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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, November 25: 8220;Voting is very slow here, do something about it,8221; Poormina Sethi, the Food and Civil Supplies Minister and candidate from Kalkaji constituency instructed her assistant outside a polling booth in Chittarajan Park. And in hushed tones she identified the polling centres where she wanted polling to be speeded up.
She also alleged that a relative of the Congress candidate Subash Chopra was caught impersonating in a polling booth at the Kalka Public School in the Alkananda JJ-cluster.
The police, however, brushed it aside as an old tactic for discrediting a rival. Which is exactly what the supporters of the Samajwadi Party candidate, Asif Mohammad Khan, seemed to be doing in Okhla.
8220;Pravez Haashmi the Congress candidate has been threatening the people so no one dares to vote against him,8221; said a student leader in Jamia Milia Islmia, though none of the voters confirmed this allegation.
The Congress candidate, Yogendra Shastri, who is hoping to wrest the Hauz Khas seat from the former transport minister and BJP candidate Rajendra Gupta, was touring those polling centres which were likely to draw votes in favour of the Congress.
In fact, a number of candidates in south Delhi constituencies were giving instructions to agents to slow down polling in centres favourable to their rival and increase the pace of polling in centres favourable to them.
The agents of one independent candidate was found distributing puri sabzi to voters in R.K. Puram Sector VII. 8220;Vote do, khana lo Give the vote, take the food,8221; was the slogan that circulated.
