Light column nov 1 No anti-incumbency: What is the uniqueness about the assembly polls in four states in the Hindi

heartland? The ans er is! there is no anti-incumbency against any of the "hief #inisters! may it be $hiela %i&shit of %elhi! $hivra' $ingh "hauhan of #adhya (radesh! )aman $ingh of "hhattisgarh or *sho& +ehlot of )a'asthan, This may be the first time in -ndian politics that after ten years in po er in #adhya (radesh and "hhattisgarh! the ./( has not been burdened itself ith the anti-incumbency factor! hile the "ongress too has s&irted it even after being in po er in the national capital for 10 long years, %igvi'ay $ingh had been thro n out of office in #adhya (radesh in 1223 after ten years! hen the blame as on the antiincumbency factor, That time! the "ongress had the lo est tally of 34 in the #adhya (radesh assembly, (olitical analysts say the absence of anti-incumbency does not mean that the four "hief #inisters are going to retain po er, The issues in the polls have become different as they have been overshado ed by the ./(5s pro'ection of Narendra #odi as its (rime #inisterial candidate, 6Today5s "hana&ya5! a group devoted to psephology! has spo&en of 7very very surprising8 findings in its poll surveys hile ./( strategists claim that the mood is clearly anti"ongress in all the four states,

(*"H9:)-5 $ (L-+HT: ;ormer :nion #inister $uresh (achouri is in a bad shape politically after being out of the )a'ya $abha for a long time, -t has been a 6riches to rags5 story for the once po erful minister of state for personnel ho loo&ed after ".- and had thus been close to (rime #inister #anmohan $ingh and "ongress "hief $onia +andhi, The soft-spo&en (achouri as al ays the man of the High "ommand in the #adhya (radesh politics and his travails began hen he as made the state ("" "hief before the last Lo& $abha elections, *ll state leaders ranging from %igvi'ay $ingh to <amal Nath to *r'un $ingh then 'oined hands to marginali=e (achouri! ho did not build a constituency! or chamcha circle! of his o n, :nable to in the Lo& $abha polls! (achouri as also denied the )a'ya $abha for the fifth time, %igvi'ay $ingh smartly apparently came up ith the proposal that )a'ya $abha nomination should be given to a dalit and not to any upper caste, (achouri5s goose as coo&ed as he is a .rahmin, >i'ay La&shmi $adho! ho is no *-"" $ecretary! bagged the )a'ya $abha virtually emerging as the consensus choice of all factions in the state, *s (achouri found himself ithout any 'ob! he ensured that he as de facto made in charge of the "ongress War )oom at the +urd ara )a&abgan' )oad here )ahul +andhi holds strategy sessions ith state and central leaders, .ut there too! his importance vanished ith %igvi'ay or&ing overtime behind-thescenes, No ! (achouri has managed himself a tic&et to the #adhya (radesh *ssembly from .ho'pur seat! but it remains to be seen ho his detractors ill or& overtime to defeat him, -f %igvi'ay is antagonised

and so is <amal Nath! the result from .ho'pur ill be a foregone conclusion, (aying a price for being straight and not ma&ing money? 9ne redeeming feature for (achouri is that :nion #inister /yotiraditya $cindia! the rising star in #adhya (radesh politics! is his sympathiser, (inarayi >i'ayan out of ".- net: #ar?ist strongman in <erala (inarayi >i'ayan being out of the ".- net in the Lavalin "ase could heat up the politics of the state sooner than later, * &no n enedetractor of party veteran and former "# >$ *chuthanandan! (inarayi has hold over the organi=ation and as not ma&ing matters hot for the "ongress much as it ould have benefited octogenarian *chuthanandan, No ! his supporters say <erala is in for ma'or political developments after the Lo& $abha polls in hich the "ongress and its allies are not e?pected to fare ell, The solar panel scam has come in handy for the 9pposition to beat "# 9omen "handy much to the delight of his detractors ithin the party! including ("" chief )amesh "hennithala, )am Leela in %elhi *ssembly: What ill happen in %elhi *ssembly after the polls? 7)am Leela8! remar&s a ./( leader ta&ing a dig at the *am *admi (arty of *rvind <e'ri al, The reference is obvious to <e'ri al5s constant claims that the day his party ould come to po er in %elhi! its #L*s ould meet at the historic )am Leela #aidan here and instantaneously pass the /an Lo& (al bill, 79nce e

pass this bill! it ill automatically eradicate corruption!8 goes his claim, $o! ./( leaders say that if <e'ri al is performing the tas&s of the %elhi *ssembly at the )am Leela ground! then the House ill have only one thing to do: 7perform )am Leela,8 $hiela5s opponent: ./( leaders may be bragging a lot about their gro ing strength in %elhi and ho they are set to crush the "ongress in the assembly polls, .ut former state party chief >i'ender +upta appeared to have got the shoc& of his life hen he as made a party candidate against "hief #inister $hiela %i&shit from the Ne %elhi constituency, *pparently &eeping in mind that discretion is the better part of valour! +upta promptly s itched off his mobile phone, The ambitious +upta feels that his detractors ithin had the last laugh! and he ants the party high command to promise him something for the future if he has to put up a fight ith the "hief #inister, #ay it be <irti *=ad or >i'ay /olly! the soft spo&en %i&shit has made a mincemeat of her detractors in the *ssembly polls,