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FEBRUARY 15
33 killed in Coimbatore blasts
Curfew, shoot-at-sight orders, after 12 explosions, including one at R S Puram Kalyanrange, the venue of the Advani's public meeting
Human bomb explodes in Coimbatore
Alleged suicide bomber chased by cops blows himself up.
Advani springs to Vajpayee's defence over Bofors, shoots off six queries at Sonia
Sonia Gandhi, he said, could not arrogate to herself the privilege of a hit-and-run strategy in an election campaign. If she raised certain issues and attacked her adversaries, she must subject herself to scrutiny by the media as well as the
rest of society.
UP's fist-free minister confers notoriety on Pratapgarh
Raja Bhaiyya, who represents the Kunda assembly segment of the constituency, allegedly slapped a police officer on duty and his supporters attacked Congress candidate Ratna Singh's motorcade early this month. The EC then called for the minister's externment from Pratapgarh till the elections, before the high court intervened in the matter on Friday.
Violence is a way of life, even during elections, at Ara
Almost all the contenders in the fray in the Ara constituency are reconciled that violence is a way of life here and the central government's order to its Bihar counterpart to submit a law and order report would scarcely have any impact in this region.
'Remember, if the Congress comes
to power, the story behind Rajiv Gandhi's death will never come
into the open, not in a 100 years'
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda is angry, bitter and hurt.
'I want to be more than a showpiece'
'I'm not promising to turn this into Utopia. I am promising little things. Things I can personally guarantee. I'm not promising the moon -- merely a little
candle so you can see in the dark.' Actor Vinod Khanna explains why he plunged into politics.
Vinod Khanna carries the battle into Sukhbans Kaur's camp
That the BJP-SAD had managed to cut deeply into what was a Congress safe seat became apparent in the 1997 election to the state assembly, when the alliance candidates swept all nine seats on offer in the region.
BJP seeking to combine non-Gujjar votes to thwart Pilot
Thanks to Rajesh Pilot, Gujjars have become very powerful in Dausa, making the others jealous. The BJP is hoping to cash in on this resentment.
Kalpnath Rai fights to retain Ghosi, this time for BJP-Samata
However, his rivals in the once Communist bastion are formidable. Also, he is with a party which was placed fourth in the last polls, not having made any significant impact in the area.
BJP challenges Laloo's hold over Bihar's capital city
Although there are 18 candidates in the fray for Monday's election, the main contest is
likely to be between the RJD's Ramkripal Yadav and BJP nominee C P Thakur.
'I have never advocated this kind of understanding with the Congress. I doubt their credentials. I mistrust them'
But, says Samajwadi Party leader Raj Babbar, his personal views are not important, what matters is the fight against communal forces.
The fight is between BJP and Congress, with RJP being a bystander
Amreli is a backward region with little industry and commerce, the mainstay of this rural segment being agriculture and its main requirements are adequate power and water. With open support to the farmers, the BJP is all set to make the most of the prevailing situation.
Ex-Congressman, now in BJP colours, seeks revenge
Kamal Chaudhary represented Hoshiarpur as a Congress candidate on three occasions. He blamed his loss in 1996 on Congress manipulations and is
contesting the present polls in saffron robes.
Mayawati plays truant from own constituency
The backwardness in the Akbarpur reserved Lok Sabha
seat is readily visible, the star candidate is not.
Congress irrelevant in Jawaharlal Nehru's constituency
Phulpur was represented by India's first prime minister. Today, votes are cast on caste lines and the Congress has been marginalised as the BJP, SP and BSP battle it out.
Jakhar's stature versus BJP's support base
In Bikaner, former minister and Lok Sabha speaker,
Balram Jakhar, takes on Mahendra Singh Bhati, son of the powerful BJP leader
Dev Singh Bhati.
In their fathers's name
The battle of Bhiwani is between Surinder Singh and Ajay Chautala. The former is the son of Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal, the latter of former chief minister Om Parkash Chautala.
Waiting for Rajni
With its campaign yet to pick up in some key constituencies,
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Tamil Maanila Congress combine in Tamil Nadu anxiously awaits the return of Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, to ensure another landslide win.
