500+ political parties registered in two years

EC seeks Power to re-register, Money laundering suspected

Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Oct 4

The Election Commission is extremely worried over the mushrooming of political parties as more than 500 such outfits have sprung up during the past two years.

The EC has written to the government to seek powers to deregister them. What has made EC worried is that these have cropped up after the 2019-Lok Sabha polls and they came up between April 2019 and August 2021. In addition, more than 100 new political outfits have applied for registration in the past two months alone.

These are registered political parties but not recognized parties. More than 2700 parties are registered and most of them are defunct. There are eight recognized national and over 50 state parties. Others are registered parties but unrecognized and their number is rising rapidly.

The EC cannot refuse to register political parties. But it wants to de-register such parties who have no activity worth a salt. A senior EC official said it had come to the notice of the government and the Commission that some of the parties were used for money laundering as they are exempted from income tax. At times, large parties use the infrastructure of these registered parties during campaigning.

It is in this background that the EC has sought power to deregister defunct political parties as they enjoy tax exemption on donations. They can take donations below Rs 2000 in cash and submit a report to the ECI. Though rules have been tightened lately. The Act exempts parties’ income from house property, voluntary contributions, other sources and capital gains. The Commission has the power to delist parties under Article 324 of the Constitution but it cannot deregister dormant parties. From February 2016 to December 2016, the ECI had delisted 255 registered unrecognised political parties.

Are Ashok Lavasa's days numbered ?

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Are Ashok Lavasa's days numbered ?

Government wants him to quit

Wife made Independent Director in 10 companies

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 24

The controversial Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa is understood to have been conveyed to put in his papers.

Highly placed sources in the government say that he has been informally told to resign his Constitutional post. It is learnt that the government wants to undertake a proper inquiry after reports surfaced in the media that his wife was appointed as Independent Director on the boards of 10 major companies. She was taken on the boards of these companies when Ashok Lavasa was holding sensitive positions in the government.

Interestingly, it was the Modi government that gave him one plum post after another beginning with Power Secretary in August, 2014, then Environment Secretary and later as Finance Secretary 2016. After retirement in October 2017, he was rewarded for his services as Election Commissioner in January 2018. Had his honeymoon with the government continued, he would have become Chief Election Commissioner in April 2021. But times have changed and the government doesn't want him to continue to hold a coveted post when serious case of impropriety and conflict of interest has come to light involving his wife.

Ashok Lavasa created a stir when he differed with the the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and other colleague during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

He differed with his colleagues on alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the PM and BJP chief Amit Shah. Though he clarified later saying “I have no axe to grind and my concern is to have a system of disposal of MCC violation cases in a timebound and transparent, and non-discriminatory manner.” So much so that Lavasa even recused himself from all meetings to discuss critical issues relating to the conduct of Lok Sabha polls.

After the massive victory of the BJP, Lavasa went into a shell. But it seems an annoyed government decided to look into his conduct when he was holding key posts as an IAS officer. It was discovered that his wife Novel Lavasa became a favourite with some of the companies and was inducted as Independent director though she had nothing in plate prior to August 2014.

The government feels that its a clear case of “Conflict of Interest” and a detailed inquiry is necessary. The government wants to go into the details as to why these companies showed interest in her as she was only a retired SBI officer and known as a painter in Lutyen's Delhi. Since no inquiry can be conducted against a constitutional authority, he has been conveyed to quit to allow the process to begin.

The last word on the Lavasa-Government saga is yet to be written.

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PMO Missive to Minister: Clear all projects by March 8

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

A Lokmat Exclusive report

PMO Missive to Minister: Clear all projects by March 8

EC may issue Poll notification on Saturday ?

New Delhi, March 4

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has directed all the ministries and departments to complete launching of all pending project by March 8.

Since the Election Commission of India is likely to issue notification for the General Elections on March 9, the PMO has said that all work to inaugurate projects be completed by March 8. With the Model Code of Conduct coming into force, the foundation stone for any project cannot be laid and no project be inaugurated or new scheme launched. Therefore, the PMO has asked the ministries to launch all projects as announced. In fact, the Prime Minister himself has a tight schedule until March 8 traveling across the country launching numerous projects. Interestingly, the PM is launching a a series of projects wherever he is going these days.For example, he launched 18 projects at Amethi yesterday at one function.

The emphasis is particularly on the infrastructure ministries like Road Transport, Railways, Coal, Power, Communication & IT, Petroleum, Science & Technology, Steel, Mines, Textiles, Food processing, Health and Defence. The ministries under Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, R K Singh (Power) are in particular focus. It is largely because of this very reason that all the ministers are concerned are traveling state after state launching projects. In fact, the PM has also said that the minister concerned need not be present for the inauguration of a project with him and devote time to launch projects in other states. For example, Piyush Goyal is launching another project in Tamil Nadu today while the PM is launching a project in Gujrat relating to his ministry.

The PM's Project Monitoring Group (PMG) which monitors all pending infrastructure projects has resolved 3100 projects involving investment of Rs 10.76 lakh crores. The PMG was set up in September 2015.

