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Sonia goes shopping a day before election results

Written By Nistula Hebbar | Updated:

Principal players in the political drama found ways to cope with last-minute jitters before the big revelation of results.

Despite hectic politicking right up to the day before poll results, principal players in the political drama found ways to cope with last-minute jitters before the big revelation of results.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who saw several electoral reverses before tasting success in 2004, took time off to go shopping at the Santushti Complex. Her routine before and during result day is, according to those close to her, simple: a quite night at home, with only political secretary Ahmed Patel allowed access, and early morning watching television and catching up with results.

Her son and All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi returned on Friday after a vacation in Lakshadweep with sister Priyanka Gandhi and her family. He too is expected to watch the results at home, after which he may move to 10 Janpath, his mother’s residence.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani spent time during the day with wife Kamala, son Jayant and daughter Pratibha. Psephologist GVL Narasimha Rao was going through last-minute number-crunching with him at his home on Prithviraj Road.

Sources say Advani will only stir out to attend a thanksgiving dinner at 26 Tughlak Lane, where a BJP ‘war room’ has been set up, to thank the team for a well-run campaign. “He will be at home, and will watch results at home,” said an aide.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat will watch the results at home and then at the party office, where he will go to work at 11. His Third Front ally, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati will stay put in Lucknow, and aides added that if the numbers are in her favour she will take a special flight to Delhi. Her aide Satish Mishra will hold fort in Delhi till then.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh spent the evening meeting people with poll projections and his party’s own exit polls spread out in front of him. “He will watch results at home on his 52 inch LCD TV,” said an aide with a laugh.