sharad Yadav of Lok Dal.
In 1984, Rajiv Gandhi's election came during the height of bitterness in the family and his nearest rival was sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi.
While Rajiv Gandhi polled 83.67 per cent of votes - 3,65,041, Ms Maneka Gandhi contesting as Independent had polled 50,163 votes making it 11.50 per cent of vote share.
Interestingly, LJP chief from Ram Vilas Paswan also shares the honour along with Mr Modi and Late Rajiv Gandhi.
For Mr Paswan, the highest victory margin honours came twice -- making a record by itself.
In 1977, Mr Paswan's victory margin from Hajipur was 4,24,545 votes and this shot up to 5,04,448 in 1989 from the same constituency in Bihar.
Mr Paswan had won the polls in 1977 - post Emergency - on Bharatiya Lok Dal ticket while in 1989, his victory came as a Janata Dal nominee riding the perceived pro-V P Singh and anti-Bofors controversy mood in the cow belt.
For Prime Minister Modi, the record victory came from Vadodara in his home state in 2014 when the difference between him and the nearest rival was 5,70,128 votes. In the case of Late Rajiv Gandhi, the victory margin in 1984 was 31,4878.
Mr Modi's victory margin in Varanasi in 2014 polls against Arvind Kejriwal of AAP was 3,71,884 votes.
Among the states interestingly, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Nagaland had the highest victory margins twice each since 1962 and 2014.
In Gujarat, besides Mr Modi, the EC data shows BJP candidate Dr Kathriya Vallabhbhai Ramjibhai attained the success from Rajkot in 1998 and his victory margin was 3,54,187 votes.
In 1962, Gayatri Devi of Swatantra Party won the Jaipur seat by a margin of 1,57,692 votes - highest of the year, data from the Election Commission shows.
In 1967, another Rajasthan leader and in fact an Independent achieved the feat when he won the Bikaner seat by a margin of 1,93,816 votes.
In the case of Nagaland, K Asungba Sangtam of Congress attained the highest victory margins in 1999 polls despite the pro-Kargil conflict mood in the rest of India in favour of BJP and regional forces.
In 2009, Nagaland People's Front nominee C M Chang had the honour of emerging as a winner with highest margins of victory. In this case also, while the rest of India overwhelmingly voted in favour of the Congress, in the wilds of north east, the electorate in Nagaland chose to prefer the candidate of a regional party which has been a constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
In another north eastern state, Tripura - the then Union Minister of State for Home Santosh Mohan Dev attained the record of highest victory margins in 1991 when he won from Tripura West parliamentary constituency.
Perhaps, it could be needless to get into the guessing game - Late Dev's and Congress party's bitter rivals CPI-M then had alleged that the polls in Tripura were 'rigged' with overwhelming presence of central forces.
Santosh Mohan Dev, who otherwise has been a prominent Congress leader from Silchar in neighbouring state of Assam, had managed a victory margin of 4,28,984 votes, the data shows.
However, it goes to the credit of CPI-M that its candidate and senior leader Anil Basu had recorded highest victory margins from the Arambagh parliamentary constituency in West Bengal in 2004.
The victory margin was 5,92,502 votes. This is by far the highest victory margin in Lok Sabha polls from 1962 to 2014.
In 2004, the EC data shows the lowest victory margin was 36 and the winner was BJP candidate Thupstan Chhewang from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
In terms of records, the lowest victory margin since 1962 has been only 9.
The difference in votes figure was first recorded in 1989 when the victorious candidate was Congress leader Konathala Ramakrishna from Anakapalli constituency in Andhra Pradesh.
The lowest margin of 9 was again repeated in 1998 when BJP candidate Som Marandi managed to emerge winner from Rajmahal Lok Sabha seal in Bihar.
Applying balm: BJP pledges Rs 6,000 annual income support to 'all farmers'
New Delhi, Apr 8 (UNI) Often charged with gross failure to deal with the challenge of farm distress, the ruling BJP on Monday sought to woo farmers and traders and also ensure that there is greater purchasing power for the middle class.
The party manifesto released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pledged to ensure Rs 6,000 yearly income support to "all farmers" and agri loans of up to Rs one lakh at zero per cent interest and pension benefit to small traders after 60 years of age.
"We remain committed to the promise of doubling farmers' incomes by 2022 and more resources will be made available if necessary," said the BJP Sankalp Patra released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The party also stood by its three core issues saying, "We reiterate our stand on Ram Mandir, we will explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution and all necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya".
"We reiterate our position since the time of Jan Sangh to the abrogation of Article 370 (in Jammu and
Kashmir)," the Sankalp Patra said.
The anguish of traders and farmers and a section of upper caste in middle income group had led to BJP's defeat in three heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in December.
Giving a clear message to traders - the BJP manifesto said "to protect the interest of small traders, we will provide an accident insurance of Rs 10 lakh to all the traders registered under GST".