A swing of 30 seats would spare us somersaults
Arun Nehru's latest election forecast.
'India cannot move in static mode'
'If politics spoilt our country, the bureaucrats killed it. Governments must ensure that decisions are taken fast.' Dr U R Rao, former ISRO chairman, outlines what needs to be done in India.
'It is Vajpayee's dream to be prime minister. We should fulfil his dream'
Ramanand Prabhu, bus conductor, on what he expects from this election and the politicians.
Bihar: BJP emerging strong in Laloo's land
Karnataka:Stars battle netas in Mandya and Chikballapur
Orissa:Congress under serious threat
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BSP's elephant goes a-missing
Happened in Gorakhpur, and partymen suspect the ruling party's hand in the
affair.
FEBRUARY 14
'Eent ka jawab pathhar se diya jayega'
'My party workers will not sit quietly with bangles on their hands when the poor and
the oppressed are terrorised by the rich.' Laloo Prasad Yadav, at his aggressive best.
Prohibition is still an issue, but there are no political backers
Saddled with a bankrupt government, N Chandrababu Naidu started slapping ample doses of taxes, triggering spiralling price rise. The justification
was prohibition. He kept saying that the state had lost a lot of revenue because of prohibition... Soon it was lifted.
SC refuses to stay EC ban on pre-poll surveys, exit polls
With Friday's decision adjourning the petitions to March-end, the ban on the publication of pre-poll surveys and exit polls comes into force from 1700 hours on February 15, and will be in operation till February 28
R L Bhatia faces the stiffest challenge of his career
In the left corner, former Union Minister and sitting Congress MP R L Bhatia, looking for a sixth term from the temple township. And in the right corner, Daya Singh Sodhi, card-carrying member
of the RSS, state unit president of the BJP a greybeard of 50 years in politics but,
surprisingly, contesting his first ever election.
Vinod Khanna is carrying lotuses to BJP territory
At Pathankot, Vinod Khanna -- debutant, with the added disadvantage of being an import from Bombay, plus being a film star and, therefore, presumably lacking in seriousness -- is introduced jauntily. With an in your face flair
'Lady Amitabh' plays a double role in politics, too
Blasting the 'Congress enemy' during the day, joining him at their place for dinner diplomacy without batting an eyelid? Vijayshanti is learning the tricks of the trade fast!
Devi Lal appeals for a last chance
Humbled in 1991 and 1996, the 84-year-old is pleading with voters in Rohtak to
send him to Parliament one last time.
Yadavs, Muslims may see Mulayam through
With these two communities accounting for 50 per cent of the Sambhal constituency, Mulayam Singh Yadav should coast through, despite the spirited fight being put up by his opponent, D P Yadav.
The battle of Bharatpur
A scion of the erstwhile princely state of Bharatpur, a former Union minister with royal origins, and a Bharatiya Janata Party leader will thrash it out on Monday.
Fear over Tripura
The electoral battle is primarily between the Left Front and the Congress-led alliance, but
the fear of violence has forced the Centre to send in more security forces.
'Sonia will take up the leadership once the party is in a position to form the government'
Kunnoth Karunakaran, on Elections '98.
Royal challenge to Akali might
Congress puts up Captain Amarinder Singh against the Akali Dal (Badal) candidate, much to the chagrin of SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra
Shiv Shanker, Sarada locked in grim tussle in Tenali
Will the lawyer score over the award-winning actress?
Old men, new fight
JD nominee Quamrul Islam, BJP's Basavaraj Patil Sedam and Congressman Dr B G
Jawali are facing each other again. For the second time in two years, in Karnataka's
Gulbarga.
Vajpayee carpetbombs Vidarbha, seeks a mandate to govern
Hearteningly for Vajpayee, his speech was being heard in rapt silence by a massive gathering.
Star-struck Tamil politicians gaze at skies for poll wisdom
Karunanidhi's astrological weakness is a yellow shawl, Jayalalitha and Gopalaswamy are all over numerology, and Moopanar meets the media during auspicious hours.
Close shave in 150-plus seats the last time round
Of the 150-odd constituencies, where the contest sizzled into a photo finish, the North accounted for 46, followed by the South with 40, East 30, West 29, North-East six and
the Union territories two.
