BELL Time for HORSE EXCHANGE!

BELL Time for HORSE EXCHANGE!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 227

Palash Biswas

UPA, NDA neck and neck in exit poll projections
SOURCE
BJP
CONG
LEFT
OTHERS

Times Now
142
154
38
209

CNN-IBN
135-150
145-160
110-130 (TF)
70-100

Star News
196
199
100

(TF)
36

Headlines Today
180
191
38
134

India TV
194
195
108
46

News X
191
199
104
48

*TF stands for Third Front

New Delhi: The Congress-led UPA has been projected to have an edge over NDA and others in the Lok Sabha elections, while the early projects by some agencies give NDA a clear edge.

The results of the surveys, shown by the channels at the end of the fifth and final phase of polling in the month-long exercise, have placed the BJP-led NDA not very far behind the UPA and the Third Front at a little over 100 seats.

Exit polls had been way off the mark in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, with most of them projecting BJP-led NDA as the winner which did not turn out to be correct.

Ultimately, in 2004 elections the Congress and its pre-poll allies got 216 seats against a projection ranging from 170 to 205 seats. The BJP-led NDA had secured 187 seats against the projections of over 240 to 250 seats. Here is a broad indication of the findings of various agencies:

Cong leading: Headlines Today

'Headlines Today' channel gave Congress and its allies 191 seats against 180 to BJP and its allies. The Left parties, which played a crucial role in the outgoing Lok Sabha with 60 seats, has been projected to get 38 while 'Others' including the BSP are set to get 134 in a House of 543.

UPA ahead: India TV

In its projections, 'India TV' channel said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will finish as the single largest coalition in a hung Lok Sabha with 195-201 seats, an India TV exit poll said Wednesday.

This tally could go up to 227-237 if the seats bagged by the estranged Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Samajwadi Party were also to be included, it said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was expected to finish with 189-195 Lok Sabha seats and the Third Front with 113-121 seats, it said. The survey covered 530 seats and involved 1,000 enumerators.

NDA may sweep: Times Now

There is a clear NDA sweep in Bihar, according to the exit polls by Times Now. The ruling JD(U)-BJP alliance is projected to win 29 out of 40 seats, with the RJD-LJP combine trailing with six seats and Congress with a mere three seats.

In Andhra Pradesh, the exit poll shows the Telugu Desam Party and Telengana Rashtra Samithi bagging 20 out of 49 seats. Congress is projected to win 15 seats and the Praja Rajyam Party of Chiranjeevi four seats.

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP is poised to win 23 and Congress 6 seats.

In Assam, the BJP-AGP combine leads with seven out of 14 seats, followed by Congress with five seats. In Gujarat, the BJP is projected to win 19 out of 26 seats and Congress 7. In Rajastan, Congress is projected to get 13 seats, BJP 10 and Independents 2. In Kerala the Congress-led United Democratic Front is projected to win 15 out of 20 seats against five seats projected for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front.

In Karnataka, BJP is poised to win 16 seats while Congress is projected to win nine and H. D. Deve Gowda's Janata (Secular) will have to settle for just three seats.

The exit polls showed that there is no change in seat sharing in Maharashtra. Congress and Nationalist Congress Party are set to retain 12 and 11 seats while BJP-Shiv Sena combo is set to win 25 seats with BJP taking 13 seats.

In Uttar Pradesh Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is projected to win a massive 27 seats, while BSP's archrival Samajwadi Party is expected to win only 23 seats. Meanwhile BJP and Congress are projected to win 14 and 13 seats, respectively.

In West Bengal Congress and Mamata's Trinamool Congress is projected to win 17 seats, while CPM-led Left Front will win 24 seats down from 36 seats they won in 2004.

In Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa is poised to make a big impact with 24 seats, while AIADMK's allies are projected to win another 4 seats. At the same time DMK is likely to suffer huge loses with only 7 seats projected to win, while Congress is expected to win only 4 seats.

India Syndicate and Agencies

MSN Special
General Election 2009

UPA, NDA neck and neck in exit poll projections
SOURCE
BJP
CONG
LEFT
OTHERS

Times Now
142
154
38
209

CNN-IBN
135-150
145-160
110-130 (TF)
70-100

Star News
196
199
100

(TF)
36

Headlines Today
180
191
38
134

India TV
194
195
108
46

News X
191
199
104
48

*TF stands for Third Front

New Delhi: The Congress-led UPA has been projected to have an edge over NDA and others in the Lok Sabha elections, while the early projects by some agencies give NDA a clear edge.

The results of the surveys, shown by the channels at the end of the fifth and final phase of polling in the month-long exercise, have placed the BJP-led NDA not very far behind the UPA and the Third Front at a little over 100 seats.

