AKOLA (Maharashtra): Congress Washim candidate and former CM Sudhakarrao Naik was dealt a bitter memory pill on Thursday. The tribals in this water-starved district have written to him more than once on their plight, to no avail. So on Thursday, when Naik came campaigning to Ghanora village here, angry tribals pelted stones at his vehicle. While he escaped narrowly, four members of his campaign party were injured. JALORE (Rajasthan): As popular as former Congress leader and now Independent candidate from here Buta Singh is his election symbol - a railway engine. Remembered most for introducing a shuttle mail between Samdari and Palanpur - it is known more as Buta Mail - Singh is exploiting the symbol to the hilt. In all his public meetings from Sirohi to Abu Road to Jalore, he urges the crowd to vote for Buta Mail. Candies wrapped in plastic and carrying the slogan of Buta Mail have flooded the numerous dhabas and tea-shops dotting the Jalore-Mt Abu highway. JAIPUR: Astar never dies. In India, that means, he can break out anytime, anywhere into a song. Rajesh Khanna's stock - considering his long stint in Bollywood - takes care of all occasions. Campaigning for Congress Jaipur candidate Syed Khan on Thursday night, he began with Paththar to bahut milte hain, dil nahin milta (Stones you get aplenty but not love).To the BJP, his advice was the party could fool the people but Yeh public hai, yeh sub janti hai (The public knows everything).The people, Khanna said, had to take the final decision. In his words, this went Ai chaman tu hi bata de kaun tera maali ho (O garden, tell us who should tend your flowers).His apology for coming late was not without a song either. "Main der karta nahin, ho jaati hai" (I don't delay, it happens).And Sonia Gandhi need not reiterate her "Indianism" at every meeting any longer. Khanna's super-hit counsel to her is: "Kuchch to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna. Chhodo bekar ki baton mein kahin beetna jaye raina". (The people will talk, as that is their wont. Why bother about them?). BHAWANIPATNA (Orissa): Even education authorities can't seem to keep track of the EC's model-behaviour lessons. Two primary schoolteachers of Kalahandi district, two school sub-inspectors and one junior coordinator have just failed the test on count of violating the model code of conduct. The first two have been suspended, the next three transferred. CHENNAI: Jayalalitha seems to have immense faith in opinion polls. The AIADMK leader is fuming at those published in two English magazines and is convinced DMK president M Karunanidhi and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram threatened the editors into carrying them. Both the polls had predicted a clean sweep for the DMK-TMC combine in Tamil Nadu. Jayalalitha believes "objective" surveys would have shown that the AIADMK's chances are very bright. But she herself doesn't seem very convinced: the letter alleging this has been written to AIADMKcadres!
