Poliglot

The T.T.V. Dhinakaran-led AMMK's workers are buying up flattened cardboard boxes by the dozen, res­hap­ing them into boxes. Covered with gift wrap and tied with a bow string, the boxes also sport stickers of Jayalalitha, Sasikala and Dhinakaran. Bigger boxes are displayed during campaigns and placed at big junctions with TTV’s banners; smaller ones are handed to voters. The party is clearly in a hurry to popularise its poll symbol with just two weeks in hand.

—G .C. Shekhar

Nagaland clocked the highest ever voter turnout in election ­history in 2004. The lowest ever turnout during Lok Sabha ­elections was in 1989, in Anantnag constituency of Jammu and Kashmir.

• 91.77% 2004: Nagaland

• 5.07% 1989: J&K

Quote

“Vikas is asking: How important is one day ‘April Fool’ in a land where those in power are making a fool of people for the past five years?”

Akhilesh Yadav, Former UP CM

“We had our own Sadar-i-Riyasat and PM.... We’ll bring back these posts.”

Omar Abdullah, Former J&K CM at a rally in Bandipora

The Wait for Family Nyay

The Congress’s purported game-changing promise of the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) is already in court—a family court. This happened recently in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The court had ordered a man to pay Rs 4,500 per month as alimony to his wife and daughter. The man ­replied with an application  in which he referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and said that once the Congress takes power at the Centre and starts ­paying Rs 6,000 per month under NYAY, he too would begin paying alim­ony to his wife and daughter. This is now in the court records and the next hearing is due on April 29.

By the tweeple

And We Have a Winner…

Hands down, Tamil Nadu has topped the national list for the seizure of unaccounted for cash and valuables since the model code of conduct came into force on March 10. As of April 1, Rs 70.90 in cash and Rs 88.70 in gold, silver and ornaments had been seized.