Election frenzy
As the Capital was readying itself for the Assembly polls, everybody seemed to have been caught in the frenzy. With the police force put on election duty, the hearings of criminal cases listed in courts had to be deferred, as there were not enough police personnel to ensure security while the convicts were brought to the courts.

Admission blues
Now that parents will get extra points for being non-smokers, teetotallers and vegetarians, they have now drawn up lists of traits that can help them get ahead in the rat race for nursery admissions. On www.nurseryadmissions.com, a community portal for those applying for a seat, parents are now discussing if the child of a bald father will have less chances of making it to the list, or if schools will now say more points will be awarded to “virgin parents”. Internet is at least providing the stressed and desperate parents an outlet to express the frustration they are undergoing while trying to secure a nursery seat.

Minting money
The admission season seems to have given schools the perfect opportunity to rake in the moolah. They know how to get around the rule and make more money. At a Delhi school, a parent was asked to pay Rs 175 for a registration form. Shocked at being charged Rs 150 extra — registration forms are to be sold for only Rs 25, according to the government’s order — he insisted on seeing the principal. A threat to approach the media worked and he got the form for Rs 25. Wonder, if all parents manage to save themselves from being fleeced. Schools have found another means to earn bucks, by making it mandatory for the parents to buy prospectuses along with the registration forms. This is irrespective of the fact if the child will get admission in the school or not. The prospectuses sell for an average of Rs 300 to 400.

Love for Sanskrit
Sanskrit may not be the right language to learn in the age of globalisation. For Ashok Tripathi, the Superintendent of Police, Noida, however, the language is very close to his heart. So close that he even wishes to do his public dealings in Sanskrit. “If allowed, I will ask everyone to converse with me in Sanskrit. It is a beautiful language,” Tripathi said at a meeting of senior officials.

Debate on terror
Reacting to the Mumbai terror attack, writer Shobha De quipped that our politicians should not debate on terrorism. In response to De’s comment, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said a day ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections: “If socialites are now going to debate on national issues maybe we should start walking the ramp.”

Who cares for rules?
It was a mockery of the rules laid down by the Election Commission. In Najafgarh, campaigning for the Assembly polls went on till the last moment at the Dhichau Kalan polling station. The polling agents of independent candidate Bharat Singh had devised an innovative way. They created a prototype of the EVM machine with a button that duplicated the exact sound made by the EVMs — the only difference being there was no name other than Bharat Singh. It clearly showed the number on which his name was enlisted in the original EVMs. And all voters who turned up to check their names in the polling list were trained on this prototype to press the number-8 button — for Bharat Singh.

Malhotra still busy
The D-Day may have gone, but it is not time yet to relax for Vijay Kumar Malhotra. The morning after, the BJP’s presidential candidate headed for Rajinder Nagar, which goes to polls on December 13. The objective was to calm the frayed nerves of several party workers who are unhappy with the choice of Asha Yogi, widow of deceased candidate Puran Chand Yogi, sidelining several other wannabes. Senior leader Arun Jaitley, too, has made it clear that he is not happy with the choice.