Excelsior... Nation

Andhra Govt ignores 4,500-year-old mummy

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Sept 30: Wrappings of a 4,500-year-old Egyptian mummy, an exhibit in the State Museum in Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, are peeling off, but proposals to preserve the most-prized possession of the institute find no takers in the Government headed by Mr N Chandrababu Naidu.

This information has just been received by the Human Resources Development Ministry in Delhi. In fact, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, the Minister for Human Resources Development, has been urged to intervene. He has been told that the ancient Egyptian mummy’s toes had become exposed due to the ravages of time.

Even the glass case in which the mummy is preserved is falling apart, but the authorities in the Department of Archaeology and Museums have been accused of being totally indifferent. The mummy, according to reports from Hyderabad, is of an 18-year-old girl who had died during child birth and is said to date back to 2500 BC when the 6th Pharaoh was ruling Egypt.

An individual by the name Nazeer Navaz Jung apparently purchased the mummy at a cost of 1,000 pounds in Egypt and then gifted it to the Nizam who in turn gave it to the State Museum in Hyderabad. The mummy has been with the State Museum since 1931.

Reports said that it was only in the last few years its condition has started deteriorating. Another interesting development that took place in the recent past was that for the first time, an X-ray was taken of the mummy. And an official was quoted as saying: "The X-ray has confirmed the existence of a skeleton inside the wrappings".

There are three other mummies in India, each one in Baroda, Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) and Ahmedabad. As the condition of the mummies at Baroda and Calcutta too were deteriorating, some initiative was taken to properly preserve them. In Huyderabad, on the other hand,there has been little initiative on the part of the Department of Archaeology and Museums authorities to pursue the matter.

The 5-feet-2-inch mummy has, on the wrappings around the legs, four rows of heiroglyphics—the ancient Egyptian handwriting which, however, has not been deciphered. The ancient Egyptians mummified the bodies with the belief that the souls of the dead persons hovered around the graves for thousands of years before reaching the heavenly abode. The process of mummification took about 70 days.

As per the process, the body used to be preserved by giving it a coating of wax, honey and perfumes. The internal parts of the body, which would easily putrefy, were then removed and the empty space filled with perfumes and chemicals. Then, a mixture of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate and sodium bi-carbonate was applied on the body.

In addition, the hollowed portions of the body used to be filled with a think cloth and saw dust to keep its original appearance after which a coating of oil and gum used to be applied to keep away insects and pests. After smearing it with perfumes and wrapping it in a cloth dipped in chemically prepared paste, the body used to be finally mummified.

Priyanka takes Amethi by storm

AMETHI, Sept 30: "Amethi ki aandhi, Priyanka Gandhi" (Priyanka Gandhi is the storm of Amethi).

The slogan dotting the walls in this constituency, the family estate of the Gandhi dynasty, succinctly brings out the impact of Priyanka Vadra who single-handedly carries out the campaign for her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The ‘Priyanka magic’ has swamped the town and village folk as they regale the revival of Amethi’s status as a ‘VVIP’ constituency.

The ‘people’s princess’ has struck an electrifying chord with the electorate, sending the rival BJP, which won the seat for the first time last year, into a tizzy.

As campaigning rages ahead of Sunday’s polling, she has turned the heat on her mother’s rival, Sanjay Singh (a scion of the royal family here), by casting a charismatic spell across the length and breadth of the constituency, once represented by her father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Priyanka parked herself along with husband Robert and sister-in-law Michelle in the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital guest house in Mushiganj, about six km from Amethi town, in the second week of this month to galvanise the party apparatus in a bid to regain the seat.

Her day begins early morning with meetings with local party workers before the light blue TATA Safari rolls out with her entourage onto the meandering dusty roads of Tiloi, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj, Salon and in and around Amethi.

Passing through the verdant landscape, her cavalcade, which grows as the day advances, stops at roadside villages and hamlets giving a harrowing time to the SPG and security personnel in town.

Overcoming the security apparatus, Priyanka lunges into the surging crowd and her hands-on campaign begins to make ripples. In an effort to negate the BJP’s ‘foreign-origin’ campaign against Sonia Gandhi, she asks: "Kya mein videshi lagti hoon ?" (Do I look like a foreigner?).