The Manifesto said the saffron party will provide short term new agricultural loans up to Rs 1 lakh at a zero per cent interest rate of one to five years and also that the NDA regime will launch a pension scheme for small and marginal farmers "so as to ensure social security to them on reaching 60 years of age".
"We are committed to making an investment of Rs 25 lakh crore to improve the productivity of the farm sector," the party pledged.
Small traders like the small and marginal farmers will be given pension benefits after 60 years of age.
The BJP Manifesto especially seeking to make an impact among the farmers, traders and middle income groups comes close on the heels of Congress in its revival journey making an effort to win over the poor with its NYAY - the minimum income scheme.
In fact, the BJP-led NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was voted out of power due to undercurrent of unhappiness against the government of the day - despite its towering claim of 'India Shining'.
In 2004 polls, Congress slogan 'Congress Ka Haath, Aam Aadmi ke Saath' proved much useful and Sonia Gandhi-led UPA had stormed to power.
For the middle class, it said the saffron party is committed to further revising the tax slabs and the tax benefits to ensure more cash and greater purchasing power in the hands of middle-income families.
"We will make all efforts to ensure that our aspirational middle class has access to education, employment opportunities and suitable urban infrastructure for a better quality life," it said.
The saffron outfit also explored all options to facilitate the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The manifesto pledged to take the country to new heights ensuring national security and achieving a new milestone globally.
Notwithstanding strong opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Assam, the BJP said it is firm about its commitment to push for the enactment of the draft bill.
The saffron party in its manifesto released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that if it returns to power, the NDA will implement “the NRC in a phased manner in other parts of the country”.
“We are committed to the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Bill for the protection of
individuals of religious minority communities from neighbouring countries escaping persecution,” the manifesto said.
However, it said the party will make all efforts to clarify the issues to the sections of population from the Northeastern states who have expressed apprehensions regarding the legislation.
BJP has delivered; and now if voted to power will work to 'eliminate poverty' : Jaitley
New Delhi, Apr 8 (UNI) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the five-year old Modi government has been a "performing" regime and maintained in next five years it will work to restrict poverty to single digit and ultimately will strive to eliminate it.
He said as a "continuing government we will follow the same principle" under which resources will be given to the poor and tax base expanded.
"The essence of our manifesto is to deplete poverty over next five years to single digit and than eventually to eliminate it," Finance Minister said during the release of BJP's “Sankalp Patra” (manifesto) here.
Finance Minister also said that a eight per cent growth rate will be maintained - which will retain our position as world's fastest growing economy.
"This manifesto is one of a government which is going to continue in power. This manifesto in the season of manifestos is not prepared with the 'Tukde Tukde' mindset," Mr Jaitley said.
He said under the plans and vision as envisioned by the BJP-led dispensation, India will continue to be regarded "as a bright spot in the global economy".
"This is our mission as far as next five years is concerned and beyond that is concerned," Mr Jaitley said.
"This is the first five years that India was globally the fastest growing economy in the world," he said adding the fiscal prudence under NDA regime's stewardship too has been best ever since 1947.
"Our inflation has been the lowest compared to double digits inflation left by our predecessor," said the Finance Minister.
"We are the first government in history that consolidated India's middle class and brought out the fastest depletion of poverty," he said.
This manifesto instead, he said has been prepared with a strong nationalist vision and is "rooted" in Indian realities.
"Those who failed in the past for decades and not years can manufacture fresh ideas for the future," he said sounding critical of the intent of the Congress party and others and said in contrast it is his party and the Modi government "which has the credibility to offer a road map for the future".
Mr Jaitley maintained 2014 parliamentary elections were held in a "cynical environment" with corruption, policy paralysis and indecisiveness of the leadership.
"Both the BJP and our prime ministerial candidate in 2014 - Narendra Modi - held a hope and therefore, today's environment is entirely different. We have a government which delivered," Finance Minister said.
Mr Jaitley, who held Defence portfolio for brief spells, said the new security doctrine that has been put into practice by the Modi government underlines clearly that "deterrent itself is the best defence".
"Our new policy of striking at the terror at a point of origin has received global support," he remarked in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj among others.
"We will reject all ideas for the balkanisation of India," he asserted adding, the BJP-led NDA if voted to power will work to make India "one of the strongest and secured countries" of the world.
Flaying Congress party and other opposition outfits, he said previous governments only gave slogans, but in contrast - "Prime Minister Modi's government delivered resources for the poor".
He said the NDA regime headed by PM Modi gave to India - a "five year tenure" government that ensured 'controlled inflation'.
"......taxes were only reduced and never increased," he said adding this was done to put more money in the pockets of people "so that they could spend more".
Castigating the opposition, he said those who have performed - that is NDA - their words carry much more credibility than who failed and therefore today India is at the cusp of history making up for all the 'lost opportunities'.
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