National mourning halts campaign

By IANS

New Delhi : The campaign for the presidential poll took a break Monday with major political parties calling off their programmes following the death of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar.


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And in yet another reprieve for United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pratibha Patil, the Delhi High Court adjourned until Sep 24 hearing on a petition seeking disqualification of her candidacy.

The petitioner had sought a direction against Patil alleging irregularities by her and family members in connection with a cooperative bank and a sugar mill linked to her family in Maharashtra.

The court deferred the hearing to next month, more than a month after the presidential election, as the petitioner, who was reportedly ill, sought an adjournment.

Patil's counsel, however, asked the court not to entertain such petitions, calling them "an abuse of process of court" on the ground that no election could be challenged once the Election Commission issues a notification.

Both the ruling and opposition coalitions cancelled their day's campaign programmes after the government announced official mourning after Chandra Shekhar died Sunday morning.

Patil, who has been visiting state capitals to meet MPs and MLAs, the voters in the presidential election, cancelled her Sunday trip to Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. She was to go to Maharashtra Monday but that programme too has been axed.

The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a similar petition saying there was no sufficient documentary evidence to substantiate allegations against her.

Patil has been facing severe criticism from the opposition since her name was proposed to be the first woman president of India.

The opposition has charged Patil, former Rajasthan governor, with financial improprieties and accused her of shielding her murder-accused brother. Patil and the Congress have denied the charges.

The 72-year-old Patil's victory in the July 19 election appears a foregone conclusion. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is backing Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, claims that he would manage to snatch votes from the ruling camp.

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