Sonia saves Mumbai for last

She saved Mumbai for last. They came out in thousands, braved the rain and then the sun for over two hours on a working day to see Sonia Gan...

She saved Mumbai for last. They came out in thousands, braved the rain and then the sun for over two hours on a working day to see Sonia Gandhi. Dabbawalas kept someone8217;s lunch on hold, jewellers left their shops to sons, mothers stepped out to ask for jobs for their unemployed graduate daughters.

In a three-hour roadshow on the last day of campaigning, thousands lined the streets as Sonia pushed the limits of her security, shook their hands and said in Marathi: 8216;8216;Aamhi tumche abhari ahot. Amchya sarkarala mat dya. We are grateful for your support. Please vote for our Government8217;8217;.

The Congress president had started her day at Parshram Tawre stadium in Bhiwandi, the communally-sensitive powerloom town on the edge of Mumbai, where a crowd of 40,000 waited for her despite a downpur. She began by launching an attack on the Shiv Sena-BJP. 8216;8216;Economic development is essential but more important is peace and brotherhood,8217;8217; she said. After a short helicopter ride to Mulund, she got into a Tata Safari to begin her last lap. It was 12.45 pm and people had waited since 10.30 am.

Disappointment at Chembur naka

Chhaya Gaikwad8217;s day started earlier than usual today. By 8 am, the 45-year-old housemaid and mother of four had cooked, cleaned and spent Rs 25 on a bright yellow marigold garland from Chembur station.

8216;8216;I8217;m going to garland her Sonia and demand that she reduce the price of onions, they8217;re Rs 10 for a kilo now,8217;8217; said Gaikwad.

By her side was neighbour Kamal Damane 60. 8216;8216;I want her to get our children jobs,8217;8217; she said. These women from Siddharth Colony 8212; a labyrinth of chawls 8212; made up the bulk of those who waited for Sonia.

nbsp;	Cong, Sena candidates clash at Dadar, 3 hurt

		nbsp;	8226; MUMBAI: All hell broke loose at Hatiskarwadi near Dadar on Monday evening after Shiv Sainiks led by their candidate Sada Sarvankar objected to Congress8217;s Rajan Bhosale meeting voters at their homes. The Dadar constituency is a traditional Sena seat. In the melee, three Congress workers were injured after Sarvankar allegedly threw stones at them. 8216;8216;He has gone berserk after seeing the huge response to Sonia Gandhi8217;s roadshow in this constituency,8217;8217; said Bipin Nayak, a Congress worker. He said Sarvankar8217;s men also damaged a car and assaulted Bhosale but fled after Bhosale8217;s police escort pulled out a revolver.8216;8216;He was shouting slogans asking his men to beat me up. The timely intervention by my bodyguard saved me,8217;8217; Bhosale said. 8212;ENS.	nbsp;

As party workers distributed scarves, caps, stickers and flags, cell phones buzzed constantly with updates on where the cavalcade had reached. Two hours on, with police and volunteers in a tizzy managing traffic and pedestrians, there was a sudden hush. The first of Sonia8217;s security vehicles was sighted. Even as Congress workers cleared their throats to get that perfect cheer, the cavalcade zoomed past, on the 8216;8216;wrong8217;8217; road. Gaikwad stood, totally disappointed.

Diamond traders delay lunch

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8216;8216;I was hoping I could at least shake hands with her,8217;8217; cribbed Jagdu Megdhe, a dabbawala. Among the hundreds waiting at the bustling Opera House junction to take a closer look at Sonia.

But Megdhe along with a bunch of dabbawalas, automobile dealers and even saleswomen from a local jeweller were sorely disappointed. The cavalcade simply zipped past the crowd, without even a wave from her car.

Sonia No 1 and Govinda too

As Dharavi waited for Sonia, actor and MP Govinda, dressed in a black safari suit, was there to appease the waiting crowd. 8216;8216;This was unexpected. I didn8217;t know that coming here to listen to Soniaji would get me to see Govinda as well,8217;8217; said Podiamma 59.

Finally, Sonia arrived. Thanking the crowd for waiting, she said, 8216;8216;aamala matdan kara vote for us.8217;8217; Clearly the wait didn8217;t matter. 8216;8216;Humko Govinda to dekhne ko mila,8217;8217; smiled Raju Jadhav 30, sporting a Congress cap. Her last stop was Vakola, where crowds chanted: 8216;8216;Sonia nahin yeh aandhi hai; doosri Indira Gandhi hai! Sonia is a hurricane, she is the second Indira Gandhi.8217;8217;