Speaking in chaste Hindi, Priyanka takes the enamoured Assembly of villagers down the memory lane by reviving the spirit of her late father: "Aapko dekh ke, mujhe apne papa ki yaad aati hai." (by seeing you, I am reminded of my father).

She stirs the memory of the people by pointing out "how much my father thought and did for the constituency-folk." Mr Rajiv Gandhi had first contested from here in 1984 carving a niche for it in India’s electoral scene.

She has a word for every seelion the elderly, the young and women and her style of interaction will put even veteran leaders into a shade. She advises the young to conventrate on studies and asks the youth: "Kuchh kaam karte hain" (are you doing some work). She will patiently listen to the elders’ complaints of lack of development in the area after the assassination of her father in 1991 and set out to see for herself the prevailing condition .

Priyanka’s much publicised act of picking up a ‘jalebi’ from a dusty roadside ‘dhaba’ has already become part of Amethi’s folklore.

As her cavalcade moves through the corrugated road and lanes criss-crossing the constituency, of people and party workers line up the entire route for a fleeting glimpse of the young Gandhi.

Priyanka obliges them with her disarming smile and waving of hands and halts at regular intervals to accept the adulation heaped on her.

Enroute, the slogans of "Indira Gandhi Zindabad, "Rajiv Gandhi Zindabad" only bring in the comparisons. "Priyanka embodies the elegance of her grandmother late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the compesure of Rajivji," says a local Congress leader.

The BJP, on its part to bring in a dash of glamour, had roped in the services of cinestars Hema Malini and Vinod Khanna, but that paled into insignificance compared to the effect of Priyanka’s emotive campaign.

Priyanka’s potential to have a clean sway over the masses is evident from the fact that the Congress relied solely on her all through. Even Sonia Gandhi, did not visit the constituency in the interregnum after filing her nomination papers.

Congress poll managers here were besieged by requests from party candidates in other constituencies for the presence of Priyanka, even if brief, in their areas.

But Priyanka, who earlier accompanied Sonia to Bellary, the other seat where the Congress president contested, stayed put here barring a day’s whirlwind tour of neighbouring Rae Bareli constituency yesterday in support of party candidate Capt Satish Sharma.

Accompanied by husband Robert and sister-in-law Michelle, Priyanka continues her campaign often late into the evening.

On certain days, Robert goes separately canvassing through a different route.

Playing the role of a perfect wife, Priyanka would shyly tell the villages: "Mein apne pati ko aapse milwane layee hoon" (I have brought my husmand for introducing to you all).

Her plunge into the poll process notwithstanding, Priyanka denies it is a prelude to her joining politics and says emphatically that she has no plans to enter politics in the immediate future.

"Meri rajniti mein aane ki yojna nahin hai. Mein jab tak chahoongi, rajniti mein nahin aaoongi: (I have no plans to join politics. I will stay away from politics as long as I wish). These were her words during an interview to UNI.

She may not be a primary member of the Congress party but the way she has handled party affairs ahead of the crucial polls has left an indelible mark.

‘Amethi 1999’ has seen the maturing of Priyanka and could lead to accentuated demands from Congressmen for a formal role for her in the party. (UNI)

Varied polling recorded in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA, Sept 30: Voting for the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh on September 25 varied from less than one per cent to cent per cent.

While Kaa polling station in tribal Kinnaur district with 14 voters recorded cent per cent polling, lowest polling of 0.70 per cent was recorded in Bharog Banheri polling booth in Paonta Sahib.

However, polling was above 90 per cent in 10 other polling stations with Bartiyal polling booth in Jwali Assembly segment of Kangra Lok Sabha constituency recording 98.68 per cent polling.

Ninety-eight per cent polling was recorded in Phalwala polling booth in Pragpur Assembly segment and 95.80 per cent voters cast their votes in Samirpur polling station in Bamsan, the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Signs of total indifference and poll boycott were visible in at least 12 polling stations where the voting was less than 10 per cent. Baadog in Arki and Jaradhu in Sundernagar recorded 0.75 and 0.95 per cent polling respectively.

Some other polling stations which recorded exceptionally low polling were Chauki in Gopalpur (1 per cent), Goroknown in Kusu Mpti (1.52 per cent), Khandela in Rampur (2 per cent), Chatta in Rajnagar (2.67 per cent) Urna in Bharmaur (4.22 per cent) Bharnauli in Guler (4.31 per cent) and Pandoh Colony in Mandi and Maira in Nurpur (5 per cent).

