Last Updated on 29th September 1999
Last Updated on 29th September 1999
With two days of campaigning left for the last phase of elections, both Congress and the BJP would be concentrating on Uttar Pradesh and especially in Lucknow and Amethi, where prime ministerial candidates from both the parties, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi are contesting, respectively.
The Congress has threatened to sue Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee if he doesn't apologise for the remarks he made in one of the public meetings in Sitapur that the Congress had bought a few MPs to topple the Vajpayee Government. The Congress has asked Vajpayee to name the MPs who were bought by the Congress or face defamation.
17 years old Suneet, son of a Bareilly-based petty garment merchant, appears, acts and talks almost like Vajpayee - a trait which has earned him the sobriquet 'Mini Atal.' Ahead of Sunday's polling, he arrived here on Tuesday with father, Inder Kumar Agarwal, to do his bit of magic in this high profile constituency which has been witnessing an electrifying campaigning.
Film stars, musicians, sportsmen or even the erstwhile royalty - polls '99 saw major political parties roping in celebrities for campaigning in the hope that the crowds they pulled would be translated into votes, reports PTI.
The former Indian Airline pilot and Union minister proudly calls himself the 'Gandhi Family nominee.' And believes that the presence of Sonia and Priyanka Vadra will rekindle the people's emotional ties with the family and revert the seat to the Congress.
Despite their strong presence in some states, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party and the fledgling Nationalist Congress Party, are unlikely to make a dent in West Bengal where political scenario was sharply polarsied, reports PTI.
The last two days of the campaigning for the final phase of Lok Sabha polls, would witness the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, campaigning in Amethi and Ms. Sonia Gandhi campaigning in Lucknow the next day, with one meeting each. However, both would address scores of meetings in their respective constituencies to shore up their prospects, despite the apparent edge they enjoy.
If Laloo loses, that may be the end of the road for him. If Sharad is defeated for the second consecutive time, then his bargaining position within the JD-U will erode further.
