On Sunday (August 8) when Advani and Munde landed in the city, it was with the usual fanfare that comes on the eve of a general election. There were the usual banners, pomp and enthusiasm, all perfectly normal and probably expected in a year when the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are to be held simultaneously in the State after 20 years.

All was perfectly fine till somebody from the BJP allegedly got a fine looking monitor lizard (aka Ghorpad) along with a few rabbits in the function. The rabbits were fine but the monitor lizard, grabbed the limelight.

Although a harmless reptile it is also listed in the schedule one of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Something that Shantilal Suratwala, city president of the Nationalist Congress Party swooped on and immediately registered a case in, not one or two, but five police stations in the city!

So along with the 19 cases of poll code violation registered with the police, the ghorpad holds a place of pride. Although the whereabouts of the now famous lizard is not known, the police are conducting further investigations.