Bangalore South - Captian G.R.Gopinath- Independent
Aviation czar Captian G.R.Gopinath has decided to contest parliament elections as an independant from Bangalore South constituency."I am plunging into active politics due to the dramatic events and developments over the last six months in the country and the world over such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, global recession, economic slowdown in India and unsavory incidents in Karnataka."
"My three-point agenda is to fight terrorism, which is impacting our life in terms of safety, security and economic activity; communal violence and divisive forces, which are rearing their head again, especially in Karnataka after the BJP came to power; and socio-economic development of the country, particularly, infrastructure that is holding up the pace of growth."
"I am not joining any political party as people are disgusted with their functioning. As candidature is decided on the basis of caste, community and ulterior considerations, I have decided to be on my own. Even their manifestos and election strategies are driven by the interests of industrialists and business houses."
Captain Gopinath hails from Gorur in Hassan district, about 250 km from Bangalore. He has turned down support from SP, JD(U) to back him.
| Result | |||
| Sr | Candidate | Party | Votes |
| 1 | ANANTH KUMAR | BJP | 437953 |
| 2 | KRISHNA BYRE GOWDA | INC | 400341 |
| 3 | PROF.RADHAKRISHNA | JD(S) | 30045 |
| 4 | CAPT. G.R. GOPINATH | IND | 16383 |
| 5 | NAHEEDA SALMA S | BSP | 4621 |
Mumbai South – Meera Sanyal - Independent
Meera Sanyal - country head, ABN Amro Bank is contesting on an independent ticket from South Mumbai. Sanyal hopes to bring about a change she truly believes in."I have decided to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from South Mumbai. I have been associated with community development programmes and policy reforms for a long time now and feel that I can bring about some positive changes in our system by participating in the election."
Asked if she had approached any political party for its ticket, Sanyal said "I did not look at all towards any political party to stand as its candidate. I found it difficult to align myself with their ideologies."
"There is no shortage of talent in our country but there is a vacuum of leadership." "We demand that our corporate leaders be honest, we demand the best from them. Then why should we accept anything less from our political leaders," she asked.
Sanyal, who is on leave from the bank till May 15 to concentrate on her campaigning, said she would be contesting as an independent and her entire campaign would be self-funded and within EC's prescribed ceiling of Rs 25-lakh.
| Result | |||
| Sr | Candidate | Party | Votes |
| 1 | DEORA MILIND MURLI | INC | 272411 |
| 2 | MOHAN RAWALE | SHS | 146118 |
| 3 | BALA NANDGAONKAR | MNS | 159729 |
| 4 | MOHAMMAD ALI ABUBAKAR SHAIKH | BSP | 33799 |
| 5 | MEERA H. SANYAL | IND | 10157 |
Gandhinagar – Mallika Sarabhai - Independent
Danseuse Sarabhai has decided to fight BJP's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani from Gandhinagar constituency as an independent candidate. Interestingly, her symbol is a harmonium. Sarabhai who will be contesting against BJP prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and Congress leader Suresh Patel, said that the issues included in her manifesto or action plan, as she calls it, are based on the outcome of her interaction with people in her constituency."I have interacted with over 1.3 lakh people and visited over 130 villages in my constituency. The points in my action plan are based on the inputs of people with whom I interacted during the campaign," Sarabhai told reporters. According to her manifesto, she aims to make politicians more accountable and bring transparency to the way they function.
State capital Gandhinagar is also known as the green capital, with the number of trees perhaps exceeding the voters. Housing the secretariat and the official residence of members of the cabinet, a sizeable chunk of Ahmedabad city and Sanand — where the Tatas are relocating their Nano manufacturing plant — now comes under the new limits of Gandhinagar constituency. Victory margin for Mr. LK Advani has remained more than one and a half lakh votes consistently for the last three terms.
| Result | |||
| Sr | Candidate | Party | Votes |
| 1 | L.K.ADVANI | BJP | 434044 |
| 2 | PATEL SURESHKUMAR CHATURDAS (SURESH PATEL) | INC | 312297 |
| 3 | RAKESH PANDEY | BSP | 5907 |
| 4 | DR.MALLIKA SARABHAI | IND | 9268 |
Pilibhit - Varun Gandhi - BJP
The only claim to fame of this grandson of an ‘unconverted Muslim’ grandfather and ‘legally converted Muslim’ grandmother, is his hate speech-ability.| Result | |||
| Sr | Candidate | Party | Votes |
| 1 | FEROZE VARUN GANDHI | BJP | 419539 |
| 2 | V. M. SINGH | INC | 138038 |
| 3 | RIYAZ AHMAD | SP | 117903 |
| 4 | GANGA CHARAN | BSP | 112576 |
| 5 | RAM NARAYAN SINGH | IND | 14246 |
| 6 | VIQUARUL HASAN KHAN | IND | 10777 |
| 7 | MASTER CHOTEY LAL GANGWAR | NCP | 4963 |
| 8 | KRISHNA ADHIKARI | CPI(ML)(L) | 3563 |
Thiruvananthapuram - Sashi Tharoor- Congress
The seasoned diplomat and former UN Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor was on Thursday (19th March) named the Congress candidate for the key Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. Tharoor is fielded against Ramachandran Nair, the current Thiruvananthapuram district secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). Another formidable opponent is Neelalohithadasan Nadar of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).“I speak a simple Malayalam, not the high-flaunting literary variety. And I connect with people particularly well”
“I do represent the educated Indian middle class which has tended to abstain from politics. I have often argued in my writings that it’s a mistake for the middle class to abdicate this political space to others”
“I certainly come from a non-political background. In a parliamentary system, you can’t do an Obama so one has to find a party that embodies one’s ideals and beliefs. The Congress fitted the billing,”
53-year-old Tharoor has authored nine books, including ‘The Great Indian Novel’ and the bestseller ‘From Midnight to the Millennium’.
| Result | |||
| Sr | Candidate | Party | Votes |
| 1 | SHASHI THAROOR | INC | 326725 |
| 2 | ADV. P RAMACHANDRAN NAIR | CPI | 226727 |
| 3 | DR.A NEELALOHITHADASAN NADAR | BSP | 86233 |
| 4 | P K KRISHNA DAS | BJP | 84094 |
| 5 | M.P.GANGADHARAN | NCP | 2972 |
| 6 | AJITHKUMAR.K | AITUC | 1606 |
| 7 | JAIN WILSON | BSA | 457 |