Exit polls had been way off the mark in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, with most of them projecting BJP-led NDA as the winner which did not turn out to be correct.

Ultimately, in 2004 elections the Congress and its pre-poll allies got 216 seats against a projection ranging from 170 to 205 seats. The BJP-led NDA had secured 187 seats against the projections of over 240 to 250 seats. Here is a broad indication of the findings of various agencies:

Cong leading: Headlines Today

'Headlines Today' channel gave Congress and its allies 191 seats against 180 to BJP and its allies. The Left parties, which played a crucial role in the outgoing Lok Sabha with 60 seats, has been projected to get 38 while 'Others' including the BSP are set to get 134 in a House of 543.

UPA ahead: India TV

In its projections, 'India TV' channel said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will finish as the single largest coalition in a hung Lok Sabha with 195-201 seats, an India TV exit poll said Wednesday.

This tally could go up to 227-237 if the seats bagged by the estranged Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Samajwadi Party were also to be included, it said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was expected to finish with 189-195 Lok Sabha seats and the Third Front with 113-121 seats, it said. The survey covered 530 seats and involved 1,000 enumerators.

NDA may sweep: Times Now

There is a clear NDA sweep in Bihar, according to the exit polls by Times Now. The ruling JD(U)-BJP alliance is projected to win 29 out of 40 seats, with the RJD-LJP combine trailing with six seats and Congress with a mere three seats.

In Andhra Pradesh, the exit poll shows the Telugu Desam Party and Telengana Rashtra Samithi bagging 20 out of 49 seats. Congress is projected to win 15 seats and the Praja Rajyam Party of Chiranjeevi four seats.

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP is poised to win 23 and Congress 6 seats.

In Assam, the BJP-AGP combine leads with seven out of 14 seats, followed by Congress with five seats. In Gujarat, the BJP is projected to win 19 out of 26 seats and Congress 7. In Rajastan, Congress is projected to get 13 seats, BJP 10 and Independents 2. In Kerala the Congress-led United Democratic Front is projected to win 15 out of 20 seats against five seats projected for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front.

In Karnataka, BJP is poised to win 16 seats while Congress is projected to win nine and H. D. Deve Gowda's Janata (Secular) will have to settle for just three seats.

The exit polls showed that there is no change in seat sharing in Maharashtra. Congress and Nationalist Congress Party are set to retain 12 and 11 seats while BJP-Shiv Sena combo is set to win 25 seats with BJP taking 13 seats.

In Uttar Pradesh Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is projected to win a massive 27 seats, while BSP's archrival Samajwadi Party is expected to win only 23 seats. Meanwhile BJP and Congress are projected to win 14 and 13 seats, respectively.

In West Bengal Congress and Mamata's Trinamool Congress is projected to win 17 seats, while CPM-led Left Front will win 24 seats down from 36 seats they won in 2004.

In Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa is poised to make a big impact with 24 seats, while AIADMK's allies are projected to win another 4 seats. At the same time DMK is likely to suffer huge loses with only 7 seats projected to win, while Congress is expected to win only 4 seats.

India Syndicate and Agencies

MSN Special
General Election 2009

US Admiral to visit India tomorrow

Wed, May 13 07:13 PM
New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Admiral Timothy J Keating, the US Pacific Command chief, will be in India on a day-long visit tomorrow to discuss issues concerning the South Asian region in the wake of the Taliban crisis in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Admiral Keating's visit comes just before he hands over command to his successor Admiral Robert Willard, who was named to the post by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates soon after Barack Obama took office as the President.

The US Admiral, during his stay in the capital, would meet his Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and share notes on the security concerns of the region, Navy sources said here today. Keating heads the US forces in the Asia-Pacific region comprising nearly 2.5 lakh troops and five aircraft carrier strike groups.

India and the US have just completed their annual Malabar series of Naval exercises, which is normally a bilateral event but included Japan this time around. They were held between April 29 and May 3.

The visit also gains significance, as US has been asking India to sign three bilateral deals including Logistics Support Agreement, which would ensure free access to US warships and aircraft to India air and sea ports for refuelling and replenishment of supplies. PTI.

Rural job guarantee scheme inflated: Study

Wed, May 13 07:48 PM
New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Rural jobs shown to have been created under a centrally-sponsored scheme are often grossly inflated, a study released here Wednesday by former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan said.

'There were a large number of districts in many states, where the number of households that have been issued job cards is more than the total number of households in these districts,' the report said.

The study, 'Evaluating Performance of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act', was jointly conducted by Public Interest Foundation (PIF), a non-profit organisation that Jalan heads, and the Delhi-based think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

'The scheme has worked well but the level of satisfaction has been only 50 percent,' Jalan said while releasing the study.

