Some party before the party, others say grace

NEW DELHI: Their fate is sealed in ballot boxes. But even as they wait with bated breath for Saturday , candidates are also praying in temples, throwing tea parties and strategising how to deploy party workers on counting day. Samajwadi Party���s Lucknow candidate Nafisa Ali visited Ayodhya as well as Lucknow���s famous Hanuman temple and all the dargahs in the city. She is expecting a close fight between her and the Congress���s Rita Bahugana. ���May the best woman win,��� she laughs.

Fellow SP candidate from Gorakhpur, Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari who is a follower of Ma Vindhyavasini, did a special puja before his Gorakhpur trip where he���ll be camping till D-Day . Invoking Ma Kali���s blessings was former cricketer and BJP���s East Delhi candidate Chetan Chauhan who did a special puja in Matri Mandir in Delhi���s Safdarjung Enclave earlier this week.

Also camping in his constituency , Bihar���s West Champaran , is film maker Prakash Jha. ���I will stay on till counting day,��� he says. On Friday, Jha will hold workshops with counting agents and party workers. No rituals for him, Jha says, ���I���m taking each day as it comes.��� Tiwari, who acted in the superhit Sasura Bada Paisewala, is busy meeting locals. He says instead of jan sampark (meeting public), he���s now into man sampark (tapping into people���s minds). Interestingly, he claims to have impressed women while campaigning.

���Many women are calling me up. They ask me not to leave because they have voted for me, they say.��� In the meantime , Ali���s planned a get-together . ���I���m going to Lucknow tomorrow for a tea party for all SP yuva shakti workers and poll agents. It���s to thank them for their efforts,��� she says. From 7 to noon, Ali hopes to meet party workers and assess the ground situation.

Tiwari too will host a tea party on Friday for 250 party workers where he will see how to deploy them on counting day. This will be followed by dinner as a morale booster. ���Chawal, dal, sabzi aura aam rakhawaya hai menu mein. (There���ll be rice, dal, vegetables and mangoes for dinner )��� he says. If he wins, he���ll hold ���a big sabha on May 18 to thank Gorakhpur��� he says. Tiwari is also attending social gatherings in Gorakhpur. ���Litti chokha khaa ke ek function mein jana hai. This is organised by local singers where I get to meet new talent and maybe help them get a break��� says Tiwari.

Chauhan is least ruffled he says, having gone back to his usual routine. ���I���m back to my morning walk, an hour of yoga and puja,��� he says. On Saturday, he���ll be at the counting centers.