The Hindu : New Delhi News : Lucky charms for some, prayers for most

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Saturday, Nov 29, 2008
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Lucky charms for some, prayers for most

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Delhi Assembly hopefuls carry their own little talismans in the run-up to the polling day

Orange colour for Vijay Jolly of the BJP
Two is my lucky number: BSP’s Rajiv Singh

NEW DELHI: It worked for Barack Obama. The lucky poker chip, an American eagle pin and a golden statue of the monkey-king Hanuman -- lucky charms that the American President-elect was seen carrying -- has inspired several Delhi Assembly hopefuls to carry their own little talismans in the run-up to the polling day on Friday.

Leading the pack is Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vijay Jolly, who is hopeful of doing an “Obama” and is challenging Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for the New Delhi seat. Mr. Jolly, who does not “otherwise believe in charms”, will go to the polling booth dressed in orange.

“It’s my lucky colour, it makes me shine and it adds grace to my demeanour. And when a person shines, he automatically invites positive energy,” said Mr. Jolly on Friday. Thrown in for good measure will be “a mini Hanuman Chalisa, some Feng Shui coins and a photograph of Sai Baba”.

His opponent, Rajiv Singh of the Bahujan Samaj Party, will dress in the party’s colour, blue, but not carry any charms. He is instead upbeat about the date, November 29, which adds up to two.

“Two is a very lucky number for me. My date of birth is 29, I got married on the 20th at 11 Race Course Road, my car registration number adds up to two, my election office is at 20 Barakhamba Road, so I am supremely confident of not just winning but winning by a huge margin,” he said.

Samajwadi Party candidate from Moti Nagar Lal Babu Pandey, who is hopeful of stealing a march over his opponents because of his “good work” and support from “Biharis and Poorvanchalis”, believes in “doing important things only at the time specified” by his Guru. “I have always followed the advice of my Guru. From the time I filed my election papers to the time I will cast my ballot, everything has been decided by my Guru. I am a devotee of Goddess Kali and will visit the temple before going to vote.”

Friday may have been spent meeting polling agents and workers in their constituencies, but Saturday for most of these contestants will begin with a prayer.

“I pray everyday, so I will offer prayers on Saturday too. But as far as carrying charms is concerned, I do not believe in them,” said Nakul Bhardwaj of the BJP who is contesting from Patparganj. He will wear his favourite colour, “saffron”.

And it is not just lucky charms, for some it is “doing” or “not doing” certain things that is expected to bring them luck. “I do not talk to anyone till I chant the Hanuman Chalisa a hundred times, I also follow the advice of my astrologer to the tee and feed the birds and the ants,” said a contestant from the New Delhi Assembly constituency not wishing to be named.

‘A little meaning’

Others like BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra who has been contesting elections to Parliament since 1977, lucky charms and astrological advice have little meaning. “I have never believed in these trivia all these years. I have a prayer room in my house and that is where I will head before the elections. And as for luck during the elections, it is on our side, we are confident of winning a two-third majority,” said Prof. Malhotra.

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