Shimla Assembly constituency recorded 39.75 per cent voting and none of the polling station could reach the 50 per cent mark.

The lowest and highest polling the state capital was 12.09 per cent and 49 per cent in booth no. 22 and 10 respectively.

While the overall polling was 57.10 per cent, Pachhas Assembly constituency recorded highest polling of 68.22 per cent, followed by Bamsan (67.80 per cent) Kot Kehloor (67.49 per cent), Mewa (66.21 per cent), Nurpur (66.07 per cent), Gangath (65.84 per cent) and Gherwin (65.44 per cent).

Polling was less than 60 per cent in all the 17 Assembly segments of Mandi parliamentary constituency while only two Assembly segments of Rohroo and Pachhad in Shimla (reserved) parliamentary constituency crossed the 60 per cent mark.

Ten out of 17 Assembly segments in Kangra parliamentary constituency and eight out of 17 Assembly segments in Hamirpur polled more than 60 per cent votes and the overall voting percentage in these two Lok Sabha seats was 60.14 and 60.19 respectively.

Shimla (reserved) parliamentary constituency recorded 53.46 per cent polling while Mandi Lok Sabha constituency was slightly better with 54.76 per cent polling. (PTI)

No serious step to stop non-serious parties
from contesting’

NEW DELHI, Sept 30: Election Commissioner G V G Krishnamurty today regretted that no serious effort has been made by Parliament and major political parties to prevent non-serious parties from entering the poll fray and carry out much-needed electoral reforms.

It is basically a failure of Parliament to have a Bill to translate these measures to de-pollute the electoral system into law, Krishnamurty said in an informal chat with reporters on his last day in Nirvachan Sadan after having completed his six-year tenure.

Sharing his experience, 65-year-old Krishnamurty recalled that the Commission has been proposing to every successive Government in the past the need for electoral reforms as also initiation of the process of delimitation of constituencies, but has been left disappointed.

Observing that the Commission had silently but successfully achieved the objective of limiting the non-serious candidates from entering the poll scenario, he said but the law has not been passed or amended to delete non-serious political parties from contesting.

While there were as many as 13,952 candidates in 1996 Lok Sabha elections, stringent measures like hiking the deposit as also filing of affidavit to declare a person’s criminal record had brought their number to 4,750 in 1998 — a reduction of over 9,000 candidates, he said.

Asserting the need to debar candidates with a criminal background from entering legislatures, Krishnamurty even advocated that MPs and MLAs involved in brawls and unacceptable conduct within legislatures should be prosecuted and punished under Indian Penal Code like any other common citizen.

Referring to non-serious political parties, he said that any party which does not contest three successive polls should be de-registered by the Commission.

On delimitation of constituencies, which has been statutorily barred till the 2000 census, Krishnamurty admitted that states which have successfully exercised control over population growth could be at a disadvantage owing to the fact that states with larger population could bag a higher share of Lok Sabha seats depriving others.

But at the same time, he said it would be unfair not to allow proper representation to the people in the lower house of Parliament in a democratic system. In this regard he cited the example of outer Delhi parliamentary constituency with a population of 28 lakh as against Karol Bagh constituency in the capital with barely five lakh people and Lakshadweep with a 40,000 electorate.

He suggested that the task of delimitation should be assigned to the Commission which has got the necessary expertise. (PTI)

Thakre rules out change of leadership in UP after polls

NEW DELHI, Sept 30: BJP president Kushabhau Thakre today ruled out any change of leadership in Uttar Pradesh after the Lok Sabha elections.

There is no question of change of leadership in the state even after elections and the manner in which UP affairs have been projected is not true, he told a press conference here.

Replying to a question, Thakre denied that UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh had been sidelined during the current election campaign saying Kalyan Singh did not campaign for sometime during the current elections because he was not well.

To another question that BJP was facing problems in Uttar Pradesh due to infighting in the party and Singh’s unhappiness with the central leadership, he said nobody is unhappy with BJP and the reported differences are not going to affect the party’s electoral prospects.

To a question that BJP was basing its campaign on one individual like the Congress, he said Vajpayee has not been forced on anyone or in the name of a family. He has risen on his own strength and not in the name of a family.