'It is a good scheme (NREGA), but it will be successful only if it is made a national people's scheme rather than that of any party.'

The study has suggested that job cards for beneficiaries be regularly filled up at the work sites to prevent fudging of job creation figures, and said the scheme ought to be implemented by states.

'We should make NREGA a state-formulated scheme, the main provisions of which should be controlled by the state. However, it should still be part of the central act,' Jalan said.

Criticising the government estimates about employment trends, the study said: 'The claim of provision of 100 days of employment to 10 percent households in the official data is also doubtful because independent surveys, social audits, and field studies have revealed several cases of data manipulations.'

However, Jalan said NREGA has improved the share of scheduled tribe (ST) households in employment and the it also 'outshines the earlier programmes as far as participation of women is concerned'.

The report added that the official estimates of wages realised by workers were 'inflated' as the actual wages received by workers were much less than what was shown in the documents.

The study recommends penalising of states that violate the Act. Some of its major recommendations are:

*Providing dedicated staff to oversee the project

*Raising the limit of administrative expense and getting states to share half of that

*Handing over job cards to all households seeking employment under NREGA and punishing those who are hoarding job cards

*Regular checking and verification of bank or post office accounts

*Putting in place a grievance redressal system

*Fixing wages slightly below market rates

'NREGA is a good scheme especially for poor and thus it is critical to improve the working of the scheme. We, therefore, need a simple NREGA without complex administrative procedures for the common man,' Jalan added.

Indo Asian News Service

Bell Time for Horse Exchange! The curtains came down on the staggered Lok Sabha elections Wednesday with millions of Indians voting peacefully in the fifth and last round covering 86 constituencies, and the first exit polls putting the Congress-led coalition on top of a fractured verdict.

It may be quite RHETORIC that Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday escaped a fire that broke out in one of the rooms of his official residence in New Delhi! The residents of Bolangir in Orissa are facing an acute water crisis due to the intense heat wave and drought conditions.

Bookies and punters see Prime Minister Manmohan Singh retaining power as the curtain rang down on the five-phased Indian elections and reports of exit polls started coming out Wednesday evening!

The Bharatiya Janata Party led NDA is trailing behind the Congress-led UPA in the projections given by different exit polls in the Lok Sabha elections. but WASHINGTON is PROMPT enough to Contact RSS PRIME MINISTER FACE Lalkrishna Adwani to ENSURE the CONTINUITY of COUPLATION. Congress today said it will hold talks on government-formation, if needed, after counting of votes for Lok Sabha poll on May 16 and played down the political significance. On the other hand, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said on Wednesday that leaders of the Left and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would meet on May 18 to discuss the possibility of forming an alternative secular government. While, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday told reporters here that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party and NDA will form the next government after votes are counted on May 16.

The Zionist CORE US ECONOMY depends so much so on the PERIPHERRY!

Despite ADVANTAGE CONG, USA may not risk to lose the RSS Overwhelming support while the RULING Hegemony keeps the OPTION of a CONG BJP Coalition in case MAYAWATI emerges FRONT RUNNER!

India's month-long general election ended on Wednesday with the ruling Congress-led coalition forecast to be leading over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance. Desi ILLUMINASTI, Ruling Intelligentsia and the Toilet FDI fed Media wanted exactly this result for the implementation of ZIONIST TRI IBLIS MASS DESTRUCTION agenda encashing War against TERROR, INDO US Nuclear Deal and strategic realliance in US ISRAEL lead!Neither group will win a parliamentary majority. They will now be battling for new allies to form a government at a time when Asia's third largest economy is faced with a slowdown and mounting instability in neighbouring Pakistan.

The HORSE TRADING all ready in VOGUE will reset the DEFAULT RULING Hegemony of UPA NDA LEFT Combine very well.

No doubt.

No doubt, our people, the Aboriginal Indigenous Minority Communities lost the VARNA YUDDHA, the CASTE war and remain as ENSLAVED as BONDED and PREDESTINED to be KILLED with Inherent Inequality Injustice.

MK GANDHI has fixed the PROGRRAMME so well that no Soft ware engineer would change the DESTINY set with the POONA PACT dismissing SEPARATE ELECTORATE for our communities divided into more than SIX Thousand graded castes.

We feel GLORY to bear the CURSE of APARTHEID and thus, the avenues of LIBERATION happens to be CLOSED for ever.

