he Congress has fielded the maximum number of women candidates for the state assembly polls — 27 — and most of them are either wives, daughters or direct relatives of party’s senior leaders.

Who are the candidates?
Ex-chief minister Ashok Chavan’s wife Ameeta (Bhokar), ex-Congress leader BN Desai’s daughter Susieben Shah (Malabar Hill), and tourism minister Sanjay Deotale’s relative Asawari Deotale.(Warora).
The debutantes are Varsha Gaikwad (Dharavi), Praniti Shinde (Solapur city central), Nirmala Gavit (Igatpuri), and Annie Shekhar (Colaba), who are seeking re-election. Gaikwad is the daughter of ex-MP Eknath Gaikwad, and Praniti Shinde is the daughter of ex-Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, showing the party’s preference for family members of their leaders than women who came up from the grass roots.

What about the other parties?
The NCP has fielded 20 women candidates, BJP 18, Shiv Sena 7 and MNS 11.

How do the numbers compare with those of previous polls?
Though the number of women pitted from the five major parties is slightly higher than the same of previous polls, as they are contesting separately, it is still less than 10% of the nominations. The Sena’s tally is the poorest at 4%.
Defending the party, Sena leader Prem Shukla said, “We don’t believe in fielding family members. Winnability is our main criterion in choosing a candidate. The party found only seven winnable women candidates and fielded them.”

What are the reasons for fewer women candidates in the fray?
Politicians blame women leaders for not nurturing women in their constituencies. “Most never promote any woman due to insecurity. Hence, it is tough for a grass-roots woman to get a ticket unless big leaders know her personally,” said a Congress leader, citing example of a senior Congress MLA, who fielded her maid in the BMC election instead of supporting any woman from her team.
A BJP leader too said no women MPs and MLAs have promoted other women, which has led to a unique situation in all parties, where they are forced to field candidates for the sake of fielding women.
“In such a scenario, women are pitted from the tough seats, which parties are likely to lose,” a Congress leader said.
Observers, meanwhile, blamed parties for not taking women seriously in the poll fray.

BJP’s candidates are…
Except sitting legislators Madhuri Misal from Parvati in Pune, and Pankaja Munde Palve from Parli in Beed district, the rest are new faces. Two of them — Bharti Lavhekar (Versova) and Manda Mhatre (Belapur) — have defected from the NCP.

NCP’s candidates are…
The NCP has fielded Jyoti Kalani, wife of Pappu Kalani from Ulhasnagar, Rakhi Jadhav (Ghatkopar), Mahila wing chief Alpana Painter (Andheri West), and Huzefa Electricwala (Mumbadevi).

Poll catfight
In many places, women candidates are facing each other. Varsha Gaikwad of Congress is pitted against Divya Dhole of BJP in Dharavi; in Teosa, Yashomati Thakur of Congress is contesting against BJP’s Nivedita Chaudhari. Praniti Shinde will take on BJP’s Mohini Patki in Solapur city central.

In his bid to make ‘Swachh Bharat’ a  people’s movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today initiated a chain by inviting nine eminent personalities including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, industrialist Anil Ambani along with several actors to spread awareness on cleanliness.

The Internet-savvy Prime Minister appeared inspired by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which had gone viral in recent months, as he asked the celebrities to nominate nine more people to join the campaign and hoped that the chain would continue.

Among those nominated by the PM are film actors Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kamal Hassan, industrialist Anil Ambani, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, yoga guru Ramdev and the team of TV serial “Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma”.

Modi also administered a pleadge to thousands of people, including schools children and government employees at Rajpath for remaining committed to cleanliness to make the country clean.

“I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this…I will neither litter nor let others litter,” pledged all those present at a function to mark the launch of “Swachh Bharat” (Clean India) mission at India Gate by the Prime Minister.

Actor Aamir Khan also joined the PM in taking the pledge along with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Venkaiah Naidu.

“I have invited nine people and asked them to come to public places and work towards a Clean India. I ask them to invite nine more people too…I am sure these nine people will do the work and each will invite nine more people to form a chain and clean the country,” Modi said.

The original ice bucket challenge where such a chain was created online was designed to raise funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis- also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease and motor neurone disease, which is a global viral phenomenon

Modi also announced starting a campaign on cleanliness through social media using his website MyGov.In and other such websites, including a new website dedicated to the clean India campaign.

The PM later joined the children in the Walkathon after flagging it off at Rajpath. The Walkathon is part of steps for creating awareness on cleanliness.

The party which originally started the jhadoo campaign, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will join the conservancy staff in cleanliness drive Thursday at a slum – a stone’s throw from Prime MinisterNarendra Modi‘s official residence in the heart of the capital. “The former chief minister will reach BR Camp at 7 a.m. (Thursday) and join the safai karamcharis,” AAP spokesperson Nagendar Sharma said

Shastriji’s birthday on 2nd Oct, coincides with Father of the nation. However Shastriji is not much remembered and the fact the general public only consider Mahtma Gandhi’s birthday on 2^nd October.

Here are some facts to pay tributes to Shastriji for his contribution during a brief but turbulent period as Indian PM

In addition to the popular slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”, following are some of the important quotes of Shastriji.

In his first broadcast as Prime Minister, on June 11, 1964, Shastri stated:

“There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross-roads of history and must choose which way to go. But for us there need be no difficulty or hesitation, no looking to right or left. Our way is straight and clear – the building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all, and the maintenance of world peace and friendship with all nations.

The chief problem for Shastri’s administration was Pakistan. Laying claim to half of the Kutch peninsula, Pakistan sent incursion forces in August 1965, which skirmished with Indian tank divisions. In his report to the Lok Sabha on the confrontation in Kutch, Shastri stated:

“ In the utilization of our limited resources, we have always given primacy to plans and projects for economic development. It would, therefore, be obvious for anyone who is prepared to look at things objectively that India can have no possible interest in provoking border incidents or in building up an atmosphere of strife… In these circumstances, the duty of Government is quite clear and this duty will be discharged fully and effectively… We would prefer to live in poverty for as long as necessary but we shall not allow our freedom to be subverted.”

The Indo-Pak war ended on September 23, 1965 with a United Nations-mandated ceasefire. In a broadcast to the nation on the day of ceasefire, Shastri stated:

“While the conflict between the armed forces of the two countries has come to an end, the more important thing for the United Nations and all those who stand for peace is to bring to an end the deeper conflict… How can this be brought about? In our view, the only answer lies in peaceful coexistence. India has stood for the principle of coexistence and championed it all over the world. Peaceful coexistence is possible among nations no matter how deep the differences between them, how far apart they are in their political and economic systems, no matter how intense the issues that divide them.”