Thakre’s statement assumes significance following reports that Singh had refused to address election meetings in support of some party candidates.

Singh was summoned to the capital last week by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani soon after the completion of first phase of polling. (PTI)

Veteran CPI leader facing strong opposition
in making record

MIDNAPORE, Sept 30: In spite of having the best track record of winning ten times in a row since 1960, veteran CPI leader and former Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta is finding it difficult to retain the traditional leftist garrison of Midnapore in the etching of his political career.

According to political observers, Mr Gupta is under considerable flak for alleged failure to undertake any developmental work.

Also unlike lost time, the BJP and the Trinamool Congress are fighting the election together and could take away sizeable chunk of votes of Mr Gupta.

Mr Gupta, who is blamed for not undertaking any developmental work in the constituency, by the opposition as well as by a section of his party supporters, is however, trying to put up a brave face to counter the odds.

"It is totally unjustified to blame me for not looking after my constituency and I do not feel that my voters would turn against me even for what I have done for them," said an exahausted Mr Gupta who is off late spending 12 to 14 hours a day campaigning and visiting the remotest corners of his semi-urban constituency in a desperate bid to woo the voters.

On the contrary, riding on an apparent sympathy wave, BJP nominee Monoranjan Dutta is leaving no stone unturned to capitalise on it. Moreover, the formal pre-poll understanding between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TC) to fight jointly seems to have been paying rich dividend.

Such an understanding has assumed more significance this time. Mr Dutta’s defeat last year to Mr Gupta by nearly 300,000 votes, was, according to poll observers, due to lack of understanding between the BJP and TC and their inter party squabbling.

The apparent non-existence of the original congress as a force to reckon with following largescale exodus of party workers to TC has also been on added advantage to Mr Roy.

Septugenerian Gupta, contesting for the 12th time, has lost only once in his five-decade-long political career when the then Bharatiya Lok Dal candidate Ashok Krishna Dutta defeated him from Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency by nearly one lakh votes way back in 1977. But after that, Mr Gupta never looked back and riding on the crest of his ever-increasing popularity and personal charisma returned to the Lok Sabha first from Basirhat constituency in 1980 and 1981 and then from Midnapore six times in a row.

This time, Mr Gupta, though intitially did not want to contest because of election fatigue, is locked in a five-cornered contest against Mr Manoranjan Dutta of the BJP, Mr Samir Roy of the Congress and two independents—Mr Akshay Kumar Khan and Mr Mritunjoy Chakraborty.

Last year, Mr Gupta defeated Mr Dutta by a margin of more than 2.75 lakh votes in a four-cornered contest.

As majority of the more than 1.9 million voters in this constituency are from the farming community, alleged lack of government initiative to introduce any special agricultural subsidy for them and failure to prevent reccurrence of floods every year in the district had become the two major poll planks this time.

The non-fulfillment of the pre-election promises by Mr Gupta since 1996 for establishing the double line railway track between Midnapore and Kharagpur town has also turned a large number of floating urban voters against the veteran communist leader.

Meanwhile, a number of poll-related clashes at the panchayat level in the district earlier this month had forced the state administration to undertake elaborate security measures to ensure free and fair polls on october three. Sufficient para-military and other security forces have been deployed in a few hundred of the 1748 booths declared sensitive. (UNI)

Pocket Poorvanchal for power

GORAKHPUR, Sept 30: "Satta uske anchal, jo jeete Poorvanchal" (One who annexes Poorvanchal assumes power).

Driven by this old saying in this backward belt, politicians of all hues and stature have swooped upon the region, having 17 seats at stake-to square up or consolidate their projected losses and gains.

Though amused by plethora of promises-ranging from fast develop-ment to a stable Government at the Centre, the electorate is keeping names of "would be heroes "close to its heart, leaving field wide open for every one to play before contestants’ fate is sealed in ballot boxes on October 3.

The region which was not so friendly for the ruling BJP even in the last polls is rated as a weaker portion of the party’s Hindi heartland fortress of U.P which had fetched it 60 of 85 seats in 1998.The party’s vote share in the region is 4 percent less than its State’s average.

The BJP had bagged 9 out of these 17 seats while the Samajwadi Party four and Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) one last year. The Congress had drawn a blank. The Samata Party,the BJP’s ally had won Ghosi and Salempur.