I have been consistingly writing that NO CHANE in bengal is POSSIBLE at all despite few losses in the Tally for the Left Front. A 70 percent turnout was reported in 11 constituencies of West Bengal in the final phase of Lok Sabha elections Wednesday amid sporadic clashes that left five people injured and charges and counter-charges of rigging. But this PROGRESSIVE Politically Conscious involvement of masses is only POLITICAL and it has no SOCIAL RELEVANCE whatsoever! Whatever JOLT the Marxists feelin Changed situation is just because of a MASSIVE MUSLIM Swing otherwise while SC, ST and OBC bases of the MARXISTS remained INTACT as the PARIVARTAN campign NEVER did the ISSUES related to this MAJORITY ! The fifth and final phase of general elections 2009 witnessed an overall 62 percent polling for 86 Lok Sabha constituencies across nine states and two union territories.

Every Political Change needs SOCIAL mobilisation first and Dr AMBEDKAR, the ACADEMICALLY sound man who knew Hindu scripts, History, economics and marxism very well, was not a FOOL!

Post AMBEDKARITES did a little bit of Social Engineering based on only CASTEOLOGY without being TROUBLED to mobilise INCULSIVE Mobilisation of socail and Productive forces!

Hence Awakening, Empowerment, Organisation and Education with internal democracy had never been tried. Enligthened Caste Hindu CLUBBING defeated the SUBALTERN alternative once again in a MAJORITARIAN Electoral system.

No wonder!

An exit poll by C-Voter polling agency showed the Congress-led alliance winning 189-201 seats with the BJP-led alliance taking 183-195 seats of the 543 seats at stake. The poll was conducted for India TV and UTV Business.

The five-phased general elections for 2009 came to a close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday with roughly 355 million registered voters participating in an exercise that is widely expected to deliver a hung house.

To rule a party or a coalition requires the support of 272 lawmakers forcing the Congress and the BJP to launch a frantic hunt for new allies. however, as confusion continues over the future of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, senior leader of Janata Dal (United) Sharad Yadav on Wednesday said his party was with the NDA. While, Former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda Wednesday maintained that his party was not quitting the Third Front and said his son H.D. Kumaraswamy met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi late Tuesday to discuss some issues concerning the state.

Exit polls have had a mixed record in the past, given the difficulties of assessing an electorate of 714 million people, or more than twice the population of the United States. The polls were way off the mark in the last 2004 general election.

The actual count of votes is scheduled for Saturday and results from all the races to the 543-member lower house of parliament will be known that day.

The possibility of a hung parliament could mean the election is decided by backroom deals in the weeks after the election, perhaps leading to a short-lived and unstable government.

Indian shares fell 1.1 percent on Wednesday amid investor nervousness over the election outcome. Shares had rallied 4.1 percent in Tuesday's closing session on speculation the BJP would form the next government, traders said.

Breaking EXIT POLL heralds FRACTURED Mandate in rirst ever Caste War, VARNA YUDDHA as
Long and winding elections to Lok Sabha finally ended on Wednesday, but roughly half of the 71.4 crore registered electors participated in this democratic exercise that is widely expected to deliver a hung house. The Congress-led UPA is looking for a new term in office while the NDA steered by the BJP is trying to end its term in the opposition, although it isn't clear if one of them would on their own be able to muster the 272 seats needed to stake claim for power.

The Congress-led UPA has been projected to have an edge over NDA and others in the Lok Sabha elections which are expected to produce a highly-fractured verdict, exit polls on television news channels show.

The results of the surveys, shown by the channels at the end of the fifth and final phase of polling in the month-long exercise, have placed the BJP-led NDA not very far behind the UPA and the Third Front at a little over 100 seats.

Politicians were fierce verbally during campaigning, but the elections itself were bloody with naxalites attacking polling and security personnel in the first two rounds leaving over 20 dead.
The fifth and final phase on Wednesday saw elections to 86 constituencies across nine states and two union territories, including all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu.

Counting will be held on May 16.

It is time for Horse trading and the Desi ILLUMINATI ZIONIST would rule the game. Metals and IT stocks pulled down the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex by 138 points, amid rising uncertainty on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections. The Sensex, after a good start, fell to end with a hefty loss of 138.38 points at 12,019.65. It moved between 11,934.44 and 12,256.43 points, coming in and out of the green frequently.

Decks are CLEAR for the Pending Disinvestment and so called economic Reforms to continue with ETHNIC Cleansing as the DESI ILLUMINATI consisting of India Incs, FICCI, CII, ASSOHAM, Corporates, MNCs, builders, Promoters and retail chain control as UMPIRES UNCONSTITUTIONAL, the GAME of Government making as well as GOVERNANCE and POLICY Making! Oil Companies have to go first for example. The Logic is clear. RAILWAY, POST, Banks, Insurance, Mines, Public services including Hospitals and Universities, SAIL, ONGC..nothing has to be spared. SEZ and DISPLACEMENT, DEPORTATION drives have to be INTENSIFIED. Terror acts would be used against whatsoever RESISTANCE besides ESMA, NSA and AFPSA!

