Buzzword: Akalis may win by default

Akalis may win by default

There are chances that the Akalis and the BJP may emerge victorious in Punjab. According to a survey conducted by the Congress, all three parties, the Congress, AAP and the Akalis are on an equal footing in the state. This gives a leverage to the Akalis who might again form the government by default, as the anti establishment vote is likely to get divided between the Congress and the AAP. Meanwhile, the Congress leadership in Punjab is upset with Rahul Gandhi and Captain Amarinder Singh for hiring Prashant Kishor for an exorbitant amount but not getting what they wanted.

Azad is valued

Ghulam Nabi Azad’s star is shining bright. The Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, besides being the political adviser and election strategist to Rahul Gandhi, is also strategising the party’s policies in Parliament as the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha. His importance can be gauged from the fact that when Sonia Gandhi and her children went to Allahabad for Indira Gandhi’s birth centenary, it was Azad who accompanied the family and not any other senior leader.

Mahesh Sharma thinks Kiwi PM is cricketer 

Union Minister Mahesh Sharma put his foot in the mouth by twice calling the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Brendon McCullum, the Kiwi cricketer. At a press conference in Delhi organised by New Zealand tourism and attended by PM Key, Sharma welcomed “PM Brendon McCullum” to India warmly and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was delighted that “Prime Minister McCullum” had come to India. Sharma received his comeuppance when Tourism New Zealand’s brand ambassador for India, actor Sidharth Malhotra welcomed “Dr Sharad Pawar” as payback.

Trump’s Nix is coming to India

Alexander Nix, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, which ran a successful Presidential campaign for Donald Trump in the US, will come to India in January. He has developed an interest in India because of the NRI support he got for Trump. In India, he will explore options in the fields of politics and psephology. His interests, for the time being are most likely the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat. Some Indian agencies are interested in meeting him to find a foothold in the US in future.