
Message in the margins
LUCKNOW: The word is out on the streets: Atal Behari Vajpayee isn8217;t the king of Lucknow he thought he was. The other raja, Karan Singh, will of course lose the battle, but in Lucknow, he has won the war. 8220;It will be a defeat for Vajpayee if he wins from here with less than one lakh votes. Karan Singh was a total stranger for Lucknow but his intensive campaigning has made the going tough for the Prime Minister,8221; observes a shop owner in Janpath.
Dalwani talks about the galaxy of BJP leaders who addressed meetings in PM8217;s constituency, among them L.K. Advani, Kalyan Singh, Madan Lal Khurana, Sushma Swaraj, Pramod Mahajan, Sahib Singh Verma and Narendra Modi. 8220;Is it not indication of a sense of disquiet in the BJP camp?8221; he asks.
One of Vajpayee8217;s rallies coincided with a meeting of Sonia Gandhi, being held just a little distance away and attended by a large number of Muslims. Mohammed Sulaiman was among those present, and he sounds a warning to the Prime Minister. 8220;How long can the BJP take the voters for granted?8221; he asks. 8220;We will show that we are not like sheep. Karan Singh has done tremendous legwork. Maybe he is not in a position to win this time, but who knows what will happen next time.8221;
8211;AMIT SHARMA