Where is Tuvalu?

• Even BJP leaders were tickled over the five-nation tour of Union minister of state for health Ashwini Choubey. "We got curious about Choubey's trip to Tuvalu because the government press note said that the PM of the country welcomed Choubeyji at the airport. Most of us did not know where it is or that it exists. Later when somebody did a Google search we found that it was a nation of nine islands where the total population is about 10,000. Choubeyji will have to visit several panchayats here having more population during elections," joked a BJP leader wondering if Choubey was the first Union minister to visit Tuvalu. The other places of Choubey's foreign trip, Fiji, Hong Kong Singapore and New Zealand, were a tad more familiar. Now a few BJP leaders are joking that in view of Choubey's son Arjit Shashwat embarrassing the government, Choubeyji should be made Indian ambassador to Tuvalu.

Purnea instead of Araria

• Most RJD and JDU leaders going for campaigning in Jokihat preferred night stay at Purnea instead of Araria or Forbesganj which are much nearer. The leaders in Patna were bewildered why Purnea was preferred. "Actually, due to elections in Jokihat there was a heavy deployment of police and armed forced and there was frequent checking of vehicles in the name of searching for arms," remarked an RJD leader, sheepishly pointing out that it became too dangerous for liquor consumption.

Dynasty & politics

• Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan (right) raised eyebrows recently when he accused Lalu Prasad of promoting dynasty. "In 2005 after February elections when there was a hung Assembly I had offered to support the RJD in government formation if they name any Muslim leader as chief minister candidate. But Laluji wanted the support only for his family," Paswan told reporters. "Paswanji is an even bigger promoter of dynasty than Lalu; his politics revolves around his son and brothers," retorted an RJD leader. He declared that dynasty politics was a non-issue as even in Jokihat the RJD had fielded the son of the late Md Taslimuddin and come out with flying colours.

Premature celebrations

• During counting for the Jokihat bypoll, the JDU actually led over the RJD in the first four rounds. A group of enthusiastic Dal supporters started celebrations on social media. Most of them hailed the No. 2 in the party, RCP Singh (in picture) , for showing political acumen and building a strategy to win a difficult seat. The celebrations evaporated as the RJD took a massive lead. One RCP supporter started to blame state JDU chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh. Of course nobody had the guts to blame Nitish Kumar, mused a senior JDU leader recalling the celebrations by the BJP in Karnataka even before the counting could be completed.