Run up to voting, Cong raises the pitch with slogans praising Priyanka

With the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections barely 15 days away, the Congress is trying to raise the game in eastern Uttar Pradesh by projecting its general secretary in charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the star campaigner. Slogans such as “Priyanka nahi hai aandhi hai, Dusri Indira Gandhi hai” have started making their way into speeches of local leaders, who have been sent to various parts of the state to gauge the mood of the voters. However, some ground workers are worried that the party has done little to no campaigning in western UP. 

Alimony waits for NYAY

A strange application was filed in an Indore family court recently. In a family dispute, the court had directed a person to pay Rs 4,500 per month as alimony to his wife and daughter. However, the matter soon took a political turn when the person submitted an application in the court, saying Congress President Rahul Gandhi had promised to pay Rs 6,000 per month under the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY). He added once the Congress formed the government and started paying, he would pay the alimony to his wife and daughter. The court has taken it in its record and has fixed April 29 as the next date of hearing. But the question is: Does this person qualify for the scheme?

A professional and a politician

Janata Dal (United) National Vice-President Prashant Kishor (pictured), who joined politics recently, has not shied away from his official responsibilities of being a brand strategist. It is learnt that he has asked his team specifically to keep working on different “brands and accounts” that his company has been handling so far. His team had apprehensions that since the top boss had joined the JD(U) now, work for other parties or parties in the Opposition would come down. Kishor, however, has made it clear that his plunge into politics is strictly personal, while professional work, even if it is for an ideologically opposed party, must continue in accordance with the plan.