Just add TWO plus TWO and read this information!

Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum may suffer over Rs 15,000 crore revenue loss on fuel sales this fiscal, Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey said on Wednesday.

"At current crude prices, oil marketing companies are likely to end 2009-10 fiscal with over Rs 15,000 crore under-recovery (revenue loss) against Rs 1,03,292 crore of the previous year," he said addressing the India Energy Forum in New Delhi.

Pandey said the retailers were currently incurring loss on sale of petrol, domestic LPG and kerosene while they made a small profit on diesel sales. They sell petrol at a loss of Rs 1.80 per litre, kerosene at Rs 12.27 per litre and LPG at a loss of Rs 91.51 per cylinder. On diesel, however, they make Rs 1.19 a litre profit.

The three firms lose Rs 48 crore per day on fuel sales.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved between 3,610.20 and 3,709.60, before ending with a loss of 45.85 points at 3,635.25.

All the sectoral indices except consumer durables recorded losses in varying measures. The metals and IT sectors suffered the most.

Market players adopted a cautious approach, brokers said, adding that some brokers booked profits on every surge.

Reliance Industries fell 1.04 per cent, Infosys Technologies 1.51 per cent and ICICI Bank 1.61 per cent. All the three together carry nearly 32 per cent weight in the Sensex.

The metal index suffered the most, losing 2.07 per cent to 7,812.99, as Sensex-heavy Tata Steel, Sterlite Industries, SAIL and Ispat Industries lost heavily.

The IT sector was the second-worst performer and lost 1.56 per cent to 2,792.64 with Infosys Technologies, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services and HCL Techno falling sharply.

UNITED states of america also dictates the SECOND largest Democracy as TDP Chief Chandra babu Naidu is adviced to SWING in favour of either UPA or NDA.

'Headlines Today' channel gave Congress and its allies 191 seats against 180 to BJP and its allies. The Left parties, which played a crucial role in the outgoing Lok Sabha with 60 seats, has been projected to get 38 while 'Others' including the BSP are set to get 134 in a House of 543.

In its projections, 'India TV' channel said UPA would get between 195 seats and it could go up to 227 if 32 seats of RJD, LJP and SP are added. The channel has given NDA 189 and the Third Front 113. 'Others' are projected to get 14 seats.

Exit polls had been way off the mark in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, with most of them projecting BJP-led NDA as the winner which did not turn out to be correct.

Ultimately, in 2004 elections the Congress and its pre-poll allies got 216 seats against a projection ranging from 170 to 205 seats. The BJP-led NDA had secured 187 seats against the projections of over 240 to 250 seats.

In the predictions by 'NewsX' channel, the UPA has been projected to get 199 seats against 191 of NDA while the 'Third Front' gets 104 and 'Others' 48. Congress alone is expected to get 155 and BJP two less.

'UTVi' channel gives UPA 195 and along with SP, LJP and RJD, it gets 227. The NDA has been given 189 seats and 'Others' 14.

Yet another channel 'News 24' gave projections made by the political parties. In the Congress projections, gets 218 as against 194 of NDA, 101 for 'Third Front' and 30 for the 'Fourth Front'

The channel quoted BJP exit polls giving UPA 170 as against NDA's 215. The 'Third Front' has been given 125 and the 'Fourth Front' 33.

Despite the Marxists Miss most the services of COMPROMISE Master comrade Jyoti Basu, who could not VOTE today for the first time, VP Singh and Comrade Surjeet, yet the JNU Return Brigade of KARAT and yechuri company loses no opportunity to strike a deal to sustain the Rulin Brahaminical manusmriti Apartheid Rule.With reports of cracks in the Third Front, leaders of the non-Congress, non-BJP parties, including BSP, will meet in New Delhi on May 18 to discuss the possibility of forming an alternative secular government.

Meanwhile, the Ayyar BRAHAMIN DRAVID leader, the TAMIL AMMA, AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, whose party fought the Lok Sabha elections as part of the Third Front, on Wednesday appeared to be keeping her options open, saying she has got feelers from "many places" and that would decide on her strategy after the results are out.

It makes the Equation RIPE for BULL market in the HORSE EXCHANGE!

Mayawati is also projected as FAILED to repeat the ASSEMBLY feat! While Lalu and Ram Bilas Pawan failed miserably to create an ADVANTAGE for the RSS!

On the other hand, the GOVINDACHARYA theory of CONG BJP Coalition gets momentum with SHOT GUN support!Observing that governments formed with regional parties always remain on "tenterhooks", actor- turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha mooted a coalition of BJP and Congress for the country's "stability and prosperity".

