PAYBACK TIME: Ameeta feels it is time to avenge Sanjay's defeat

Lucknow: Ameeta Kulkarni Singh—wife of former royal Sanjay Singh and Amethi's other political bahu—is contesting the Amethi assembly seat once represented by her husband. A former national badminton champion and a regular in Delhi's party circles, she has been campaigning zealously for two-and-a-half months. In October 1999, she had campaigned as vigorously for her husband who was contesting the Lok Sabha seat from Amethi, only to be trounced by the Sonia bhabhi-Priyanka beti double whammy. As always, she is emphasising the local touch: "Hum acche hain ya bure, hain to aapke hi." She reminds anyone willing to listen that as district panchayat chairperson, she got nearly 500 roads constructed in the past year. Amid all this the lady is careful to "request" voters not to elect her with a margin greater than her husband's record victory by 1.25 lakh votes in 1984. Ameeta's main rival is Ashish Shukla of the Congress. He is no stranger to Ameeta or her husband. In the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Sanjay (a Janata Dal man then) was shot at during the campaign. The principal accused in the case was Shukla. The Singhs have much to avenge.

BALANCING ACT: As the campaign picked momentum, Vajpayee and Sonia traded charges and hurled abuses. But for Dehradun's cut-out artists, it was business as usual.

Role Reversal: Congress' Ram vs BJP's Ravan

Chandigarh: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee campaigned in Pathankot last week but didn't quite know that he was seeking votes for a local Ravan who was pitted against a Ram. The BJP candidate Master Mohan Lal, a fruit seller-turned-politician, has been playing Ravan in the Ramlila club for 18 years, despite becoming first an MLA and then a minister. His rival is Ashok Sharma of the Congress who has for years played Lord Ram in the Ramlila staged by a local club. Both candidates entertain their voters with their epic dialogues.

Missing Priyanka

Lucknow: There were widespread expectations that Priyanka Gandhi would be at the forefront of the Congress campaign in Uttar Pradesh, but as polling date nears, there is no sign of her. It's Sonia all the way. The question still remains: Where is Priyanka?

Unlike Uncle

NICE NIECE: Suneeta has her uncle's blessings, not backing

Lucknow: Among the more glamorous newcomers in this election is Suneeta Singh, the Congress candidate from Mohana which falls within the Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency. Forty-two-year-old Suneeta is the niece of former prime minister V.P. Singh. The buzz is she wanted to fight in Amethi, but the party wanted a Brahmin there, so the Rajput debutante ended up in Mohana. Her uncle has blessed her because "he prefers the Congress to the BJP". But he will oppose her because he backs the Lok Morcha and is therefore against the Congress. Now even Suneeta is trying to figure out her uncle's multiple identities.

FEROZE VARUN GANDHI Maneka Gandhi's son

"Do not vote for elephants even if they come on bicycles."

The Union minister's son requesting voters in Pilibhit not to vote either for the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Party Talk

Lucknow: V.N. Pal is a senior faculty member at Kanpur University's Institute of Engineering and Technology. But these days he is more famous as president of the National Eunuch Front, which fielded candidates in all seven constituencies in the city. His explanation: "Everyone is a eunuch, not physically but intellectually because we are helpless against politicians." Is he joining them or fighting them?

Dehradun: Both the major parties in Uttaranchal faced a similar problem in the run-up to the election: rebel candidates. While the BJP expelled 18 rebels, including three outgoing legislators, the Congress sought the services of its MP from Assam, Mani Kumar Subba who is of Nepalese origin and is known to be a toughie, to pacify rebel Ram Singh Thapa. Result: Thapa who brushed aside N.D. Tiwari's entreaties simply fell in line.

TIT FOR TAT: Swami is now the target of his colleague's wrath

Dehradun: Former chief minister Nityanand Swami must be rueing his decision to appoint his colleague, local BJP MLA Harbans Kapoor, in the constituency delimitation commission. Kapoor went about his job in such a way that the septuagenarian Swami had to virtually do a door-to-door campaign. The buzz is that Swami is getting it back for leaving Kapoor out of his cabinet.

NEW FORCE: Bolero

Netas' Choice

Lucknow: Years ago, it was the Willy's Jeep. In the 1990s, it was the rugged Tata Sumo that was the chosen campaign vehicle. This year's favourite is the Bolero. What next? The Pajero?

Machine Age: Where Riggers are Buttonholed

Lucknow: For years, voters in Uttar Pradesh were told to "mohar lagao (stamp)" the symbol on the ballot paper. This time, they are learning a new idiom, "button dabayiye (press the button)", though some candidates still refer to the old-fashioned stamp. This election will see the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Officials say these will bring down bogus voting by as much as 90 per cent and ensure all results are out within three hours of counting. The state has 98 million voters across 1,16,000 booths, making for an average of 850 voters per booth. Each booth is equipped with one EVM which can hold as many as 5,000 votes. Even if the state population keeps galloping, the machines should suffice for years to come.