Campaign madness over, it’s time for tea and temples

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, May 24

With polling day today, candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Congress took a rare and much-needed break on the pen-ultimate day of voting, marking the end of a frenetic campaign season. The intense schedule of roadshows, jan sabhas, town halls, and door-to-door interactions gave way to a day of leisure and personal reflection.

In West Delhi, BJP candidate Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who has been tirelessly campaigning for over two months, finally took a breather. She spent her day preparing tea and snacks for her team and herself relishing a tranquil afternoon. Contrastingly, her AAP rival Mahabal Mishra chose family time, enjoying dahi chura with his party cadres and playing with his grandchildren.

Praveen Khandelwal, the BJP candidate for Chandni Chowk, also embraced the calm. After 84 days of non-stop campaigning, he relaxed at home, made tea, and caught up with friends over the phone. Meanwhile, the youngest BJP candidate, Bansuri Swaraj, seeking to represent New Delhi, embarked on a spiritual journey. She visited the Iskcon Temple at East of Kailash, accompanied by spiritual orator Abhinav Arora, engaging in a serene spiritual discourse.

In East Delhi, BJP’s Harsh Malhotra enjoyed a quiet day with his family. AAP’s Sahiram Pehalwan, contesting from South Delhi, visited the Durga temple in Tekhand village and later watched the movie ‘Nayak’ at home.

Other BJP candidates, including Manoj Tiwari (North East), Yogendra Chandolia (North West), and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (South Delhi), also opted for low-key activities. AAP candidates Kuldeep Kumar (East Delhi) and Somnath Bharti (New Delhi) followed suit, spending the day in relative calm.

In contrast, Congress candidates Udit Raj from the Nort-West seat, Kanhaiya Kumar from North-East Delhi and JP Agarwal from Chandni Chowk parliamentary seat maintained a steady pace. They conducted several small and large meetings and pad yatras across various colonies in their respective constituencies, reaffirming the party’s assurances to voters.

As Delhi prepares to cast its votes, this brief interlude has provided the candidates a moment of peace before the electoral battle resumes. Today, they return to the fray, ready to face the electorate’s decision.