(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVI No. 07 February 17, 2002 |
People's DemocracyUTTARANCHAL
Shock
Reverses For BJP In Store
Shailendra
ALL the signs are there. Anger, resentment
and even disgust with the way the BJP government went through motions of running a
government, but Congress infighting and the total lack of agreement among the third front
constituents in fielding common candidates could well throw in a hung assembly in
Uttaranchal. In the case of the third front that could not take off, the Uttarakhand
Kranti Dal (UKD) might still manage around six seats with the Left showing its
strength in some pockets.
The stage is set for a cliff hanger
indeed, with the BSP and rebels of the the Congress playing the role of spoilers for it
and maybe having a peep in into the assembly along with the Samajwadi Party and an
independent or two. The CPI(M) could be putting up a tough fight in the Dehradun
area in Sahaspur constituency and in the hilly region of Nandprayag and Kedarnath while
the CPI could put up a fight in Gangotri.
For the CPI(M), it was a door to door
campaign in all the five contesting seats and the thrust of the campaign was an
exposure of the BJP misrule both at the centre and the in the state. The unfortunate fight
in two constituencies between the CPI(M) and the CPI in Nandprayag and Kedarnath, for
which the CPI(M) tried hard to avoid, has not gone too well with voters in what could
still be an interesting triangular contest. People still remember that these were
Left pockets of one time along with parts of Tehri and Musoorie.
The CPI(M) campaign focussed on both
national and local issues including the desirability of a feasible capital other than
Dehradun, issues of employment generation through various schemes, creation of employment
opportunities in agriculture and forestry, land reforms, improvement of roads and
linking the unconnected villages, opening of closed factories, ending the rules-of mafia
and effective power to the panchayats. The national issues like jingoism, coffingate and
corruption also figured prominently in the campaign.
Nilotpal Basu, Brinda Karat, Sunit Chopra
and Suhashini Ali were among the central leaders who participated in the election
campaigning of the CPI(M).
All in all it is an uneven terrain dotted
with grinding poverty specially in the interior, areas dotted with high rates of literacy
and fewer employment opportunities, dry-lands, drought-prone areas and semi-feudal,
semi- capital relations co-existing side by side. The feeling where is the state and where
is its identity is a common refrain. There is talk in plenty of liquor, jungle and
land-building mafia's gaining strength all over the state.
The question raised was after
election what relief would come to the state and doubts are raised whether a government
that actually works for the people would take office. There were few takers for the view
that they had gained from a new state, and those who fought for it found the word
Uttaranchal unacceptable. They found the word Uttarakhand better while some sarcastically
pointed out that the ills of UP multiplied under the BJP rule here and only taxes and
prices had shot up in the change of labels from UP to Uttaranchal. They were sure this
change made little impact on their lives.
In this backdrop, shock reverses for the BJP and some shocks for the Congress too and a possible hung assembly is on the cards in these elections. In the last stages it was once again the Congress and the BJP fighting for the first slot, with the Congress hoping for a wave that was not there, few Sonia ripples notwithstanding. Congress rebels contesting even on NCP symbol, have further queered the pitch. Unlike UP however even in temple townships, the Ram temple issue had little reverberations.
