Door open

Key ministers in the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre continue to draw a steady stream of current and former parliamentarians to their offices when Parliament is in session. However, the heaviest footfall is often witnessed outside the offices of the Union home minister, Amit Shah, and the Union road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari. Both offices are located in the same row on the ground floor of Parliament House. Despite their proximity, the two offices function very differently. Visitors seeking a one-on-one meeting with Shah often face a long waiting time, reflecting a tightly structured schedule. Gadkari’s office, in contrast, follows an open-door approach, allowing MPs to walk in freely and directly raise issues related to national highway projects in their constituencies. The contrast extends beyond accessibility. Gadkari, known for his culinary enthusiasm, frequently offers home-cooked snacks to visitors. MPs across party lines, along with their aides, are encouraged to sample Marathi and South Indian dishes. “Iska swad bilkul different hai. Ghar ka hai, mera recipe hai... try karo,” Gadkari is often heard telling his guests. Shah’s office, on the other hand, maintains a more formal arrangement, with refreshments sourced from the Parliament canteen. This underscores the contrasting atmospheres in the offices of the two high-profile ministers.

Veteran voice

Kerala’s electoral theatre has long featured the star campaigner of the United Democratic Front, AK Antony, leading road shows from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. But since the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the 85-year-old had been staying away from active politics. His critical statements have previously drawn the ire of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front and the National Democratic Alliance, particularly during the 2021 assembly polls when he helped shape the political narrative.

This time, Antony held a presser at Indira Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters, and predicted a clean sweep for the UDF. He also maintained that the rank and file in the CPI(M) are disillusioned with the top brass and would prefer to see the LDF in the Opposition.

Mister flashpoint

The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, turned up the political heat in the poll-bound state on Thursday by accusing the mother of Kunki Chowdhury — the London-educated, 27-year-old candidate of the Opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad — of sharing photographs of consuming beef on social media, challenging sanatan dharma , backing figures such as Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, supporting the “cutting off the Chicken’s Neck corridor”, and claiming that Pakistan is not an enemy country. Sarma even questioned the AJP leadership for fielding Chowdhury, the youngest candidate in the polls from the Central Guwahati constituency. She is pitted against the BJP veteran, Vijay Kumar Gupta.

Chowdhury and her mother politely refuted the accusations. As a political debutant, Chowdhury also thanked the CM for bringing national attention to her background and campaign. Chowdhury’s maternal great-grandfather, Ari Bahadur Gurung, was a barrister and a signatory to the Constitution. The controversy led the Assam state committee of the All India Gorkha League to extend unconditional support to Chowdhury’s candidature. Political observers said Sarma, who loves controversy, once again succeeded in positioning himself as a defender of sanatan dharma.

Poll bungles

Darjeeling is going to the polls, and goof-ups have already begun marring the campaigning there. At a recent public meeting in Darjeeling, Bimal Gurung was introduced as the president of his rival party, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha. For a moment, the hills’ political script flipped into farce. The crowd gathered at the event, which was held at Chowrasta, quickly brought it back on track, booing and heckling the Bharatiya Janata Party leader who had mixed up Gurung of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha with the BGPM chief, Anit Thapa.

But BGPM also had its own plot twist. After canvassing for nearly a month with the ‘candle’ symbol, the party realised at the eleventh hour that the symbol wasn’t available. What followed was a frantic overhaul, with campaign materials such as flexes, posters, and banners hastily redesigned to feature the torch instead of the candle. Add to that Darjeeling’s favourite crossover act: leaders contesting on rival symbols. The Gorkha National Liberation Front’s Neeraj Zimba, backed by the BJP, won from Darjeeling in the previous poll; this time, GJM’s Noman Rai is in the fray in Darjeeling on a BJP ticket.