Kukatpally Polling Agent Training April 12th 2009

When is the next election?

we should all pray that we get pretty badly hung assembly and parliament this time around
so that we can have an election pretty soon.

we need elections to keep the economy growing. don't take my word for it. check it out

From New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/business/global/15rupee.html?_r=1&ref=world

NEW DELHI — India’s monthlong nationwide election is often called the world’s largest exercise in democracy. It could also be regarded as a big economic stimulus engine.

Candidates and parties spent $3 billion on everything, including transportation, advertising, celebrity endorsements and cash bribes over the course of the campaign, according to economists and political analysts. In comparison, the last United States presidential campaign cost an estimated $2.4 billion.

....

The programs are so extensive that the amount of money spent in India will give a 0.5 percent boost to the country’s gross domestic product for two quarters of this year, says Kotak Securities, a brokerage firm.

...

did you know?

but my nail polish will vanish...

that was a real answer to "can you tell me why you did not vote?"

of course.

in life, you get what you deserve.

Outlook Survey: Why people Elect not to vote?

Thank you Mauritius

India Inc. has had a fantastic run and continue to be relatively strong despite of global recession.

We, as in everyone who has interest in India Inc doing well, who  has stocks and mutual funds must take a moment to thank one tiny little country that makes it all happen :  Mauritius

why? 

43% of FDI (that's Foreign Direct Investment) coming into India is coming from Mauritius.

The people of Mauritius believe in the growth story of India so they invest millions in India

In fact they invested Rs 1, 52, 767, 0000000 (yeah crores) between April 2000-Jan 2009

in India 43% of all such investments coming from outside India.

btw, population of Mauritius : 12, 75, 000  (not crores)

what's the point you ask?

Mauritius is the perfect place to convert black money to white.   Black money makes its way to Maurtius and comes back into India as an FDI.  The tax laws are favorable for such 'round tripping' and before you know it, all kinds of people are moving their money to Mauritius and bringing it back (as squeaky clean white as it gets) to India.   

shall we change FDI to  IIDI  (Indian In Direct Investment)??

Economic Times

capital investment

It has been reported that A.P elections were the most expensive election ever in the media. approximately 2000 crores spent 

the following story reports that 32 crores spent in one constituency (out of 294)  by the  3 candidates belonging to the major parties.  If each of them had spent a fraction of that money,  the entire voting population would have gotten drinking water, sanitation at the very least..

read on..

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Vijayawada: Scene-I: People at Ramnagar in Chirala constituency did not cast their vote till 4.30 pm on the polling day on April 23 in protest against non-disbursement of cash by the candidates. Realising that polling would be over even if they did not turn up to exercise their franchise, few women went to the polling booth and smashed the EVMs only to invite re-polling and three full days of time to bargain.

Scene-II: Voters at a slum in Guntur took Rs 500 per vote from two candidates and still did not move to the polling booth. For, they were angry with the third candidate who, they believe, had disbursed cash in their neighbouring colony but did not turn up at their ward.

Scene-III: A Congress activist argued with the party leaders at New Rajarajeswaripet in Vijayawada for ‘insulting’ him by not giving cash for his vote. When the leaders told him that he as a party activist should feel ashamed to take the money, the activist retorted saying that his rating among the locals would come down if he was not rewarded.

Scene-IV: People staged a dharna in front of a local cable TV office in Ongole along with the slips (worth Rs 2 crore) issued by the poll managers of PRP candidate P Anand demanding the disbursement of cash. They argued that they were told that they would be given the amount on producing the slips after casting the vote. Anand is a majority stake holder in the cable TV network and said to have distributed the amount subsequent to the protests.

These are only a few of many such instances that took place during the elections. In fact, Election-2009 has not only increased the volume of spending by the candidates, it has also sowed seeds of a dangerous trend where voters are demanding bribe to exercise their franchise. In clear contrast from the past, people have not hesitated to accept the bribes offered by the candidates, but also insisted for on-the-spot payments.

“I am shocked to see the trend in the city. I have never come across such instances in my two-decade long political life,” admitted transport minister Kanna Lakshminaryana, who shifted to Guntur city from the rural Pedakurapadu segment. Though the minister was not ready to divulge the amount he spent on the election, he blamed the media for the trend.

“If people really insist for instant rewards, who will going to work for their problems in future,” he sought to know. The poll watchdog ‘Election Watch’ has put the Guntur (West), where the minister contested, as the second-highest election expenditure constituency. It stated that PRP candidate Tulasi Ramachandra Prabhu spent a whopping Rs 14 crore, TDP nominee Chukkapalli Ramesh Rs 12 crore and minister Lakshminarayana ‘ Rs 6 crore.

Expressing concern over the matter, senior TDP leader in Prakasam district Karanam Balaram has said he would not contest any direct election in future. Balaram, who is a contemporary of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, analysed that only businessmen could contest the elections in future.

“Unfortunately, people are not worried about the work and accessibility of the candidates. If the amount paid on the eve of the polling is the only criteria to vote, I am not going to contest,” Balaram said.

Courtesy: TimesOfIndia