Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi is turning theatrical of late. "I am breaking a tradition," she proclaimed at a rally for Jyotiraditya Scindia. She was breaking the tradition of having never campaigned in a by-election. But Sonia's biggest declaration-about Priyanka Vadra's second pregnancy-came on the eve of the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh when Amethi and Rae Bareli went to the polls. This was also the Congress' trump card. So when Priyanka goes missing again, know what to expect.

Governor in a Soup
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Governor Bhai Mahavir had better be careful before he makes comments, even if they seem innocuous. After President K.R. Narayanan's reported refusal to consider a list of appointments to high courts and the Supreme Court for not having any Dalit or woman in it, Mahavir opined that the President should not have returned it. He also said that "only people with character should be appointed to the judiciary". This has angered Dalit organisations in the state who are now agitating against him. There is also talk that Chief Minister Digvijay Singh who doesn't get along with the governor is fanning the confrontation. For now, Mahavir is mum.

Votes in a Name
Chennai: The naming ceremony is an integral part of poll campaigns in Tamil Nadu. Top leaders stop their vehicles for parents who hold out their newborns, name the baby and give money (the going rate is Rs 100) to the parents. So at Andipatti aiadmk General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa prefixed Jaya to all the names she had given-Jayalakshmi, Jayaram and so on. dmk President M. Karunanidhi, however, named a child Parimalam so that it sounded similar to the father's name, Perumal.

Counterpoint
Lucknow: BJP General Secretary Pyarelal Khandelwal has proved he is not one to take things lying down. With the opinion polls and exit polls predicting a certain defeat for the bjp in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Khandelwal devised a novel way of countering them-he turned psephologist himself. So his analysis predicted a clear majority for the bjp-led alliance in the state. Not only that, Khandelwal also helpfully provided a seat-wise break-up of his predictions on the basis of a marathon drive across Uttar Pradesh. Opinion poll as
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