"Why cannot it be tried (a coalition government of BJP and the Congress) in the national interest," the BJP leader said in New Delhi.

Pointing out that coalition politics has become the norm of the day, Sinha, who has contested the ongoing Lok Sabha polls from Patna Saheb constituency, said past experience has shown that a government formed on basis of "hard bargaining" with regional parties lived "dangerously" throughout its term.

In this scenario, a coalition government of the BJP and the Congress could be "stable, durable and free from trouble," Sinha felt.

"I am giving this (idea of a BJP-Congress government) as a food for thought," Sinha, who was a cabinet minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said.

There were many examples in the foreign countries of principal political parties joining hands to form a stable government, he said.

Asked who would lead the coalition government in that situation, Sinha said whichever party has the highest number should have its leader as the Prime Minister.

Somnath Chatterjee, the FACE of the BRAHAMINICAL Hegemony speaks the TRUTH!

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said on Wednesday that he had "a few questions" about how the CPM, which had expelled him last year, was proceeding, and predicted that the party would get a lesser number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

At the same time, the veteran leader felt that the Left will play an important role after the polls.
"I have a little query about the Left, a few questions about how the party is proceeding. Some I have expressed, but I have no forum to express them. I am no longer in the party. I have to speak outside," Chatterjee told reporters after casting his vote in Kolkata

"The important thing is that nobody is ignoring the Left. Please consider that. Left has to be in the forefront and I hope it plays a proper role," he said.

Asked if Left parties were getting stronger, Chatterjee, who was expelled from CPM for refusing to quit as Speaker after Left's withdrawal of support to the UPA government, replied, "They will be reduced in numbers unfortunately, but will play an important role in Indian politics."

On whether he would rejoin CPM and if West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was in touch with him in this regard, he said," I do not know. I have not had any talk (with Bhattacharjee) about going back or coming."

Voters in nine states including the swing state of Tamil Nadu in the south went for the final round of polling on Wednesday, a process that began on April 16 to allow security forces to move across the sprawling country to supervise the vote.

The vote also included Jammu and Kashmir where a former separatist and head of a faction of the regional People's Conference party, Sajjad Lone, has broken ranks to stand for election from Baramulla in the north of the state

Indian elections are notoriously hard to predict, but most polls had tipped Congress as the likely victor. Nonetheless, in the final stages of the vote, the pro-business BJP was seen as having gained late traction with some savvy alliance building.

Either party may have to depend on the parliamentary support of an unstable coalition of regional parties and the communists.

That scenario that could slow key reforms, such as relaxing labour laws, and rock investor confidence in an economy that faces a huge fiscal deficit.

A clue to which party may take power lies with Tamil Nadu, the southern swing state in 2004 election swept by Congress ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and which now rules the state.

But Congress this time has lost allies in the state, one of the biggest prizes in the national battle with 39 seats. The party faces the resurgence of the AIADMK party, led by former film star J. Jayalalithaa, a likely powerbroker after the polls.

"The Congress is suffering because of the DMK's unpopularity," said Cho S. Ramaswamy, a political commentator.

One person was killed and several hurt in clashes in Tamil Nadu today, while another was killed in a clash between Trinamool Congress and CPI-M activists outside Kolkata before polling began.

Prominent candidates in Wednesday's round included Home Minister P Chidambaram, DMK's T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and M K Azhagiri, Congress' Md Azharuddin, BJP's Maneka and Varun Gandhi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, MDMK's Vaiko and SP's Jayaprada

Congress' Mani Shankar Aiyar, Sajjad Gani Lone of People's Conference, BJP's Vinod Khanna and Navjot Singh Sidhu were also among the big names in this round that saw a total of 1,432 candidates jumping into the fray.

Besides all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, elections were held to four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand and the lone one seat each in both Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Uttar Pradesh, which returns the highest number of MPs (80), and Jammu and Kashmir were the only two states to go to polls in all the five phases.

The Lok Sabha has 545 members, but elections are held to 543 seats as two members are nominated from the Anglo-Indian community.

TRS, which switched to the NDA side three days ago, has not been called for the meeting, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said on Wednesday.

"Leaders of non-Congress, non-BJP will meet here on May 18 to decide the future course of action. BSP will join these discussions where we will explore the possibilities of forming an alternative secular government," he told reporters

Karat said the Left parties will meet in New Delhi on May 17 which will be followed by the CPI(M)'s Politburo meeting on May 18 and Central Committee the following day.

"This will be the first round of meeting among the parties," he said.

Asked whether TRS has been invited to the meeting, Karat said: "TRS is not in this. He (K Chandrasekhar Rao) has obviously found some other place."

On reports about BJP sending feelers to TDP, Karat said he was in touch with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on a "daily" basis. "In fact, It was he (Naidu) who asked me to make this announcement," he said.