'Only we are fighting the Ranvir Sena as it should be fought'
A miniature civil war reigns in Ara, Bihar, where the Ranvir Sena is locked in a do-or-die
battle with the extremist CPI-ML.
Understanding the Sonia enigma
Saisuresh Sivaswamy on the bahu's mystique.
If there is any thread linking the allies in the south, it is pure, unadulterated hypocrisy!
T V R Shenoy on the politics of alignments.
'The RSS doesn't use a remote control'
'The US cannot dictate to India about its N-policy. The US should also realise that India is not a mere market. It is a country with tradition, history and a purpose,' Organiser editor Seshadri Chari tells the Rediff Election Chat.
Andhra Pradesh:Ramaiah faces popular anger, powerful rivals
Karnataka: Lok Shakti questions Dal's move to disqualify three ex-ministers
Assam:Mahanta escapes bid on life
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Where coconut trees are the mainstay of poll campaigns
The swaying coconut trees in Bitra, a small Lakshadweep island, while presenting an idyllic picture of a tourist haven also serve as ready-made bill boards for election posters.
FEBRUARY 13
CMS-Asianet poll gives BJP 230-240 seats, Sonia powers Congress to 155
About 70 per cent of voters in this survey have either seen or heard Sonia Gandhi campaigning in the election, that is in less than a month's time. No other leader on the national scene ever before has received such a reach/coverage even after three to four decades in public affairs.
Punjab police foil major terrorist mayhem, arrest two desperadoes and seize explosives
Asked if the prime minister, who was intermittently campaigning
in Jalandhar since January 21, was the target, the Punjab DGP
replied, "'I cannot say 'no'."
Independent panel identifies 72 candidates with criminal background
Of these, 16 belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party, 12 to the
Samajwadi Party, nine to the Congress party, five each to the
Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and one to the Janata Dal.
Karnataka JD skating on thin ice
Even though the Janata Dal survived the recent no-confidence motion in the Vidhan
Soudha, few expect it to survive after the election is over.
BJP's past haunts Aligarh Muslims's future
'India is my country. If I had to migrate to
Pakistan, my father would have done so 50 years ago.
The BJP is no one to question my loyalty to India,' Muslims in the Indian city most commonly associated with the community, speak out.
'Why should I even react to a cheap political stunt by Sonia Gandhi?'
'If you commit rape or murder and then say sorry, can it really
heal the wounds of the victim, of his/her family? Bluestar was
worse -- our temple, the focus of our religion, was desecrated.
No apology can heal those wounds.' Bhai Ranjit Singh, jathedar of the Akal Takht, in his first reaction to Sonia's apology.
'To implement anything, the BJP needs a two-thirds majority in both Houses, and I don't see them getting that for a long time'
Ramakrishna Hegde, caught in a mellow mood.
'Any party which wants to rule India has to be secular in its true sense'
Nitish Bhardwaj defies the stereotype of the star-politician. In an informed interview, the articulate actor, who was denied a Lok Sabha ticket from Jamshedpur which he won in 1996, speaks about his present role, the BJP's prospects, its agenda and the politics in Bihar.
The bandit queen may be dethroned this time
She was the prodigal returned, the epitome of insulted Indian womanhood, all rolled into one. But just two years after Phoolan Devi was swept into Parliament, she seems to be back in the wilderness.
Joshi seeks to do a Lal Bahadur Shastri in Allahabad
The second prime minister is the only MP to have been elected from the land of the Sangam, twice consecutively. The BJP's former president would like very much to equal that record.
Ex-princess makes all the difference in Alwar
But Yuvarani Mahendra Kumari herself is no speaker. All she talks of os the BJP leadership denying her a ticket. And village elders, poor farmers, squat on the dust with folded hands and nod their
head in agreement
Will Chittorgarh be Jaswant Singh's Haldighati
The last time, the former finance minister won handsomely. But the anti-incumbency factor (against the BJP government in the state), and the fact that his present Congress opponent is a farmer, has made the battle unpredictable.
