A different kind

Sir — These elections, at least someone comes across as refreshingly different from the run-of-the-mill neta — Sandeep Dikshit, the Congress candidate from East Delhi (“Mama’s Boy steps into Mama’s battle ground”, May 4). The first thing that strikes about this young Turk is that he opted to study at the Institute of Rural Management rather than go for flashy marketing and financial management degrees — something he could have easily done as the son of a high-flying politician, Sheila Dikshit. It is a pity, however, that he is contesting from an urban seat and not from a rural one, which his stint at the institute must have equipped him to understand better. Also, his campaign style, free of theatrics, and his easy accessibility stand out in the political circus full of elusive and pricey performers. In the middle of parents vying with each other to push their wards into the political limelight, it is good to know that one offspring can do without his mother’s letter of recommendation.

Yours faithfully,
Arjun Sen, Calcutta

Voter concerns

Sir — Going by the list of candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Calcutta, it is clear that there is an acute shortage of worthy candidates (“Buddha promises Calcutta surprise”, May 9). That is why the parties have put up their councillors-cum-members of the legislative assembly as candidates, or have imported their candidates from elsewhere.

Yours faithfully,
Raj Bagri, Calcutta

Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party is dubbed “communal”, but what about the Communist Party of India (Marxist) which has fielded Muslim candidates in many parts of West Bengal and Calcutta? Obviously, it hopes these Muslim candidates will influence Muslim voters and “liberal” Hindus to vote for the party. Does it think voters are fools?

Yours faithfully,
Sarit Das, Calcutta

Sir — To say that Mamata Banerjee is capricious is but to state the obvious. Ajit Panja, Sultan Ahmed and Subrata Mukherjee are her favourites now. Earlier, it was Sudip Bandopadhyay. But Mukherjee, who is contesting the Calcutta northwest seat, is a councillor, mayor of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, an MLA and president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress. It seems that the Trinamool Congress has a dearth of leaders.

Yours faithfully,
Ghulam Mustafa, Calcutta

Sir — I am an 80-year-old citizen living in Calcutta since independence and have exercised my fundamental right to vote in every assembly, Parliament and other elections. I have an indentity card (no. WB 18/148/375048) issued to me by the Election Commission. Surprisingly, I find that my name is missing from the voters’ list for the Santoshpur area. Who is responsible for this? Or is it a case of “scientific rigging”?

Yours faithfully,
Vijay Kumar Vaish, Calcutta

Sir — The voter’s identity card, introduced with much fanfare by T.N. Seshan, has been a disaster. At the time of applying for a card, I had filled out the form in block letters and my name was keyed into a computer. And yet when the card was delivered to me, my name was spelt incorrectly. When I complained, the officers directed me to the EC office in Alipore. But even there, my complaint was not taken seriously — in fact, the commissioner turned on me and asked me whether I wanted to change my name. I was so incensed that I left a complaint letter and walked out. Eight years on, I still do not know the status of my voters’ identity card. This has caused me a lot of inconvenience since the card is useful not only for voting purposes but also for opening a bank account, applying for passport, and so on. I am sure there are many voters like me whose identity cards have similarly been rendered useless. Perhaps, it is the presence of so many “ghost” voters on the electoral rolls that helps in the rigging.

Yours faithfully,
V. Sundaram, Calcutta

Sir — It was shocking to learn that Nikhilananda Sar — the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate from Burdwan — is worth about Rs 31 lakh. The son of a school-teacher, Sar did not earn so much money working for a corporate body; neither did he inherit it from his father. It is strange that Sar has not been exposed by the media. Are the media too afraid of the ruling party?

Yours faithfully,
Amitava Sengupta, Durgapur

Sir — Nafisa Ali’s campaign trail on April 30 exposes the careless attitude of the celebrities who are joining politics in search of a better future. Her “campaign” trip to a shopping mall shows how hungry these glamourous society butterflies are for the spotlight. The case of Ali highlights why stars should not be allowed in politics. One can be sure that her vacation in Calcutta will end on the May 10 .

Yours faithfully,
Avinash Gupta, Bandel

Sir — Biman Bose, like all Marxists, is not known for tact while attacking political opponents and even Constitutional authorities like judges. His remarks against Amitava Lala, judge in the Calcutta high court, are well known for which he is facing a contempt case. This time he has taken on the EC over the deployment of polling agents from outside the state, and the transfer of a few police officers. The transfer of officers of the Indian Police Service is not confined to West Bengal alone, as is not bringing in poll staff from other states.

Ever since the Left Front came to power, the coordination committee, and the various unions of teachers, policemen, bank employees have become the real rulers of the state. These organizations play an active part in the success of Left Front candidates in elections. As for his threat to deploy cadre to counter the para military forces, it is an admission that a cadre raj has been established in West Bengal!

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Das Gupta, Calcutta