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Election Express
 By Sunetra Choudhury
Election Bus: Separation pangs
Monday May 18, 2009, New Delhi
For the last few days, I have lived in limbo land. I am back home, I am back in Delhi and yet, I feel lost. It's expected, I guess. After moving upto 400 kms sometimes in a day, it's a little disconcerting to lead a stationary life. To lead a life in a city that has 1.1 crore people.
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The last journey
Wednesday May 13, 2009, Dhaurahra
I would have never believed that I'd feel like this after two months on the road. Since we set out early this morning, I'm feeling this strange emptiness, this sadness that from tomorrow, there will be no place that we have to get to, no stories to discover, no urgency of an evening deadline and no new bed to sleep in.
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D P Yadav in Badayun
Tuesday May 12, 2009, Badayun
When I told friends I wanted to meet Badayun BSP candidate, DP Yadav, they almost sounded disappointed - why him? He's a nobody, he's just a goonda and why are you giving him a platform?
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The bus and friends
Saturday May 9, 2009, Rampur
It's funny sometimes how you meet strangers and then end up spending the entire day with them. Mohammed Asif turned up on our bus claiming to be close to Jaya Prada. Well, first, he called us saying that he was the district incharge of the Samajwadi Party. When we met him for the first time, we knew that there was no way that was true - he was way too young.
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Oye Bittu, Bittu oye!
Friday May 8, 2009, Punjab
What's up with Punjab and it's overfamiliarity with politicians? In just one day, I met one and heard of many more candidates who go by, well, their silly nick names. We met Bittu, assasinated Chief Minister Beant Singh's grandson. He said, "Don't laugh at me, there's a Tikku and a Danny fighting as well."
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Delhi dilemma
Friday May 8, 2009
After travelling the entire country, I'm in Delhi today. I know that the Election Express is about small towns, big dreams but how could we not vote?
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In Shimla
Wednesday May 6, 2009, Shimla
The Election Express reached the northern most point of it's journey today. We have driven through the tough, winding Western Ghats, sweated it out in mid-40's temperature of Orissa, and braved the bad roads of UP and Bihar but we had no solution for the unexpected cold weather in Shimla.
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Roaming in Ropar
Friday May 8, 2009, Ropar
It's not fair. We have such little time now, we have to cover Punjab in just a day. Just a day! I would have liked to go to Gurdaspur to see if actor Vinod Khanna is contrary to his tribe, I would have liked to roam the villages and find out if the NRI dream is still alive and how Punjab's farmers are coping.
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Lonely Lalu
Wednesday April 29, 2009, Patna
Okay, I'd like to start this post with a confession. We, TV people, love Lalu Yadav. We love Lalu Yadav for very superficial reasons. He looks really interesting on TV (admit it, the ear hair may grouse you out but you can't take your eyes off it- are they really that long, you keep saying to yourself) and he's a funny guy. Everyone loves funny guys and even though his track record is a bit dodgy (talk about understatements) we indulge him for just these reasons.
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Patna shining or stinking?
Tuesday April 28, 2009, Patna
I've spent more than 24 hours in Patna now and I still do not think that Patna or Bihar has developed under Nitish Kumar. But who cares what I think? As a wiser, older journalist told me when I wanted to rush to the government department for facts and figures to probe this angle, elections are not about cold hard facts. Elections are about perceptions. And maybe, the perception that Nitish has done good is enough to win him an election.
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About Me
Sunetra Choudhury
Sunetra Choudhury started her career as a reporter with The Indian Express in 1999. When she left to join TV in 2002, she was heading the Delhi reporting team that would bring out Newsline. After a brief stint in hindi in Star News, she joined NDTV in 2003. Apart from doing investigative stories, Sunetra has been covering elections since UP by-elections in 2000. While she followed the Congress party in Delhi, she spent six weeks in Gujarat covering 2007 assembly polls, apart from UP and MP assembly polls.