Though the region has total 21 seats, the polling in four -Chandauli, Varanasi, Robertsganj and Mirzapur-has already been completed.

With Congress gaining a foothold in the State due to high profile campaign by the party president Sonia Gandhi, the SP and BSP camps are hoping that it will come in handy for them as both the BJP and Congress candidates nibble away each other vote banks of upper castes and it may be a blessing in disguise for them in the region where victory margins were not very high. The BJP leaders led by the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee also stormed the belt, doing a hectic campaign here.

The SP which had bagged four seats and remained runners up in 10 others is leaving no stone unturned to pre-empt shifting of the minorities from the party fold. Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav faced with toughest challenge of his political career is making repeated rounds of the region.

Stakes for the BSP are equally high as the party nominee Arif Mohammad Khan had won Bahraich while its candidates weres at number two position in three other seats-Lalganj, Domriaganj and Ghosi.

According to UNI/C-Voter analysis, the Poorvanchal is the area which witnesses a close triangular fight between the SP, BSP and the BJP. But Congress is bouncing back in the electoral battle here, making four way split in votes. In this region the SP, BSP and the BJP each polled above 20 per cent of the vote last year. Poorvanchal is also witness to rise of small regional parties like the Apna Dal (AD), which have proved to be strong enough to cause the difference between the victory or defeat of a particular candidate.

The region, having total 21 seats has also elected stalwarts like former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and former Union Minister and Samata Party leader late Kalpnath Rai. Former bandit queen Phoolan Devi had been elected to the Lok Sabha from the region’s Mirzapur constituency in 1996.

Unfortunately despite having so strong a political clout, the belt still pines for development. The very low literacy level is the castes ridden region’s bane as only 31 per cent of the voters are literate here.

In 1996 Lok Sabha elections BJP won 12 out of 21 seats from entire region while in 1998 it got 13 seats. SP captured four constituencies in 1998 which is a loss of one seat from the previous 1996 Lok Sabha elections. The Samata Party won two seats in 1998 while it had only one in 1996. The region had witnessed complete washout of Congress both in 1996 and 1998. The Congress was not only unable to win a single seat but it’s polling percentage was also reduced last year. In 1996 it polled five percent of total votes and in 1998 it was four per cent. BJP had last year polled 32 per cent of total votes, which indicates a positive swing of two per cent from the previous election.

BSP polled 24 per cent of total votes which is two per cent more than the previous one, according to UNI/C-voter analysis. Poorvanchal region has a dominance of Scheduled Caste voters. Muslims and Ahirs too are present in sizeable number.

Ballia is the traditional seat of young turk of yesteryear and former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar. He has been winning continously from here since 1977 except in 1984, when a pro Congress sympathy wave has helped Congress candidate Jagannath Choudhry to win this seat. He was the closest rival of Chandra Shekhar also in 1980, 89, 91 and 1996 Lok Sabha elections while in 1998 Mr Choudhry could get only fourth position. Chandra Shekhar won again on a SJP(R) ticket defeating BJP candidate. Sizeable voters here belong to Muslim community. In 1996 SP Candidate Brij Bhushan Tiwari won this seat. However BJP candidate Rampal Singh recaptured this seat defeating Kamal Yusuf Malik of BSP in 1998 Lok Sabha elections. Except K K Abbasi of Congress and Rampal Singh of BJP no other candidate was able to retain this seat. Mr Rampal Singh is in the fray again, but the SP has fielded Kamal Yusuf Mallick. Mr Yusuf, former BSP candidate, is among 8 candidates including BSP’s Surendra Yadav and Congress party’s Mohd Mukim. The seat once belonged to Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai.

Gorakhpur is the only constituency which is represented by monks for five terms, indicating their grip over the voters. Except 1977 no political party other than the Congress was able to win this seat till 1984. In 1989 Mahant Awaidya Nath president of Akhil Bhartiya Yogi Mahasabha, vice president of ABHM, (Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha), snatched away this seat from Congress and retained it in 1991 on a BJP ticket. In 1996 BJP fielded Aditya Nath in place of Awaidya Nath who brought a victory for the party and helped it to make a hat trick in 1998. He defeated J Prasad Nishad of SP who is again the party candidate here by a whisker. Saffron robed Aditya Nath is the BJP nominee again. Gorakhpur constituency has almost twenty percent sc voters mainly Charmakars and Dhobis. One tenth of the voters here belong to the Muslim community followed by Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kewats and Rajputs. The BJP won Khalilabad seat last year by narrow margin of 2,000 votes with an iou (index of opposition unity) of less than 50 per cent.