"He (Naidu) is the main mover behind the non-Congress, non-BJP combine," Karat said.

On JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi yesterday, Karat said former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has already clarified his party position. "He (Gowda) is one of the main movers of the front."

When asked about what parties like AIADMK, TDP and JD(S) would do, he said "I can't speak on behalf of all these parties."

Besides BSP, Left parties, AIADMK, TDP, BJD and JD(S) will also participate in the meeting.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said: "what's wrong in that? She will consult her allies which are the CPI and the CPI(M). Without discussing with us, she will not think of any option", when asked to comment on AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa's statement that her party would take a decision after the poll results in consultation with her allies.

Bardhan also said after the results are out on May 16, the Third Front would get "more numbers" and "will tell the President that we must be given a chance".

The Left parties would meet on May 17, a day after the results come out. The CPI National Executive would meet on May 19 followed by a three-day session of its National Council.

The decision-making bodies of Forward Bloc and RSP would also be meeting on the same days.

The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, whose AIADMK is in an alliance with Left parties, PMK and MDMK in Tamil Nadu and is expected to do well in the polls, said she would decide on her strategy after consulting her allies.

"There are feelers from many places. But I am not responding to any overtures now. I prefer to wait until the 16th, until I have the results in my hand and then I'll decide what to do after consultation with my allies," Jayalalithaa said when asked whether she has got any feelers from the BJP for her support to the NDA Government.

Replying to another question on JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda's statement that the Third Front would remain, she said she would not comment on any such statements now. Jayalalithaa was speaking to reporters after casting her vote at the Stella Maris College here.

Asked whether she will go to Delhi after the results are out, she said "everything depends on the results. If the results are as the way I expect I will be going to Delhi." The AIADMK chief said if the polls are held in a "free and fair manner" in Tamil Nadu her party-led alliance "will sweep the elections."

Jayalalithaa alleged that some of the EVMs were not functioning properly in certain booths in Chennai. "I have received complaints that EVMs are not working properly in many places. In South Madras constituency I have received a number of complaints in this regard," she said.

JD-S' Kumaraswamy meets Sonia, jitters in Third Front

Former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi here Tuesday evening, giving the jitters to the Left parties, though he maintained his party was not quitting the Third Front.

'I met madame (Gandhi) and discussed the Karnataka political activity,' he told reporters later.

'There is no question of leaving the Third Front. I request the country (constituencies going to polls Wednesday) to vote for the Third Front,' he added.

However, the nearly two-hour long meeting that came just four days ahead of the Lok Sabha results, was percieved as the JD-S getting closer to the Congress.

Late in the evening, Kumarswamy, who is the son of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, was seen driving into Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence, attempting to avoid mediapersons.

TV channels soon aired the visuals of his car entering the residence with Kumaraswamy apparently trying to cover his face with handkerchief. He told reporters that he was only wiping the sweat off.

The JD-S-Congress meeting is viewed as a jolt to the Left parties, which are trying to form an anti-Congress, anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government after the elections.

It was JD-S, after all, that initiated efforts to form the Third Front by organising a rally at Tumkur, near Bangalore in March.

This would be the second shock for the Left parties. Two days ago, one of the key Third Front parties, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) of K. Chandrasekhar Rao, attended a rally organised by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Ludhiana.

Asked to comment on the meeting, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party was these days holding 'informal meetings' with other 'secular parties' to form post-poll alliances.

'We welcome all the secular parties,' Singhvi told a TV channel, refusing to give any details about Kumaraswamy's meeting with Gandhi.

Polls peaceful, Trinamool tried to create trouble: Left Front

West Bengal's ruling Left Front (LF) Wednesday described the final phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state as 'peaceful' and accused the opposition Trinamool Congress of indulging in violence and trying to create tension by spreading rumours.

'The elections went peacefully apart from three-four sporadic incidents,' LF chairman Biman Bose said here.

'The opposition party (Trinamool) tried to create tension; they even tried to spread it through the media,' Bose alleged.

Polling was conducted in 11 Lok Sabha constituencies covering 77 assembly segments.

Bose said one Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) worker was killed by armed Trinamool workers when he was returning after casting his vote at Naraynapur in Jainagar Lok Sabha constituency.

The car of Sudin Chattopadhyay, Forward Bloc (F candidate from Barasat, was damaged by Trinamool activists at Ashokenagar in North 24 Parganas district, Bose alleged.

The FB is a member of the CPI-M-led LF.

In the satellite township of Salt Lake near here, police arrested five Trinamool supporters who had allegedly come from outside to disrupt polls.

In Dum Dum, a CPI-M worker suffered a head injury at Ruia when some Trinamool workers pelted stones at him, Bose alleged.

