Meditating for change? (Poll sidelights)

New Delhi, Feb (ANS) AAP leader and strong chief ministerial aspirant Arvind
Kejriwal spent some time in contemplation after casting his vote at B.K. Dutt Colony
Saturday.

After he cast his vote, Kejriwal drove straight to a North Avenue bungalow where one
of the four Aam Aadmi Party MPs lives.

Seated cross-legged on a sofa, Kejriwal chatted with other party leaders gathered
there for some time. Then he slipped into deep reverie - staring into space - for a
while.

Thinking what will the stars foretell - possibly?

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Misleading info on Bedi voting

The BJP Delhi unit's media publicity department gave journalists a tough time
Saturday morning with some misleading information on where its chief ministerial
candidate Kiran Bedi was to vote.

The BJP SMSed journalists that Bedi would be casting her vote at a municipal school
in Malviya Nagar at 8 a.m. without mentioning the specific area. Bedi has her
vote in the Uday Park area.

Believing that Bedi's area has been changed to Malviya Nagar, many journalists went
early to Malviya Nagar, enquiring at various government schools where polling was
being held if Bedi was to come there.

"Since the past half an hour many journalists have been enquiring if Bedi is coming
here to vote. But her vote is in Uday Park, as usual," said Amit, a BJP worker
outside a polling booth.

When Bedi came to vote at a municipal school in Niti Bagh, adjacent to Uday Park, at
around 9 a.m., there were several electronic media personnel waiting to capture the
moment after being misled earlier.

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Kids in poll booths

Little Madhav had to return disappointed after polling officials in Dwarka refused
to allow the curious four-year-old to accompany his mother to the polling booth,
watch her press the button on the Electronic Voting Machine, and get his little
finger inked along with hers - like it had happened last time.

This time, the police personnel politely declined to allow the child inside the
polling booth and instead kept him confined to a little corner they had erected for
children, showing him the guns the policemen were holding.

But this strictness with children was not the case in other areas like Mukherjee
Nagar, Karol Bagh and Rajinder Nagar. There little children were allowed to go
inside booths with parents and happily got their index fingers inked - proudly
showing them off to friends and kin.

Their proud parents even posted photographs of their beaming children with inked
fingers on facebook and twitter.

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Delhiites go out on picnics

Taking advantage of the poll day holiday followed by a Sunday, many families were
seen arriving at polling stations in their cars - to cast their votes before
leaving the city for a short weekend getaway.

Many arrived to vote with carry bags and suitcases packed in the boot as their
enthusiastic children sat patiently in the car while the adults went inside to vote.

"We are going to Mussoorie for a short trip but wanted to cast our vote first," said
Anand Mehta, a 45-year-old businessman in central Delhi, who arrived to vote
accompanied with his family.

Many others planned picnics and leisurely lunches at popular city hot spots like
India Gate, Dilli Haat, Lodhi Garden and Indraprastha Park after casting their
votes.

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Voting with a prayer

With some polling booths situated next to temples, many voters made use of the
opportunity to offer prayers and light a diya.

A girls' secondary school in Uday Park, which had a temple adjacent to it, saw many
voters visit the temple to pray, light a lamp and clang the temple bell after they
had cast their votes.

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Police worried about AAP's coming

With AAP's chances looking bright, Delhi Police constables and even officials were
seen enquiring from journalists what the chances are of the Arvind Kejriwal party
winning the Delhi elections - probably in the backdrop of past face-offs with the
short-lived AAP government last year.

"Do you really think the AAP will win? What do your sources say," were curious
questions posed by constables at several booths across the capital.

The 49-day-old AAP government had cracked down on bribe-taking by the policemen,
especially from auto-rickshaw drivers, tempo drivers and kiosk owners, by launching
an anti-corruption helpline that saw the police back off.

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No talk of 'jharu' please!

Overzealous poll officials cracked down on all talk of "jharu", the AAP party
symbol, at a poll booth in Dwarka.

"Don't please discuss party poll symbols; this is not allowed," said a poll
official, breaking into a chat between two people, waiting to vote, about who their
friends had voted for.

"I have got lot of messages from friends that they voted for the jharu," said a
woman waiting to vote, and got the reply from her friend: "Same here, my relatives
too said they pressed the jharu button" - when they were interrupted by the poll
official.