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India: The Nationalist Congress Party; whether this political party is present in states other than the state of Maharashtra where it was created in 1999; whether the party ran candidates during the March 2002 Delhi municipal elections; if yes, the names of the candidates and whether any problems arose during the elections (1999-December 2004)

Reference sources have indicated that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was established in 1999 by ousted members of the Indian National Congress (Congress) political party and is headquartered in the state of Maharashtra (Political Handbook of the World 2000-2002 2002, 496; Political Parties of the World 2002, 249). The founders of the NCP, Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar, were apparently barred from the Congress party after submitting a proposal that opposed party leader Sonia Ghandi because she was not born in India (Political Handbook of the World: 2000-2002 2002, 496; Nationmaster.com 18 Sept. 2004). Reference Website Nationmaster described the NCP as "a moderate, left-leaning alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress" (18 Sept. 2004).

The 1999 general election for the Lok Sabha (House of the People [Europa World Year Book 2004 2004, 2084]) saw the NCP win six of eight seats allotted for the state of Maharashtra (Political Parties of the World 2002, 249). According to Europa World Year Book 2004 in January 2004 the NCP broke into two groups, one led by Sharad Pawar and the other by Purno Sangma (2004, 2086). Nationmaster mentioned that Sangma resigned from the NCP because he believed that Pawar's relationship with the Congress party had become too close (18 Sept. 2004).

As of February 2004, the NCP held three seats in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and seven seats in the Lok Sabha, which had resulted from general elections of September and October 1999 (Europa World Year Book 2004 2004, 2084). With regard to its presence in other states, the NCP held seats in the following states as of April 2004: Assam (three seats), Goa (one seat), Kerala (two seats), Maharashtra (sixty-one seats), Meghalaya (eight seats) and the National Capital Territory (one seat) (ibid. 2004, 2084-2086).

Information about whether the NCP ran any candidates in the March 2002 municipal elections in Delhi was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. According to the Chennai-based newspaper The Hindu, NCP candidate Banarsi Dass was mentioned as a contender for a seat in the ward of South Patel Nagar (16 Mar. 2002).

In the run-up to the March 2002 municipal elections, The Hindu also reported that NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar and NCP Delhi president Sukhbir Singh Panwar had attended a number of meetings across the city in order to promote NCP candidates in the districts of Greater Kailash-II, Malviya Nagar, Nabi Karim, Moti Bagh and East Patel Nagar (17 Mar. 2002).

While news sources reported that two parties – Congress with 107 and BJP with 16 – had taken 123 of the 134 available seats in the Delhi municipal election (AP 28 Mar. 2002; BBC 28 Mar. 2002), no information about the candidates who won the remaining seats could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In a 27 March 2002 article about the aftermath of the elections, Tribune News Service noted that 1,165 candidates had run for the 134-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi. In addition, with regard to whether problems arose during the elections, the Tribune News Service reported that although the state election commission had received 218 complaints, all were deemed unfounded by the commission (27 Mar. 2002).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Associated Press (AP). 28 March 2002. Ashok Sharma. "Opposition Scores Landslide Victory over Hindu Nationalists in New Delhi Elections." (NEXIS)

BBC. 28 March 2002. "BJP Crushed in Delhi Polls." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1898697.stm> [Accessed 7 Dec. 2004]

Europa World Year Book 2004. 2004. 44th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.

The Hindu [Chennai]. 17 March 2002. "Pop Stars Join Campaign." <http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/03/18/stories/2002031805020300.htm> [Accessed 7 Dec. 2004]
_____. 16 March 2002. Lalit K. Jha. "Municipal Election: BSP May Play Spoilsport." <http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/03/17/stories/2002031708030300.htm> [Accessed 7 Dec. 2004]

Nationmaster.com. 18 September 2004. "Encyclopedia: Nationalist Congress Party." <http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Nationalist-Congress-Party> [Accessed 8 Dec. 2004]

Political Handbook of the World: 2000-2002. 2002. Edited by Arthur S. Banks, Thomas C. Muller. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.

Political Parties of the World. 2002. 5th Edition. Edited by Alan J. Day. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group.

Tribune News Service. 27 March 2002. "No Re-Poll, Counting on March 27." <http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020326/ncr1.htm> [Accessed 7 Dec. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Country Reports 2002, Delhi Assembly, Delhi Government, Election Commission of India, Electionworld.org, Freedom House, HindustanTimes.com, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of New Delhi, Nationalist Congress Party, Rediff, World News Connection.

Topics: Political parties,