The ministries have also been directed to ensure that all the promises laid down in the BJP's 2014 Lok Sabha poll manifesto are implemented. These ministries have been told to send a point-wise performance report as listed in the manifesto. The non-infrastructure ministries such as HRD, Commerce, Social Justice & Empowerment, Women & Child Development, Environment and others have been told to send the completion report of aims and objects by March 8.

For example, the HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has completed the process of appointments of all the chancellors and vice chancellors of universities and cleared his desk. Even the New Education Policy as promised in the party manifesto is ready for release. But it is being vetted again and may be deferred until the next Lok Sabha poll process is complete.

Modi is launching perhaps the last scheme of his government - Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana (PM-SYM) on his two-day visit to Gujarat giving minimum wages to workers.

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Model Code of Conduct to come in force on March 6-8

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

exclusive report 

Model Code of Conduct to come in force on March 6-8

PM Modi to launch 70 projects in 70 days

Countdown for Lok Sabha poll begins

Amit Shah placates annoyed Mps

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Dec. 29

The countdown for the Lok Sabha poll has begun which is just 70 days away. As the Model Code of Conduct is likely to come in force any time between March 6-8 when the Election Commission issues notification, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a hurricane tour of the country inaugurating one project or the other and rolling out series of welfare schemes to placate all section of society. All infrastructure ministries including the Road Transport have been directed to complete projects. The Road ministry itself is in the process of completing projects worth Rs one lakh crores. In order to steal the last mile advantage, Modi will be on a spree to open projects and club them with Congress bashing. A number of AIIMS in various states which are being set up, may be opened by February. If sources are to be believed, Modi will inaugurate one project a day in the next 50 working days.

If sources are to be believed, the government will not wait for the Interim Budget to be presented on February 1 by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to announce pre-poll doles. In fact, most of the measures relating to the farming, MSMEs, jobless youth and others will be announced immediately after the Parliament's session on January 8.

Since the Interim Budget session will be in continuation of the Winter session, both houses of parliament will re-assemble on January 30. The Budget session will end on February 15.

The PM is meticulously planning his 70-day working plan and traveling almost every day to launch one project or the other as part of his mission “Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar”. If he was in Varanasi today, he will be in Port Blair tomorrow where Netaji declared India's first War of Independence.

A high-level team comprising of BJP president Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Railway & Coal Minister Piyush Goyal is over-seeing the 2019 poll planning. They are in regular touch with the PM on an hourly basis to discuss every move. Though “Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar” tagline is yet to be given the go-ahead for the 2019 parliamentary polls as Modi wants something more catchy.

Piyush Goyal has ordered a fresh nation-wide survey which is being conducted by three leading pollsters to gauge the mood of the nation in different regions. Sources say it was ordered in the third week of December and the report will come in the second week of January. A similar survey by two leading agencies was conducted in August which had given BJP 300 plus seats. But the situation has undergone a sea-change after losses in three Hindi speaking states leaving Modi-Amit Shah team bewildered.

Shah is now holding parleys with 350 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Mps. He meets 40 Mps every day in two batches so that he could listen to them carefully. He has already met Mps from Bihar, Jharkhand & UP. This is first time he has done in 4 years and signals a change in the handling. Surely, the party doesn't want to leave anything chances before the D-day in May, 2019.

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Fly on the wall :BJP-JD (U) tussle for Araria LS seat

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

BJP-JD (U) tussle for Araria LS seat

The new alliance partners, BJP and Janata Dal (U) are engaged in a bitter battle as to who will contest the Araria Lok Sabha seat which fell vacant after the demise of Shahabuddin (RJD). Since the BJP candidate Pradeep Kumar Singh had secured 40,000 more votes than JD (U)'s Vijay Kumar Mandal during 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP wants the seat. But Nitish Kumar wants the BJP to decide the seat-sharing formula between the two parties for 2019 polls. The BJP is in no mood to open this kind of a dialogue as it had won 32 Lok Sabha seats on its own in 2014 polls out of 40. It thinks a joint candidate of BJP-JD (U) will defeat the RJD in Araria and Nitish Kumar should make a sacrifice. Nitish Kumar is in no mood to do so without a price.

Baffling Defiance by BJP Mps in Lok Sabha

The failure of the Triple Talaq Bill to clear the Rajya Sabha muster hogged the limelight. But what was lost in the din was disaster in the Lok Sabha at the fag end of the Winter session where the BJP Mps defied the party whip. They failed to be present in the House to pass the Backward Classes bill. The NDA has 340 Mps in the Lok Sabha and the presence of only 270 Mps with two third voting in its favour was required. To the shock and disbelief of the ruling BJP, the Mps failed to turn up to complete the quorum when the bill was about to be put to vote. It had to be deferred twice. The Prime Minister was furious and BJP chief Amit Shah was losing his cool in the chamber. But nothing worked. Even the BJP's allies, TDP, Shiv Sena, etc had signaled that they won't be in a position to support the bill. Any lessons learnt ? Not really ! A top BJP manager said that the party had decided to defer its passage due to its own political reasons.