Ms Nice vs Mr Clean
In Udaipur, 'dedicated' Congresswoman Dr Girija Vyas has taken on the assembly speaker.
Bhajan Lal aims to keep record on Brahmin turf
Karnal has sent 9 Brahmins to the Lok Sabha. Congress leader Bhajan Lal, a Bishnoi, has not lost an election since 1968. Will that record stay intact?
Vidarbha is the true test of the Sena-BJP's popularity in Maharashtra
Vidarbha, which sends 11 MPs to the Lok Sabha, stood by the Congress solidly in 1977. But in 1996, it returned Shiv Sena-BJP from nine constituencies, in the first time it rebuffed the traditional favourite. Which way will it swing this time round?
Karnataka dishes out unfair deal to fair sex
Despite big talk about reservation for women, all major political parties have shied away from giving tickets to them. Naturally, the number of women contestants in the state has registered a sharp fall -- from 70 to 10!
Will this be Karunakaran's last battle?
First impressions give the Congress warhorse an edge over his aging and
less glamorous opponents in Kerala. But he will need
to build a bridge between two communities -- the Nairs and Nadars -- before
he can be sanguine about victory.
Jayalalitha plays a dangerous game
Her strategy of going on the offensive may backfire.
Issues '98: 'There is a greed revolution among the privileged'
Dr M S Swaminathan, father of India's Green Revolution, laments the fact that poor investment and infrastructure has kept the rural areas backward.
OTHER NEWS
Doyen of Oriya journalism passes away
Dr Radhanath Rath, freedom fighter, Oriya litterateur and the country's oldest working editor, died in Cuttack early on Thursday morning. He was 101.
Jammu and Kashmir:Voting process simplified for migrant pandits
Jammu and Kashmir: Electioneering picks up in Jammu
Tripura:Army out after massacre
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The master turncoat
Atmaram Patel is the ultimate at his game.
There is no one in his league,
that's for sure.
FEBRUARY 12
Educating Mrs Gandhi
Sources say Sonia is not someone who simply reads what her friends write for
her. Every evening, she along with son Rahul, daughter Priyanka and son-in-law Robert
Vadra sit down with the speeches to chip in moving anecdotes and weave in
emotions.
'The responsibility for all actions of the Cabinet -- including
those relating to Ayodhya -- was that of all members of the Cabinet.
I hold myself equally responsible for what happened.'
Dr Manmohan Singh, the Congress party's frontrunner for the prime ministership, on the most important job in the country.
EC takes note of Gujral breaking poll code
Addressing a rally organised by the DMK-TMC-CPI combine in Madras, the prime minister exceeded the 10 pm deadline set by the EC.
Congress asks EC to bar Vajpayee, Advani from contest
The reason quoted: They violated electoral laws by using the photographs of Guru Gobind Singh and Mahatma Gandhi on posters.
Action sought against BJP for 'misusing' national flag
The Rashtriya Mukti Morcha, a non governmental organisation, alleges the party violated the Indian National Flag Code on the Internet.
EC seeks urgent law and order reports from nine states
The governments of Andhra Pradesh, West
Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have been asked to respond within 48 hours.
Sonia continues her hardsell, this time in Kolar
This time, however, she carefully avoids apologising or expressing regret over a past incident, and focuses on women and minorities.
Hegde picks up from where he left off
Despite what the BJP may believe about its strength, it is obvious that Kannadigas still revere the man who was once their chief minister.
Badal plays Vajpayee against R L Bhatia in Amritsar
According to the Punjab chief minister, the BJP's PM-in-waiting did not contest from the state only because he did not want to be seen as running away from Lucknow.
Congress's chances being wrecked from within in Tirupati
The Congress is realising that even god's land has no fury like an MP scorned.
'A BJP government at the Centre will protect the minorities'
Flexing his political sinews in Madurai, Dr Subramanian
Swamy and friends promise to make the constituency
an 'international' city, and protect minorities.
The hand is the guiding force
Former minister C K Jaffer Sharief seems a cinch to win the constituency he represented in 1991, and which voted non-Congress for the first time in 1996.
Hazaribagh, a constituency that does not believe in encores
This constituency has never returned the same party twice consecutively. Will the BJP's Yashwant Sinha break the jinx?
