Political parties abuse elephants in Delhi

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*http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=229105*

*BSP candidates hunt for elephants in Capital*

*Aman

Sharma*<http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html?mailto=editor@expressind\

ia.com>

 

*New Delhi, March 29:* It is double windfall for elephant-owners in the

Capital. With Bahaujan Samaj Party (BSP) fighting the Delhi MCD elections

and the Assembly elections in UP, slated to start in another 10 days, BSP

candidates have made a bee-line for hiring elephants — their party symbol —

as the crowd-puller during campaign.

 

Elephant owners say they are booked for the entire next month and the

charges for letting out elephants for election purpose has risen to as much

as Rs 10,000 per day. " There are some two dozen elephant owners in Delhi.

Some have more than one elephant and everyone is booked this election. We

are getting many bookings from Western UP also as BSP candidates there are

unable to find trained elephants in that part of the state, " says Ramji Ram,

who operates from the Yamuna side near Mukarba chowk in North Delhi.

 

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'scarcity' of private elephants in Uttar Pradesh has diverted the candidates

there to adjoining Delhi. UP's Chief Wildlife Warden, Mohammad Hasan, told

Newsline that the official count of private elephants in the state is just

about " one in each of the 70 districts " . The Wildlife Officer in Moradabad

division, Sunil Pandey, says there is not even a single registered private

elephant in the four districts of Moradabad, Rampur, Bijnour, JP Nagar,

Bulandshahar and Ghaziabad, while there is just one elephant registered in

the Badaun district. Most parts of Western UP will go to polls in the first

two phases, before April 13.

 

Interestingly, BSP national spokesperson Sudhir Goel told Newsline that the

party had issued strict instructions this time to all party candidates to

not use elephants for campaigning. " We will check out for any

non-compliance, " said Goel. A BSP candidate from Ghaziabad said elephants

are a sure crowd-puller during rallies and street processions. " Since this

is our election symbol, it stays in people's memory. I have arranged for an

elephant from Delhi for the next one week, " he said.

 

Meanwhile, BSP candidates can be seen openly canvassing with elephants in

the Capital's MCD elections where they are fighting in almost 230 seats this

time. " Many of my Delhi compatriots in BSP have hired elephants already from

the Yamuna side in Delhi, but I have till now opted for door-to-door

canvassing... Elephants make the campaigning very colourful for us anyway, "

said BSP candidate from Laxmi Nagar, Govind Agarwal.