Waiting outside former chief minister A R Antulay's hotel room in Aurangabad, it suddenly dawned upon this correspondent why politicians hate being called ex-anything -- ex-MLA, ex-minister, ex-MP... Waiting for Antulay to finish his breakfast were a number of former MLAs, former MPs and even some former ministers. After having made others wait for them, it must be really painful for these people to wait upon somebody. By now we all know that Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde is never on time. But during campaigning in his home constituency Renapur he made life miserable for the villagers. He arrived five to six hours late for almost every meeting. While Munde's late arrival did not raise eyebrows anywhere, what surprised many was the fact that people waited for him for that long. "Why not? We are proud of the man who brought recognition to us by becoming the first deputy chief minister from this village,'' said a supporter. The Muslims's dislike for the Bharatiya Janata Party is well known. But, wait a minute -- this equation changes in Munde's constituency. In Penngaon, nearly 500 Muslims were present to welcome Munde to their village. They told me Munde had brought water to the village and was also instrumental in constructing a graveyard. "What has the Congress given Muslims in the last 50 years?" asked Asim Shaikh. He then went on to answer the question himself: "All that the Congress gave us was a bunch of useless Muslim leaders.'' More on Muslims. Caste politics seem to have no end in India. When Antulay used to win from Kulaba constituency he took pride in the fact that Muslims comprised only 8 per cent of the electorate there. But when he felt unsafe in Kulaba and thought of changing his constituency, Aurangabad, a town with a heavy Muslim presence, was his first choice. Please quote the percentage figure once again, Mr Antulay. We all know that politicians show their true colours during elections and disappear till the next round. Maybe that's why the Indian electorate is repeatedly handing down a fractured verdict, just to make sure that politicians come back with a begging bowl for votes more often. One candidate who is really slumming it out in Mumbai is Mohan Rawle. You see him walking in narrow, slushy lanes and slum colonies for hours everyday. The other day, during one such padyatra he was seen removing his shoes time and again. The problem was shoe-bite. His assistant was immediately asked to arrange for a softer, more comfortable pair the next day. Perhaps Mr Rawale needs shoes that are big for his size. The Shiv Sena has always been proud of its strength in the Konkan region. Now with the Sena's five-year rule producing two chief ministers from the region, the smiles are getting broader. Though Narayan Rane and Manohar Joshi may not be the best of friends, they can't deny that they both owe it to Konkan. While Joshi comes from Khed, Narayan is a sitting MLA from Malvan. However, the party must realise that this election may restrict its influence to the coastal belt alone. And if that happens, it will be difficult for a Shiv Sainik from Konkan to occupy the chief minister's post again. Heard the latest about the Shiv Sena's promise to provide jobs to 2.7 million unemployed youths? Well, two youth have already been provided gainful employment -- Uddhav and Raj Thackeray. Syed Firdaus Ashraf heads for UP next week.
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