Third Eye: Wrong numbers, apologies, and smog concerns amid election season

When A Mobile Number Becomes A Trouble Number

BJP is urging people to give a missed call on a mobile number provided by the party to either become a member or renew their membership. However, during training programmes some party workers jumbled up the digits in the number, giving trouble to a few ordinary citizens. A party worker from Begusarai in Bihar ended up dialing a Gurgaon woman. Within a day, she received 10,000 calls asking her to register as a BJP member. The party says the error has been rectified. Similarly, a personal assistant of a former Congress leader with a similar mobile number is also receiving calls for BJP membership.

Sidda All Praise for BJP Leader

Chief minister Siddaramaiah is all praise for BJP’s deputy leader of Opposition Aravind Bellad, an out-and-out government critic. Bellad, while attacking the CM recently, made a reference to his father. It could have gone unnoticed. But, Bellad realised his mistake and wrote a letter of apology to the chief minister. The gesture has been widely appreciated.

Election & Smog... A Coincidence

Haryana’s election calendar may coincide with Delhi-NCR’s annual smog season. The state goes to polls on October 4 and results will be declared on October 8. It is also harvest time, with farm fires picking up pace by mid-October. With model code of conduct already in force, the worry is whether there will be enough enforcement — both before and after elections.