Amit Shah realised early on that the real hurdle for the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh polls was not so much the farmer vote in western UP but that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav would mobilise his campaign on a backward vs forward projector. He knew that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Thakur caste was a disadvantage with some sections. It was Narendra Modi, not Shah, who decided that Adityanath be declared the BJP’s CM candidate. By early January, after the exit of Swami Prasad Maurya and a few other OBC MLAs dealt a blow, Shah stepped in to take complete charge of the UP campaign. Outside of Adityanath’s home territory, Gorakhpur, it was Shah who had his way in the selection of candidates. Shah ensured that OBCs were given large representation and OBC leaders like Keshav Prasad Maurya and Anupriya Patel were projected in the campaign. Shah also began a blitzkreig tour of the state.

Kishor’s Waterloo?
Will Goa turn out to be campaign whiz Prashant Kishor’s Waterloo? Kishor’s outfit I-PAC is in total charge of the TMC campaign. TMC Goa in-charge Mohua Moitra’s responsibilities are largely confined to interacting with the media. The list of Goan politicians who joined the TMC but quit after getting a negative feedback from their constituencies is growing. Former Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco is now fighting as an Independent. Former MGP MLA Lavoo Mamledar is standing on a Congress ticket. A founding member of the Goa TMC, Yatish Naik, resigned after not getting a ticket. Other prominent TMC supporters who appear disillusioned include literary personality Damodar Ghanekar, footballer Denzil Franco and tennis player Leander Paes. Former CM Luizinho Faleiro, who was the TMC’s first recruit, backed out of contesting from Fatorda, after a Rajya Sabha seat from the party. Less-known names grumble that they were wooed initially simply so that I-PAC could get access to their contact numbers. The TMC has invested heavily in Goa. Its giant hoardings far outnumber those of all other parties. But the hoardings simply carry a picture of Mamata Banerjee, not even the candidates’ photos.

Divided House
More than the ineffectual Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, BJP organising secretary Satish Dhond is being blamed for the misguided election strategy of the party in Goa. Dhond, an RSS pracharak, was transferred to Maharashtra when Manohar Parrikar was around. He returned to Goa while Parrikar was ailing and was given a free rein because of a lack of alternatives. In selecting candidates, factors such as party loyalty, parivar links and a clean record were given short shrift. The cadre-based party has allotted 25 per cent of its tickets to Congress defectors. Dhond’s critics say he has failed to gauge the public disenchantment with defectors. For old-timers the cynical decision to allot the Panjim ticket to the controversial Atanasio Monserrate rather than Utpal Parrikar, the son of Parrikar, was the last straw. Subhash Velingkar, former Goa RSS chief, has endorsed Utpal’s candidature, as have many others with the Sangh Parivar.

Art of Networking
There are many fascinating facets to Captain Krishnan Nair’s life story besides founding the Leela Group of Hotels. He was a pioneer in the handloom textile industry, setting up Leela Laces and promoting bleeding Madras shirts to the West. Bachi Karkaria’s soon-to-be-released biography Capture the Dream recalls Nair’s ability to get the right doors opened. From Morarji Desai and Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia to Vasantdada Patil, Nair cultivated many. His major mentor was V P Menon, to whom he managed an introduction through the Malayali network. Nair’s mother requested Menon’s wife to carry a bottle of her pickle to her son in Delhi. Menon eventually introduced the boy from Kannur, Kerala, to his many contacts. For instance, when Nair needed an introduction to a snooty Nottingham lace machine manufacturer, he could ask Lord Mountbatten to vouch for him.

Deceptive Looks
The body language of the candidates in the Punjab campaign can be deceptive. Sukhbir Singh Badal exudes supreme confidence and humour, even if the Akali Dal is down in the dumps. Captain Amarinder Singh maintains his unflappable, regal demeanour, though he is aware he might be fighting a losing battle. Conversely, the two frontrunners seem rather down in the mouth. AAP’s Bhagwat Singh Maan is anxious to present a sober image as he fears any show of exuberance will be misunderstood. The Congress’s Charanjit Singh Channi looks depressed and tearful at times, perhaps nervous about the unpredictable Navjot Singh Sidhu.