To pavilion, before polls
They jump into the poll arena with much fanfare, but half the candidates in Gujarat retire unwell
even before the game begins.
Issues 98: Political parties must act on women's issues now
National Council for Women chairperson Mohini Giri on the issues of women's rights and representation in Parliament.
Assam: Ultras kill CPI-ML candidate
Gujarat: BJP may coast through in Surendranagar
Karnataka:BJP, Congress battle for Bangarappa's home ground
Orissa:Straight fights will be tough for Congress
Punjab: Terrorist nabbed with explosives
Tamil Nadu:Rajiv killing not a poll issue in state
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The man who taught Sonia Hindi
Behind every successful woman there is a man. And in Italian-born Sonia Gandhi's case,
it is Ratnakar Pandey, a 61-year-old Congressman, who is the party
candidate in Varanasi.
FEBRUARY 11
Sonia puts the worry-lines back on BJP and SP in Uttar Pradesh
In her hectic campaigning in the interiors of India's most populous state, she has been bringing back Muslims and women to the Congress fold.
Largescale violence likely in UP to stop Muslim votes
The Union home ministry anticipates violence in 32 Muslim-dominated constituencies.
Home turf is ready for campaign, but Deve Gowda isn't home yet
There is no room for complacency in Hassan, but the ex-prime minister hasn't even started
vote-wooing.
Of sugar belts and bitter pills
After losing three Lok Sabha seats in the sugar belt for the first time to the saffron alliance in 1996, the Congress is taking no chances this time round.
'That Sharief is a bastard...'
Congress leaders are shouting themselves hoarse, claiming that Sonia's entry has united the party like nothing else and reduced infighting to zero.
But scratch a little under the surface and the dirt begins to show.
Kanshi Ram has a tough battle ahead
Saharanpur's Muslim vote is splintered; whereas
the dalit votes are insufficient to elect the BSP top boss.
A star is born in Kakinada
Krishnam Raju, the ageing Telugu star and the BJP candidate, is drawing crowds. But that need not mean the BJP will make its debut in coastal Andhra.
P Upendra seeks a second term in unforgiving Vijayawada
Up against him is newbie with political clout Dasari Jairamesh.
Dhawan to race Jagmohan neck and neck in New Delhi
And it is the government servants, accounting for one-third of the
electorate, who hold the key to their fortunes.
'I will continue my fight against Chandrababu Naidu'
Lakshmi Parvathi, in a rare interview.
Gujral digs up his Punjabi roots to charm Jalandar crowd
He didn't forget to mention his 'largesse' to the constituency, either -- didn't he bring the country's
first STD telephone service and television station to Jalandar?
Akali Dal manifesto calls for more power to the states
A federal structure, a war against corruption, backing for the downtrodden among SAD manifesto promises.
Fernandes prepares to retain Nalanda
Nalanda was famous as a learning centre a millennium ago, today it's infamous for manufacturing
illegal guns.
Tough trio battle for Ambala
Suraj Bhan, backed by the Haryana Vikas Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine, Aman Kumar Nagra, supported by the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya)-Bahujan Samaj Party, and Raj Kumar Balmiki of the Congress fight it out.
BJP demand apology for delaying Goa's liberation
'Nehru delayed liberating Goa for 14 years, and Sonia should apologise for that!'
Munde willing to step down, offers deputy CM post to RPI for support to Sena-BJP
He said he was serious about the offer to the RPI if Prakash Ambedkar, R S Gavai, Jogendra Kawade and Ramdas Athavale withdraw from the fray and campaign for the alliance.
The more undecided the voters are, the greater the role and effect of pre-poll surveys
Dr N Bhaskara Rao on the pros and cons of covering poll surveys in the media.
ISSUES '98: 'Political parties disregard laws against child labour'
Kailash Satyarthi, on the issue of child labour
Jammu & Kashmir:SC dismisses plea for advancement of J&K polls
Uttar Pradesh: Independents outnumber party candidates
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Starry Days
Some glitter and a bit of glamour won't do no political
party any harm, will it?
