Asserting that the Congress will now be in power in Pune and Khadki cantonment boards, Kalmadi said that the party now has a strength of seven members in Pune cantonment, and five members in Khadki cantonment. In Pune, four independents, Shailendra Bidkar, Prasad Kedari, Sangeeta Pawar, and Karan Makwani, have joined the Congress, while in Khadki, Kamlesh Chaskar, Congress rebel who contested as an independent, has once again joined the party. Kalmadi claimed that the party has not given any assurances to the newly elected members who joined the party and that they had come voluntarily.

Addressing mediapersons at the Congress Bhavan, a buoyant Kalmadi mocked at the Pune Pattern saying that NCP's downfall has happened because it joined hands with the BJP and the Shiv Sena. NCP was able to get just one seat each in Pune, Khadki and Dehu Road cantonment boards, which, he said, is a sign that the party is fast losing its base. The Shiv Sena has been totally wiped out, he added.

Charging that there has been corruption and irregularities in the PMC since the NCP-Sena came to power, Kalmadi said that NCP's own partymen have complained to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar about the wrongdoings at the PMC. "People have been tired of the functioning of the NCP and the Shiv Sena and this helped us gain support of the people in the cantonment elections," he said.

To a question on factionalism within the Congress because of which the party fared badly in Pune Cantonment, Kalmadi strongly refuted the claim saying that there were too many contenders and that he could not give party nominations to all of them.

About development works in cantonment areas, Kalmadi said that he was seeking amendments in the Cantonment Act for granting additional FSI (floor space index) for educational institutions and hospitals in cantonment areas. All major roads in cantonment areas are to be redeveloped before the Commonwealth Youth Games. A new sports complex and an auditorium is coming up in Pune cantonment, he said.

I am a Pune based journalist. I need the list of tehsils in each assembly constituency in Maharashtra. Where could I obtain it.

My email is jayanthiiyengar1@yahoo.com

Looking forward to hearing from you

Jayanthi

Editor's Note: Thanks for your query. Please Contact Mr. Shekhar at 98 231 66775. If you don't get what you need please write back to - qbtpl1 AT gmail.com - or call 98 119 87371 - and we will try to obtain the info for you through different channels.

Mr. Suresh Kalmadi and Mrs. Meera Kalmadi after the declaration of victory for Mr. Kalmadi in the 14th Lok Sabha Elections. He is now Pune's M.P. in Lok Sabha

Mr. Suresh Kalmadi with Mr. Ajit Pawar after Mr. Kalmadi's victory in the 14th Lok Sabha elections.

May 13, 2004
Suresh Kalmadi Storms into the 14th Lok Sabha

Mr. Suresh Kalmadi of the Congress Party has won the Lok Sabha elections over his BJP rival Mr. Pradeep Rawat. Additionally, the Congress party has upset all media opinion and exit polls to come out truimphant under the leadership of Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

Mr. Kalmadi polled 3,73,774 votes compared to 3,00,598 votes for Mr. Pradeep Rawat. The margin of victory is 73,176.

Mr. Kalmadi has been a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, for the last 22 years, and now he enters the seat of Power in Delhi as Pune's choice for the 14th Lok Sabha. He was the candidate of the rock-solid alliance of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Republican Party of India (RPI), and Janta Dal (Secular).

Congress on the Rampage Nationally

The 14th Lok Sabha elections have devasted the BJP (Bharat Jalao Party) to smithereens, and the Indian National Congress Party has risen like a Phoenix from the media-consigned ashes under the leadership of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

As of 12:00 PM May 14, 2004, three out of 539 results were awaited. Currently, in the declared 536 results

• Congress - 219
• BJP - 186
• Other - 131
• Awaited - 3

(For assembly constituency-wise breakdown, Click on "Full Story.")

“When the 2002 voter lists were displayed at polling centres in the city for eight days, very few people bothered to check their names. Had they been more vigilant, the census-related errors could have been corrected,” sources on election duty said.

As a corrective measure, district collector Madhukar Kokate said a fresh registration drive, along with other measures, would be undertaken before the assembly elections, which are due in September.

Kokate maintained that the problem resulted not from the widespread deletion of names from the list, but due to failure in locating names that were present in the list. “After preliminary inspection, I feel that the problem occurred due to failure in locating names,” he said. According to his estimates, the number of missing names was not more than four digits in the Pune constituency. Kokate admitted that the problem occurred during “detaching and attaching voters” to polling booths in the city.

