Heptulla's logic and other blah-blah: Congress spokesperson Najma Heptulla must owe her plum party post for her uncanny reasoning and logic: when quizzed how the Congress and the United Front could come together conveniently after the polls, she said the people had mandated that. Prey, how? You see, it's like this: the BJP polled some 30 per cent of the votes, the Congress some 20 per cent and the Front 12 per cent. In other words, put together, the Congress and the Front had polled more than the BJP. It's time someone instituted a Noble Prize for such uncanny reasoning.Tricky Tamil Nadu: No matter who won or lost, the pollsters sure got it all wrong: while DD's own pollster, Narasimha Rao, may comfort himself that he more or less predicted the BJP's overall tally with allies (around 244), he got it all wrong when it came to Tamil Nadu. The psephologist had forecast that the DMK-TMC combine would rule the roost in the state and that together they would bag 34 of the 39 seats!
Unhedgedpunditry: Our in-house astrologer, K Seshadri, says it is in BJP's interests to have its government sworn in at a date and time when planets will favour longevity, co-operation and understanding among the coalition partners. Choosing the right time could also minimise the danger of rivals trying to dethrone the government. He says that among the favourable days available for the swearing-in, Thursday, March 5, is the best. One does not know if the BJP would manage to get this event done in such a short time. One also needs to deliberate the time of the swearing-in. Around 8 pm seems to be a good time, he adds.
Captain bites the dust: It was an irony of sorts: though Sonia's campaign stood the Congress in good stead, in the family's own turf, it was a veritable drubbing. The 10 Janpath nominee and sitting MP, Captain Satish Sharma, was humbled at Amethi, despite the enthusiasm generted by Sonia Gandhi's tireless campaigning. UP Congress chief and former state chief minister, Narain Dutt Tewari,too, lost from Nainital. Charan Singh's son and Jat leader Ajit Singh was thrashed in his pocketborough Bagpat.
Hey that's some record: Low-profile Congress leaders Khagapati Pradhani and former union minister PM Sayeed set a new record when they were elected to the Lok Sabha for the ninth consecutive time. Former union minister and Congress stalwart from Orissa, Giridhari Gomango, may make the record next time. He retained his Koraput seat for the eighth time in a row.
At last, scribes get it right: It was mixed going for scribes this time around. Two Oriya newspaper editors and former chief ministers' sons, Bhartruhari Mahtab and Tathagat Satpathy, managed to sneak into the twelfth Lok Sabha.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