The BJP polled 30.86 per cent of the vote followed by the sp which polled 30.53 per cent of the vote. The BSP came a close third polling 29 per cent of the vote. Last year’s winner A B P Shukla is in the contest again. Ram Prasad Chaudhary of BSP, Krishna Chandra Pandey of Congress and SP’s Bhal Chandra Yadav are also in the fray.

Bansgaon was won by the BJP for the first time in 1991 polling less than 29 per cent of the vote. Again here a three way split in the anti BJP vote facilitated a BJP victory. However in 1996, the seat was wrested by Shubhawati Devi of the SP, the party’s candidate in the current polls. In 1998, BJP’s Raj Narain Paswan recaptured the seat from the SP. The BSP has sizeable presence in this constituency.

A two way split in the anti BJP vote has helped the BJP retain Basti seat. Sriram Chauhan of the BJP who won the seat for the first time in 1996 by about 50,000 votes retained it in 1998 by taking his victory margin to about 70,000 votes. He is making a bid to make a hat trick this time.

Maharajganj is the contituency of the young BJP leader Pankaj Chaudhuri. Having won this seat in 1996 with 33,000 votes he retained it in 1998 with about 27,000 votes. Mr Pankaj Chaudhuri who has been winning this seat since 1991 is seeking re-election.

Padrauna having borders with Nepal and Bhojpur region of Bihar has elected Ram Nagina Mishra of the BJP. Ram Nagina Mishra, formerly a Congressman retained this seat in 1996 and 1998 after winning it for the first time in 1991. This constituency has more than 20 per cent Muslims. Mr Mishra is again in the fray.

Thakur dominated Deoria seat was wrested by the SP from the BJP in 1998 by a slender margin of over 4000 votes. Mr Mohan Singh, SP’s last time winner, is trying his luck again. The SP wooed the Thakurs assiduously before the 1998 elections, which helped it improve its performance in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The Salempur seat with a fair sprinkling of Kurmi and Yadav voters has been contested by the Samata Party since 1996 in alliance with the BJP. The seat was won by Harivansh Sahay of the SP in 1996. However in 1998 the seat was wrested by the Samata Party. JD(United) candidate Harkewal Prasad is fighting from here against 14 others. Lalganj is a typical case of reorganisation within the anti BJP vote. In 1996 the seat was won by the BSP. The SP was second and the BJP third. In 1998 the BJP remained third, but the BSP and the SP swapped places. In 1998 Mr. Daroga prasad of the SP wrested this seat from Baliram of the BSP. Daroga Prasad has been fielded again.

Saidpur was the seat won with the lowest margin by any party in UP. The BJP won this seat by a mere 825 votes. Inspite of having changed its candidate the BJP’s margin of victory was reduced from over 30,000 in 1996 to less than a thousand votes in 1998. BJP’s Vijay Sonkar Shastri and Tufani Saroj of the SP have locked horns here besides other nine candidates in the ring.

Jaunpur saw a keen contest between the BJP and the SP, with the SP wresting this seat from the BJP. Muslims and Yadavs together constitute about one fourth of the electorate in this region.

Ghazipur is one of the last remaining vestiges of the left movement in Uttar Pradesh B N Shastri of the CPI won this seat in 1991. However the BJP’s Manoj wrested this seat from the CPI in 1996. However the rapid decline in the CPI’s mass base and the rise of the SP left the CPI with a poor 12,000 votes in this constituency in 1998. On the other hand the SP wrested this seat from the BJP. This constituency has a sizeable population of Muslims and Yadavs. Charmakars are about 15 per cent of the total electorate here.

Macchlishahar is the constituency of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Sripati Mishra. There are close to 13 per cent Brahmins in this constituency. Having won this seat in 1984, the Congress had to face defeat in 1989, when Shiv Sharan Verma of the JD wrested the seat. Verma retained the seat in 1991. The BJP wrested this seat by fielding a religious missionary Ram Vilas Vedanti as its candidate in 1996. The seat was retained for the BJP by another missionary Swami Chinmayanand in 1998. Mr Vedanti is again the candidate here. (UNI)