Leaders like Nandan Nilekani, Milind Deora & Naveen Patnaik take a break post hectic Lok Sabha poll campaign

NEW DELHI: This poll season, Rahul Gandhi can envy his party’s south Bangalore candidate Nandan Nilekani like a student who has still some papers to go, while his friends, whose exams are over, chill out. While Gandhi can’t rest before May 16, Nilekani, the former Infosys CEO-turned-politician, is on his way to the Bandipur sanctuary to spot tigers with his wife and a wildlife photographer friend. Numerous rallies, speeches, dusty roads and sleepless nights has taken a toll. In six months, he has lost five kilos. “This is the best way to lose weight,” he says.

A singer who is contesting from West Bengal says he will fly off to Europe for a short break before joining party workers on counting day. Another leader from Bihar is headed to US to be with his children.

Most candidates find no time to sleep and eat well during election time, least of all, time to hit the gym. Many have fallen sick, like Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje who spent a few days in Dholpur to recover.

Milind Deora, sitting MP from Mumbai South, on the other hand, is looking to ‘get back in shape’. “I am catching up on ministry work, relaxing, exercising and eating properly again,” says Deora, who is also looking forward to finding some time for his hobbies — music and guitar.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik who had spent the last month zipping around the state, battling the onslaught from Sonia, Rahul, Modi, pushed off for a much-needed nine-day break to his residence in Delhi. While other senior Odisha politicians were off to closer climes, near and far, from Shillong and kodai to Switzerland.

Dia Kumari, a BJP leader and a member of the Jaipur Royal family, also plans to take a holiday with family. “I have a lot of work backlog — the museum, schools and lot to be done for a new hotel opening this year,” she said.

Everyone is not so lucky. Work hasn’t ended for Gul Panag, former Army chief VK Singh and BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi. “I am campaigning for the party in multiple cities,” says Singh. Lekhi says she has resumed her full-time job as the party spokesperson. “After the voting on 10th, I spent first two days meeting our polling agents and volunteers,” said Panag who contested as AAP’s Chandigarh candidate.

(With inputs from Meera Mohanty in Bhubaneswar & Ravi Teja Sharma in New Delhi)