Poll jitters

With the high stakes in the presidential polls, political allies cannot even trust each other. The NCP’s DP Tripathy hosted a dinner last week and invited friends from across the political spectrum that included the Left and the BJP. While they enjoyed the sumptuous dinner, many speculated about the way votes would shift in the poll. In fact the NCP itself was the subject of debate with some UPA friends wondering aloud whether the party would break away and vote for the NDA’s Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. There was some consternation when none other than Shekhawat himself turned up at the function. For the record, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule were also present that evening but they were keeping mum.