Can any Bollywood drama ever compare with the awesome spectacle of an Indian election?
Let us check out how much you know about the Great Election Tamasha.
A quiz we will publish every working day till May 13, the day we know who we have elected to the 14th Lok Sabha.
1. After storming out of Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet, V P Singh contested and won a by-election from Allahabad (which he had also won in 1980) in August 1988. But he did not return to Allahabad in the 1989 general election, but chose another constituency. Which one? a. Fatehpur. b. Banda. c. Chail.
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Wrong! The correct answer is A. V P Singh chose Fatehpur, which is close to Allahabad, in 1989. A consituency, which his elder brother Santa Bux Singh (who often features in Mark Tully's books) won for the Congress in 1967 and 1971, and lost in 1977. Contesting against the Congress' Hari Krishna Shastri, who had won the seat in 1980 and 1984, V P Singh won easily. His victory elevated Fatehpur to the ranks of constituencies which had elected a prime minister. The vanquished candidate was, of course, Lal Bahadur Shastri's eldest son. In 1991, V P Singh retained his seat, defeating the BJP nominee easily. He did not contest the 1996 election, which the Bahujan Samaj Party's Vishambhar Pratap Nishad won. The BJP's Ashok Kumar Patel won it in 1998, defeating Nishad. In 1999, Nishad contested the seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket and came in third. The BSP's Surya Bali Nishad came in second and Ashok Patel retained the seat by just 1, 063 votes.
Correct! V P Singh chose Fatehpur, which is close to Allahabad, in 1989. A consituency, which his elder brother Santa Bux Singh (who often features in Mark Tully's books) won for the Congress in 1967 and 1971, and lost in 1977. Contesting against the Congress' Hari Krishna Shastri, who had won the seat in 1980 and 1984, V P Singh won easily. His victory elevated Fatehpur to the ranks of constituencies which had elected a prime minister. The vanquished candidate was, of course, Lal Bahadur Shastri's eldest son. In 1991, V P Singh retained his seat, defeating the BJP nominee easily. He did not contest the 1996 election, which the Bahujan Samaj Party's Vishambhar Pratap Nishad won. The BJP's Ashok Kumar Patel won it in 1998, defeating Nishad. In 1999, Nishad contested the seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket and came in third. The BSP's Surya Bali Nishad came in second and Ashok Patel retained the seat by just 1, 063 votes.
2. Mamta Banerjee will contest the prestigious Kolkata South seat this election agianst the elegant Nafisa Ali. Which Sangh Parivar icon won the seat in the first general election? a. Deen Dayal Upadhaya. b. Balraj Madhok. c. Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
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Wrong! The correct answer is C. The founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the BJP's parent, won it easily, defeating the Congress' Mriganka Sur. Unfortunately, he did not live long. On June 23, 1953, Dr Mookerjee, a few days short of his 53rd birthday, had a heart attack in Srinagar and died at the State Hospital. He had been arrested for entering Kashmir without a permit. Dr Mookerjee was a member of Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet, but resigned as industry minister in protest against the displacement of Hindus from East Pakistan and the Nehru-Liaquat Ali Khan Pact. He launched the Jan Sangh in October 1951.
Correct! The founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the BJP's parent, won it easily, defeating the Congress' Mriganka Sur. Unfortunately, he did not live long. On June 23, 1953, Dr Mookerjee, a few days short of his 53rd birthday, had a heart attack in Srinagar and died at the State Hospital. He had been arrested for entering Kashmir without a permit. Dr Mookerjee was a member of Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet, but resigned as industry minister in protest against the displacement of Hindus from East Pakistan and the Nehru-Liaquat Ali Khan Pact. He launched the Jan Sangh in October 1951.
3. What links Bobbili constituency in Andhra Pradesh with the Indian cricket team that toured England in 1936? a. C K Nayudu, the team's match-winner, was born here. b. Its skipper, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram, hailed from here . c. The first-ever coaching camp for an Indian cricket team was held here.
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Wrong! The correct answer is B. Bobbili is part of Vizianagram, whose aristocrats P V Gajapati Raju and Ananda Gajapati Raju, won a seat in Parliament twice each (1977 and 1980; 1984 and 1991 respectively). Ashok Gajapati Raju, Ananda's brother and Andhra Pradesh revenue minister, has won election from the Vizianagara assembly constituency, part of the Bobbili parliamentary borough. Cricket fans will remember Vizianagaram for their ancestor, 'Vizzy' -- His Highness, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram, Sir Gajapatiraju Vijaya Ananda -- who led the Indian cricket team on its controversial 1936 tour of England. Vizzy was deeply unpopular and upset almost the team's stars from C K Nayudu, who should have captained the side, to Vijay Merchant to Lala Amarnath, who was sent home.
Correct! Bobbili is part of Vizianagram, whose aristocrats P V Gajapati Raju and Ananda Gajapati Raju, won a seat in Parliament twice each (1977 and 1980; 1984 and 1991 respectively). Ashok Gajapati Raju, Ananda's brother and Andhra Pradesh revenue minister, has won election from the Vizianagara assembly constituency, part of the Bobbili parliamentary borough. Cricket fans will remember Vizianagaram for their ancestor, 'Vizzy' -- His Highness, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram, Sir Gajapatiraju Vijaya Ananda -- who led the Indian cricket team on its controversial 1936 tour of England. Vizzy was deeply unpopular and upset almost the team's stars from C K Nayudu, who should have captained the side, to Vijay Merchant to Lala Amarnath, who was sent home.
4. Which wellknown cricketer was the losing candidate from the Bhopal seat in 1991? a. Captain Mushtaq Ali. b. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. c. C S Nayudu.
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Wrong! The correct answer is B. Tiger Pataudi, whose mother is from the royal family of Bhopal, could not convert that to his advantage and lost easily to the BJP's S C Varma. Pataudi contested on a Congress ticket, even though an earlier electoral foray in Haryana (the princely state of Pataudi is in Haryana) in 1970 was as an Independent.
Correct! Tiger Pataudi, whose mother is from the royal family of Bhopal, could not convert that to his advantage and lost easily to the BJP's S C Varma. Pataudi contested on a Congress ticket, even though an earlier electoral foray in Haryana (the princely state of Pataudi is in Haryana) in 1970 was as an Independent..
5. Madhavrao Scindia won his Gwalior seat in 1984, defeating Atal Bihari Vajpayee. What happened to his sister, now Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, that election? a. She won. b. She lost. c. She did not contest.
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Wrong! The correct answer is B. BJP candidate Vasundhra Raje, contesting her first Lok Sabha election, lost from Bhind, to the Maharaja of Datia, Krishna Singh (Congress), by 7,000 votes. That was the last election she contested in her native Madhya Pradesh. In 1989 she moved to neighbouring Jhalawar in Rajasthan, part of her husband's province, and never lost. In the last three elections, her margin went up from 48884 (1996) to 63,567 (1998) and 152,145 (1999). He son Dushyant Singh, who will contest the Jhalwar seat this time, has an obvious cakewalk.
Correct! BJP candidate Vasundhra Raje, contesting her first Lok Sabha election, lost from Bhind, to the Maharaja of Datia, Krishna Singh (Congress), by 7,000 votes. That was the last election she contested in her native Madhya Pradesh. In 1989 she moved to neighbouring Jhalawar in Rajasthan, part of her husband's province, and never lost. In the last three elections, her margin went up from 48884 (1996) to 63,567 (1998) and 152,145 (1999). He son Dushyant Singh, who will contest the Jhalwar seat this time, has an obvious cakewalk.
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