Tainted MLAs not to be made ministers: Advani

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief LK Advani today went on the defensive on the issue of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fielding people with criminal backgrounds for the Bihar polls saying it would be ensured that such people were not made ministers if it came to power.

"The BJP took every care to ensure that those who were allotted tickets did not have criminal antecedents. I have been told that some Janata Dal (United) nominees have criminal background. But I am sure that Nitish Kumar, NDA's chief ministerial candidate, will see to it that they are not accommodated in the government," he told reporters here.

When pointed out that film star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha had refused to participate in electioneering voicing displeasure over the NDA giving tickets to criminals, the BJP chief said, "Sinha has spoken to me over phone and we will meet soon."

Advani said Kumar had been a minister in the last NDA government and a man of "unimpeachable" integrity and capable of giving Bihar a government that would ensure harmony, development and peace.

Launching a broadside against Bihar Governor Buta Singh and the UPA government at the Centre for dissolution of the state Assembly, the BJP chief said, "Article 356 of the Constitution has been misused several times but never as blatantly as in the case of Bihar, where the House was disbanded without a single sitting."

He, however, hoped that the "infliction" would turn into a "blessing" for the people of Bihar with them electing a development-oriented and forward-looking NDA government.

Meanwhile, curtains came down today on the campaigning in 57 Assembly constituencies in Bihar going to polls in the first phase on October 18 with top leaders making last-ditch efforts to sway voters in their favour. Nearly 550 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of polling.

Four constituencies in the Naxalite-hit Gaya district have been excluded from the first phase and polling will be conducted in those seats on October 21.

The campaign, which was low key initially due to Dusshera, gained momentum only in the last three days with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief LK Advani and Janata Dal (United) chief George Fernandes joining the exercise.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not make it in the first phase.

The campaign was marred by violence starting with the attack on former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad while he was addressing a rally at Nokha and ending with a criminal arrested with a revolver from the venue of a meeting of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad at Purnea.

Nitish Kumar, chief ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has toured almost all the constituencies going to polls in the first phase.

The RJD chief visited Ara, Shahpur in the Buxar district, Karakat, Makhdumpur and Jehanabad to garner support for his party and those of allies -- the Congress and the NCP. An electorate of about 12,262,881, including 6,110,458 women, are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase.

Prominent among those whose fate would be decided in the first phase include ministers in the erstwhile Rabri Devi government Jagdanand Singh (Ramgarh), Raghvendra Pratap Singh (Barahra), and Shakeel Ahmed Khan (Gurua).

Union Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan together with the CPI left no stone unturned to tell the people why it was necessary to defeat the RJD and the BJP-led coalition.

Reiterating his party's commitment to make a Muslim the chief minister of Bihar, Paswan despite suffering a heart attack recently, campaigned in five-six constituencies daily.

CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan gave him ample support by touring with the LJP chief different constituencies explaining why the CPI, the Forward Bloc and the RSP did not join the RJD bandwagon.

Sonia Gandhi addressed election meetings at Gaya, Singhia and Patna. At Patna, she was joined by Lalu Prasad and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Gandhi made improvement in law and order situation the campaign plank and promised she would put pressure on the government formed after the polls to deliver on developmental front. She also defended her party's alliance with the RJD in the face of criticism from the UPA constituent the LJP.

BJP's national leaders Uma Bharti, Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitely, Sushma Swaraj besides state party chief Sushil Kumar Modi convassed for the NDA.