Sources told TNN that errors in the 2001 Census data, which was used for voter list updation, was one of the significant causes of the confusion. “There have been cases where the census staff deleted names when they were unable to either find the address or meet the people,” a source said. Had the ‘mother roll’ (original list) been kept intact, the errors could have been minimised, an official said, adding that the problem was also compounded because of inexperienced staff who did the job of detaching and attaching the voters. “Staff in the election office was transferred just before the election process started and the new staff was not familiar with the city areas,” sources said.

The new staff also entered data of over 50,000 voters, who registered their names before March 29, and mistakes were made during data entry.

Though a base survey conducted by the Congress has predicted that Mr. Suresh Kalmadi will win by 20,000 votes, the Congress leaders say that the contest is too close for comfort.

At the root of the jitters is the low turnout in the party's strongholds - Cantonment and Bopodi. "Anything can happen now. More so because there of a possibility of a 2-3 percent overall swing away from Congress," a Congress leader told Times News Network.

Analysts believe that Mr. Kalmadi will gain a lead of just 15,000 votes in Bopodi and 10,000 each in Bhavani Peth and Parvati. The Cantonment is expected to give him a margin of just 35,000. The BJP hopes to make up the shortfall by gaining a lead of 35,000 in Shivajinagar and 15,000 in Kasba. A good voting percentage there has raised the BJP's hopes. It is generally believed that the 18 other candidates will poll atleast 69,000 votes leaving Mr. Kalmadi and his nearest rival with 7,00,000 votes to share.

Interestingly, both camps project a 20,000 vote lead for Mr. Suresh Kalmadi.

A higher turnout would have ensured that Mr. Kalmadi would have won by a huge margin, but the low turnout raises the possibility of a narrow margin of victory. What the voters have decided will be known on May 13, 2004.

Congress-NCP-RPI-JD(Secular) candidate Mr. Suresh Kalmadi - Candidate Number 1, Button Number 1.

Namaskar,

It is a new day for Pune, and the first step towards a Pune that will soon be the Number 1 city in the nation. We - Congress, NCP, RPI, and Janta Dal (Secular) - are united for Pune, and together we will achieve the goal of making Pune the Number 1 city. This journey of a thousand steps starts with a vote for Suresh Kalmadi.

It is now time for a change.

The voice of Pune has been silenced in the Capital of the Nation for 5 years, and though it was nice to hear that silenced voice of our opponent during the election campaign - it is too little too late. It is now time for a change.

Pune knows Mr. Kalmadi's track record. He delivers what he promises - everytime and without fail. And if he is elected to the 14th Lok Sabha, Pune will have

1. Employment for 1 lakh youth every year
2. Major housing projects for slum dwellers in 5 years
3. Make Pune a modern city with modern infrastructure to attract maximum investment
4. Enviromment friendly garden city and pollution free Pune with a clean river
5. Development of merged Villages with the same amenities as Pune City
6. Modern mass transit including Sky Bus
7. Empowerment and employment of women
8. Enhancement of the educational, cultural and sports ethos of Pune
9. Health for all
10. Major funding of these projects from World Bank, private agencies, State and Central Government

During the whole campaign Mr. Kalmadi has tried to bring a message of hope while the opponents have resorted to character assasination. What Mr. Kalmadi and the PMC have achieved for Pune is there for all to see, and what our opponents have not done is also there for everyone to see. Specifically we would like to highlight 5 of our opponent's shortcomings which are:

1. why was CNG not brought to Pune in the last 5 years?
2. why did the saffron alliance sanction Rs. 730 crore for Pune's water scheme when we were able to achieve the same in Rs. 344 crore
3. why was the easterly bypass not included in the PM's Golden Quadrilateral project
4. why was the credit for Pune's rail facilities claimed by the saffron alliance when it was set in motion before they arrived on the scene
5. why was the saffron alliance's proposal Rs 24 crore for the flyover when we were able to achieve the same within Rs 7 crore.

And the power is now in your hands. Come to the polling booths and exercise your right to vote. Vote in Pune for Number 1. Vote in Kalmadi Suresh. Vote on button Number 1.

If you have not received the voter slip, or if your name does not appear on the voter list,

The Election commission, according to Mr. Subhash Gum, has agreed to place an Election Commision Offical at all polling booths so that voters can go upto them and get their voter slips right there. Thus, in addition to the polling agents of the candidates, the officials of the Election Commision will be there to help the citizens to exercise their right to vote.

