Campaign no-show

The electorate at several places in Rajasthan has sorely missed the frenetic election campaigns of the past. Neither of the state's two main political parties, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has come out with intent to unleash a vigorous campaign. The Congress candidates, say local party sources, didn't have the heart to waste their money on an election campaign they believed they were sure to lose, particularly after the drubbing the party received in the recent Assembly elections. The same Assembly election results have led the BJP candidates to believe the battle has already been won, which shows in their election campaigns that have also been largely lethargic. Rajasthan has 25 Lok Sabha seats, 20 of which went to polls on April 17 and the remainder are slated to vote on April 24.