From banking on slip of tongue to pickpocket show during roadshows: Here are top poll moments

Banking on Slip of Tongue: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav shocked MLA Awadesh Prasad, the party’s Faizabad candidate, while campaigning for him recently. Yadav introduced him as “a former minister and former MLA”. Prasad, a 9-time MLA, immediately rectified Yadav that he was still an MLA. Yadav smiled and said since he would win the parliamentary poll, he has addressed him as a former MLA. Now, the BJP camp is claiming that it was a slip of tongue, but SP insiders are of the view that it was a word play. Naturally, Prasad would hope for the former.

Thoughtful Over the Act of Wonder: After voting in Amethi, Opposition camps are debating whether BJP MP Smriti Irani’s bid to further cement her grip on the erstwhile seat of Rahul Gandhi can be halted by a giant-killer act of Congress candidate, a trusted Gandhi family aide, Kishori Lal Sharma. Pragmatic Congress sections have added nuances to this debate by wondering what could befall on “Sharmaji’s long loyal service” to the Gandhi family if he ends up polling even one vote more than what Rahul Gandhi got in 2019. For them, “Sharmaji’s existential stakes” are between the harmony of martyrdom and turbulence of stardom.

Pickpocket Show During Roadshows: Pickpockets continue to be a pain for leaders, journalists and others participating in roadshows. After reports of some leaders losing their purse in pickpocketing during a roadshow in Meerut some days ago, similar incidents have been reported from Delhi too. During BJP chief JP Nadda’s roadshow in Malaviya Nagar in South Delhi last week, one party panelist realised that his purse and mobile had been picked, leaving him lighter by `8,500 and some bank cards which he got blocked promptly. Leaders across parties are advising each other not to carry valuables, or preferably leave their purse with their drivers or aides.