Please go to the nearest polling booth even if you have not received your voter slip, and there you will find all the help and information you need. Make your voice heard tomorrow, April 26, 2004 - the elections to the 14th Lok Sabha of the Republic of India.

Independents first entered Pune's electoral arena in 1962. Journalist-writer-filmmaker Acharya Pralhad Keshav Atre was the first independent candidate who contested a Lok Sabha poll from Pune. Supported by a divided Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, Atre then had won more votes than Jan Sangh national leader Jagannathrao Joshi.

The number of independents grew since 1977, and it was highest in 1966. There were 44 candidates that year. This year the number of independents was 15 but some have withdrawn since filing their nomination.

You are aware that I am contesting the Parliamentary elections from Pune city as the alliance candidate of the Indian National Congress and the NCP, the Republican Party, the JD (Secular),etc.

I had an exciting stint as a Pilot in the Indian Air Force. I believe in the adage `work first and then talk' and Puneites are aware of the development work I have successfully completed through the Pune Municipal Corporation. It has been my endeavour to promote Pune and encourage growth especially in areas of IT-BT industry. Some bold decisions like reduction in property tax, exemption in octroi and concessions in various taxes have already been implemented by the PMC in order to boost IT-BT industry in Pune and thereby, generating more employment for Pune's youth.

Construction of an International Airport in Pune, upgrading the existing public transport systems and making it eco-friendly through the introduction of CNG in buses and other public and private transport systems, construction of a ring road, introduction of Sky bus project resulting in reduction in pollution levels, are amongst the other projects we want to implement in the next five years. However, to implement the above schemes, concerted efforts will have to be made so that essential funds could be generated from the World Bank and the Central and State governments. I humbly feel that I will be able to mobilize these resources and make Pune the number one city of India.

I also have a dream that a sports person from Pune wins a gold medal at every Olympics.

I request your support and valuable vote on the 26th April 2004.

Yours Sincerely,

SURESH KALMADI

Trends indicate that the youth is tilted in favour of the Congress, a legacy of the days of the late Rajiv Gandhi. Congress candidate Suresh Kalmadi enjoys considerable popularity among the younger members of the local populace who approve of his attempts to project a youthful image for the city. Kalmadi's contribution to sport has not gone unnoticed either and the city has produced several young talented sportspersons who are indebted to his relentless efforts on their behalf.

Well educated, socially conscious and politically aware, today's youth is a new breed. They are more demanding of their leaders and wish to see at the helm someone who understands their concerns, and makes consistent efforts to introduce development and change at all levels.

It is the youth that will make tomorrow's India and any political party that fails to realise this is extremely short sighted. They are clamouring for a dynamic new leadership that will help them steer India to greater heights, and they deserve to be governed by a party with a fresh new vision.

Leaders of the Muslim community held a press conference to declare their support for Kalmadi. Chairman P.A.Inamdar President of the Awami Mahaj and a prominent member of the Muslim community in Pune was among those who spoke on the occasion.

Members of various community organisations also urged their community members to come out in large numbers and vote a secular candidate like Kalmadi. The Christian Unity Organisation, the Pune Anjuman Itehad Tamboli Jamat, the Lok Janshakti party were among those who declared their support. Industrial workers in the Kothrud area pledged their support to him, as did the regional Ramvanshi Sanghatana.

Among other groups who are supporting Kalmadi are Pune residents of  Bhor-Velha taluka, the Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Congress, the Flour Mill worker association and the Rashtriya Ekatmata Sanskrutik Kalamanch Sanstha. Several ex-servicemen from the Armed forces also declared their support for Kalamdi

"Politics in Pune begins here," he tells Hindustan Times as he sets a brisk pace, holding the prototype of an electronic voting machine in hand.

Pune has the largest number of candidates in the fray (22) and two EVMs will be deployed here on April 26. This is also an auspicious day for weddings and many people have more than one to attend. "You don't have to look hard for my name and symbol. I am on top at number one. I will make Pune the number one city. So before you go to that wedding, make a detour to the polling booth and punch the button at the top," he exhorts traders.

The market has Marathas, Dalits, OBCs and Muslims in large numbers - and Kalmadi is expecting all of them to vote for him.

Congress candidate Suresh Kalmadi speaking on the issue recalled the time when horse drawn carriages (tongas) in Pune made way for three seat rickshaws. " That time the question of how the tonga owners would survive was a matter of great concern. Today it is the question of the six seat owners and drivers, many who have taken loans and purchased these vehicles."