FEBRUARY 10
BJP dares Sonia to a debate on Bofors
"The Swedish PM has said Sonia knows much more about the Bofors gun deal. Why
can't she reveal the details? Sonia is mixed up. Silence would
mean guilty of involvement, although I don't know about the extent of her
involvement," says BJP president L K Advani.
Sonia's campaign has revived Congress fortunes, admits Advani
The BJP president says the challenge was good for his party
as it would not allow the cadre to become over-confident and
complacent
Sonia's success makes Kesri review his political options
Insulted and humiliated, with the possibility of himself being replaced by a political rookie after
the election, the Congress president wonders what to do.
'Sonia effect' galvanises AP Congressmen, leaves Naidu and Co floundering
The stick the Congress will use to beat the AP CM with will be the one which he has himself provided: non-implementation of poll promises
IAF keeps Vajpayee airborne
The IAF refused the BJP leader permission to land at the Pathankot air base, forcing him to fly to Amritsar. Vajpayee says his party will ask the Election Commission to investigate.
EC defers polling in Ladakh, Mandi to June 21
Adverse cold weather plays spoilsport as EC decides to wait it out till summer.
Crime and politics makes for a heady brew in Bihar
In wild Bihar, the fight is among criminals. Included are
contestants with charges ranging from murder and rape to
abduction and arson.
Muslim intelligentsia trashes BJP's overtures at seminar
The consensus at the seminar was that the BJP was a communal party, in whose regime the largest minority community would not be safe
Another NTR son-in-law steps back into the reckoning
D Venkateshwara Rao, who recently joined the BJP, has some scores to settle with AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu, his brother-in-law.
BJP becomes Tamil Nadu's talking point
From a party that polled only 2.5 per cent of the votes and winning
a lone assembly seat, and recording a respectable second place
in a Lok Sabha constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party
has suddenly become the cynosure of all eyes in the state.
Circumstances reason for fewer women, says Khurana
The BJP vice-president insists that while his party supports the case of more women in Parliament, it can field more candidates only if the other parties follow suit.
'We do not have Ayodhya on our agenda. But we do not set the agenda for others'
An interview with Jana Krishnamurthy, the BJP ideologue who built up the party in Tamil Nadu and who is contesting the prestigious Madras South seat.
'The BJP was encouraged to promote majority communalism because the Congress supported minority communalism'
Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member V S Achutanandan, in a candid interview.
Khanna promises Gurdaspur Paris, Congress says he will cut and run
Shedding the grease and paint of his tinsel world
image, political debutant and BJP nominee Vinod Khanna is now enacting
a different role in Gurdaspur.
Murasoli Maran has it easy
A strong base and lack of competition makes the election a cakewalk for the DMK chief's nephew.
Maneka Gandhi faces old rival in Pilibhit
This time, Maneka is contesting as an independent supported by the BJP, while her earlier BJP rival Parshuram Gangwar is now the Samajwadi Party candidate.
The Men Who May Be PM
Pritish Nandy hosts a countdown for the next prime minister
The BJP's awesome twosome
Janardan Thakur on why those who highlight differences between Vajpayee and Advani have got it all wrong.
ISSUES '98: 'It is too expensive to be weak'
General V N Sharma (retd) speaks on the need for a strong State.
India Speaks: 'If the Ambanis took charge of the economy, how long will they let it run as a loss making organisation?'
Arun Arora on what he expects from this election and the politicians
OTHER NEWS REPORTS:
Pay strike lands IAF officer in scalding soup
For the first time in the history of the Indian Air Force, a wing
commander might face a court martial for protesting against
pay disparities.
Joginder's book leaves Bofors alone, dwells on Rao
In his autobiography Without fear and favour, the
former CBI chief passes lightly on Bofors -- but makes up for it
with details on Narasimha Rao, Deve Gowda and K P S Gill.
Jinnah's diary 'stolen'
General Zia had claimed the diary contained Jinnah's thoughts on an Islamic state; his associates dismissed the suggestion.
Maharashtra: Cartoonist Thackeray lampoons political opponents in style
Bihar: Tough battle where last time winners had narrow win
•
The Sadhu Effect
They come in different sizes and shapes. But the colour, invariably,
is the same: Saffron.
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