Rahul, Amit Shah face-to-face again

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and BJP president Amit Shah will be face-to-face again. If they entered into bitter power struggle in Gujrat, they will be face-to-face again in Karnataka. BJP chief Shah believes that Karnataka will be the real test of Rahul Gandhi as his challenge will be to retain the most crucial and only major state with the party. “I faced the same challenge in Gujrat,” Amit Shah quipped in an informal chat and added, “Gujrat was not Rahul Gandhi's test, it was our test to retain the state.” Obviously, Karnataka will be the first battle ground between the two party chiefs where both parties are strong. The battle becomes interesting as Rahul Gandhi has transformed into a "Janaudhari" Brahmin. Shah is extremely happy with it as Rahul Gandhi has come to play into BJP's Hindu turf. The battle in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland is essentially not between the Congress and the BJP as north eastern states go with the wind at the centre.

Team Rahul to decide AICC session date, venue

The Team Rahul is unable to make up it mind whether to hold the AICC session before the Karnataka Assembly polls in February or in May. The new dispensation is also unable to make it mind whether to hold the AICC session in Delhi, Bengaluru or somewhere else. Since Parliament will go into recess for a month from February 10, there was a suggestion that one-day AICC session be held to ratify the election of Rahul Gandhi during this period. Another view is that Rahul Gandhi has already been elected unanimously by the Congress Working Committee and there is no hurry to hold AICC. The session can be held whenever possible. The party has to work hard to retain Karnataka which will go to polls before May 5. The Election Commission will most likely declare poll dates in mid-March. The Assembly polls are already underway in three states. Then the biennial elections for 60-odd Rajya Sabha seats will come up in states in March. The venue of the AICC is also a matter of serious consideration. The Gujrat unit is insisting that the AICC be held there to send the right signal to the Modi-Shah team. The BJP is vulnerable in the state and its time to give more attention.

BJP National Executive in February

Even as the Congress continues to in a dilemma over holding of the AICC session, the BJP is likely to hold its National Executive meeting in early February. The reason is that BJP's new 5-storied headquarter will be ready by February and party president Amit Shah is wants to show-case it to the world. The building will be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi. Amit Shah is also setting up party's top secret War Room on the 5th floor which be a restricted area. If all goes as per plans, the National Executive may be held around the same time.

Major bureaucratic reshuffle in offing

PM Modi will have to undertake another reshuffle in top bureaucracy as two senior secretaries are retiring this month end and another four in a couple of months. Panchayati Raj Secretary Jitendra Shankar Mathur, and Parliament Affairs Secretary Rajiv Yadav will retire in the next 15 days while Kewal Kumar Sharma, Secretary, Dept of Higher Education, Ajay Mittal, Secretary, DOPT, Dr. P Parameshwaran Iyer, Secretary Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation. Iyer and Mines Secretary Arun Kumar will demit office as well. Interestingly, Modi had brought Dr P Parameshwaran Aiyer from retirement and made him secretary again for two years raising eyebrows in the bureaucracy. He has already served his tenure of two years in the ministry and there is resentment in the bureaucracy as new trend has been set by Modi. Normally, serving secretaries are given extensions. But this first time that a retired secretary who had gone home was brought back into the post while serving additional secretaries waiting in the wings for promotion. It is learnt that Modi continues to be upset with the bureaucracy for not taking forward his development agenda. Therefore, he has decided to send senior bureaucrats to district headquarters to be part of his development model.

Parlt panel to probe EVM tampering in Maha civil polls

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Parlt panel to probe EVM tampering in Maha civil polls

Exclusive 

Complaints from Pune Nashik, Dhule

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, March 14

The Parliament's Standing committee of Home & Personnel has decided to look into the complaints of EVM tampering during Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Municipal Committee elections. It is pertinent to mention that earlier the Election Commission had dismissed the petition of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's allegations of EVM tampering in recently held Assembly polls including Uttar Pradesh where Mayawati had made serious allegation of EVM tampering in the recently held Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Municipal Committee elections.

In an exclusive chat with Lokmat on Tuesday the chairman of Parliament's Standing Committee of Home Affairs, Anand Sharma said, "The committee has received compliants from various cities & districts of Maharashtra giving evidence of tampering of EVM machines."

When ask to elaborate, Sharma said, "We haveWe have received complaints from Pune, Nashik, Dhule and other places of EVM tampering. One candidate alleged that he and his 28 family members cast their votes in the Zila Parishad polls. But the EVM showed zero votes in his favour.” Sharma said that the committee is now seized o these complaints and information is being verified. The Election Commission officials are in touch with the Committee officials and we are going to look into it.”

The standing committee will also look into the Supreme Court order which had said that paper trail must be kept he said. Previously, Mayawati had dismissed the Uttar Pradesh assembly election results and called for fresh polls after BSP's crushing defeat. Mayawati also accused the BJP of murdering democracy saying, "Either the EVMs did not accept votes other than the BJP, or the votes of other parties have gone to BJP through these EVMs."

However the standing committee probing the EVM tampering allegations in itself is set to give a new dimension to the whole issue. The standing commission would also summon electronic engineers, suppliers and experts to look into the matter.