He flayed the opposition Trinamool for spreading canards in North 24 Parganas Bongaon that a temple of the dalit community Motua had been attacked.

'They spread this rumour to stop the deeply religious Matua people from voting,' he said.

In Bhangor of South 24 Parganas, Trinamool workers hurled bombs injuring three CPI-M workers.

Poll officials helping BSP, alleges Varun

Pilibhit BJP candidate Varun Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that officials at a polling station Pilibhit had helped the BSP candidate, a charge denied by the returning officer.
29-year-old Varun lodged a complaint with the poll observer posted at the booth. SDM Bisalpur M Akhtar will be investigating the matter, official sources said.

The complaint related to a polling station in Luhichaa village in the Bisalpur assembly segment. Supporter's of Varun had alleged that the election officials had helped the BSP candidate Ganga Charan Rajput.

However, the Returning Officer R K Singh denied any such incident and said,"a voter came to a poll official and asked which button has to be pressed for the BSP candidate. The concerned official only guided the voter."

Over 200 company results have discrepancies

New Delhi More than 200 listed companies in the country have been found to have discrepancies in their annual audited financial results over the past five years, a latest study said.
According to a study carried out by leading financial portal myiris.com on the financials of more than 1,400 listed companies over the past five years, 200 firms have discrepancies in their annual audited financial results.

The study has said that errors were serious with the balance sheet of a company showing a whopping Rs 216 crore discrepancy.

"109 companies had errors in the balance sheet, 66 in their cash flow statements, while 34 had errors creeping into their profit & loss statements," the study revealed.

Myiris.com Founder and CEO S Swaminathan said, "For all of the companies, one or more numbers simply do not add up. If you add up numbers in schedules under one head, this computed value should tally with total reported for the corresponding item in the main balance sheet or the Profit and Loss (P&L) statement as the case may be.

"We find that for these 209 companies, they don't add up."

Outlining the approach adopted by his team, Swaminathan said that the errors were discovered while creating the country's first ever corporate fundamentals database in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL).

e-learning outsourcing biz to touch $603 mn

New Delhi The e-learning outsourcing business in India is likely to grow at a rate of 15 per cent annually for the next three years to touch $603 million by the end of 2012, a study says.
According to a study by business intelligence and research provider ValueNotes, the e-learning outsourcing industry will suffer the impact of the global economic recession for the next 6-8 quarters but growth is likely to pick up after that.

"While, the economic recession will impact the growth in the industry for the next 6-8 quarters, the market will recoup and grow much faster until 2012," the study said.

Further, the market size of Indian e-learning outsourcing business will touch the 603 million dollars level by the end of calendar year 2012, it said.

Last year, the revenues from the e-learning offshoring industry in the country stood at approximately 341 million dollars.

Considering the estimated correction in the outsourcing market in the country, the study titled 'e-learning Outsourcing 2009: Advantage India' finds that the e-learning offshoring industry will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent till 2012, though growth will be more subdued till 2010.

10th IIFA to have 'Best of the Decade', 'Green IIFA' awards
Mumbai The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will be celebrating the 10th edition of IIFA Weekend in Macau next month with special awards like 'Best of the Decade' and 'Green IIFA'.
'Best of the Decade' will be given for the five popular categories of Best Film, Director, Actor, Actress and Music Composer, Sabbas Joseph, Director of IIFA said.

'Green IIFA' will be presented to a film personality who has been working in the area of creating environment awareness, he said.

Speaking about the choice of the venue of the 10th IIFA, Sabbas said Macau presents a meeting ground for Indian, Chinese and Hong Kong film industries.

"IIFA was working closely with the Macau government and 'The Venetian', venue of the three-day event to give finishing touches to organisation of the gala event," he said.

Choice of the film for the premiere would be decided in a few days depending upon how producers who had stopped new releases in multiplexes since last month, take a decision on fresh release dates, he said.

"We will also showcase films like Kaminey, Aladin during the three day event. Three more films are in the process of being finalised," he said.

Sonam Kapoor will perform live for the first time on stage.

Ritesh Deshmukh and Boman Irani, hosts of last year's IIFA awards event in Bangkok, will continue this time too, Sabbas said.

IIFA's 'Green Agenda' will continue this year too.

TERI's campaign 'Lighting a Billion Lights' in association with IIFA has been well received, he said.

Sabbas said IIFA has discussed the possibility of a separate event to celebrate non-Hindi language films.

"We are sure that it will take shape", he said.

He said it would not be possible to incorporate non-Hindi language films in awards categories along with that of Hindi will make the IIFA awards nite.

The three-day IIFA event will commence on June 11 and the award ceremony will take place on June 13.