DATE=10/6/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDIA VOTE RESULTS (L-O)
NUMBER=2-254713
BYLINE=PAMELA D SOUZA
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: In India, the results from the country's
month-long election show the ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party has swept parliamentary elections in Greater New
Delhi. As Pamela D'souza reports from the Indian
capital, the results are a surprise to many because of
gains the opposition Congress Party made in the
regional assembly elections last year.
Text: The Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters bears a
festive look as results announcing its victory in New
Delhi are made public. The B-J-P has won all seven
parliament seats in the capital.
In a high-profile contest, Congress Party candidate
and former Finance Minister Manmohan Singh lost to B-
J-P incumbent, V-K Malholtra. It was Mr. Singh's
first race for parliament, but Congress Party leaders
considered him to be a possible contender for Prime
Minister if they won the election.
Mr. Malhotra says the people of New Delhi voted for
the B-J-P because they like Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee, who heads the party.
// MALHOTRA ACT //
One; is definitely Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name.
Everybody wanted him to be the Prime Minister
and they gave all-out support to all the
candidates of Vajpayee (The Prime Minister) in
Delhi. This is number -one. Number two; our
workers worked very hard. They learnt their
lesson from the last assembly elections, (this
time) they were united and the organization was
doing very well, especially in my area, I must
say. And third; the candidates also. The B-J-P
put up the candidates who had done the great
service to people of Delhi.
// END ACT //
Despite its recent electoral success in the New Delhi
region, the Congress Party did not win a single seat
this time. Congress Party General Secretary Oscar
Fernandes thinks his party in New Delhi was not given
enough time to address regional problems and that is
why it failed to get any seats in the election.
// OSCAR ACTUALITY //
High expectation of the people after the
assembly polls. We thought we would be able to
resolve many of the problems, but these are
long-term things -- water and power are long-
term things. You can not do it overnight. We
should have educated the people that we would
take time to do that.
// END ACT //
// OPT // Congress Party Joint Secretary Jayram Ramesh
agrees, and says his party is to blame for its
performance in New Delhi.
// RAMESH ACT //
It is a complete failure of the party
organization. And complete failure of the
ability of the party to mobilize its own voters
and its own cadres.
// END ACT // END OPT //
Even though they have lost the capital, Congress-Party
leaders say they are optimistic about picking up seats
elsewhere in the country. Final results are expected
by Friday and a new government is expected to be in
place by the middle of the month. (SIGNED)
NEB/PDS/RAE
06-Oct-1999 10:54 AM EDT (06-Oct-1999 1454 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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