Leaving aside acrimony with his former NDA ally, Nitish said, "He(Vajpayee) deserves it. Why should not it be given to him?".

Abdullah's National Conference (NC) was a part of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but it left the fold after the Gujarat riots.

Even as Sangma’s campaign fizzled out in no time, Mukherjee gave him one consolation by reserving the real big snub for Mamata.