The rigorous campaigning schedule ahead of the Lok Sabha elections has disrupted the routines of BJP and Congress candidates in Madhya Pradesh.
The candidates are leaving their homes early in the morning and returns late at night. Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Congress candidate from Guna, has of late been able to sleep only for five hours a day, one of his supporters told Express.
“He wakes up at 6 am and after a meeting he leaves for campaigning. He addresses 10-12 public meetings daily and doesn’t even stop for lunch, which he eats in his car. He sleeps at around 2 am,” said the close Scindia associate.
Scindia’s senior cabinet colleague Kamalnath, who is seeking re-election from Chhindwara, follows a more systematic schedule. He prefers moving in helicopters and doesn’t walk more than one kilometre in a day. He also likes to take a brief nap in the afternoon. Arun Yadav, the state Congress chief and candidate from Khandwa, moves around like a backpacker with everything including his pillow, breakfast and lunch. According to a member of Kamalnath’s entourage, these leaders who walk through dust, burning sun and a crowd of excited supporters know that they have to sweat this hard only once in five years and hence give their everything to make sure the voters don’t feel ignored.