Superstitious politicians refuse accommodation and offices previously occupied by leaders who suffered reversal of fortune recently
Superstitious politicians refuse accommodation and offices previously occupied by leaders who suffered reversal of fortune recently
Newly-elected MLAs don't want to move into bungalows whose previous occupants either lost the latest Assembly polls or suffered a reversal of fortune recently.
Mantralaya officials, unwilling to come on record, said the superstitious politicians are fearful that some of the bad luck would rub off on them.
Cabin 465 at Mantralaya and Sarang bungalow both occupied earlier by former minister of minority affairs Anees Ahmed have not been taken by any minister reportedly because Ahmed lost the Assembly elections from Nagpur by a slim margin.
Room No 648, which was occupied by former minister of state for food and civil supplies Ramesh Bang, who lost the elections, has not been occupied by anybody despite it being strategically close to the chief minister and deputy chief minister's offices on the sixth floor of Mantralaya.
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While Panchbudhe lost in the polls, Atram got embroiled in the Chinkara deer case and went on to lose the elections this time. As would be expected, Room No 647 has no takers.
Not lucky
Cabin number 618, which was occupied by former minister of state for health Shobha Bacchhav, who lost the elections, was allotted to minister of state for medical education Varsha Gaikwad after the new ministry was formed. Not surprisingly, Gaikwad shifted from the cabin to another one on the first floor.
Then there is Shivneri bungalow that was occupied by former dairy development minister Ravishet Patil, who lost in the Assembly elections, and before that by former minister Satish Chatuvedi, who also suffered a defeat in the state polls.
Killing reminder
Minister of State for Industries Rana Jagjitsingh Patil, whose father is allegedly embroiled in the Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case, lost the elections.
His cabin (the number could not be ascertained) is also reportedly unoccupied. Mantralaya officials refused to confirm the same.
Gaikwad, said, "I have not shifted because of convenience, as my new office is on the first floor. It is more accessible to workers and citizens."
Said a Mantralaya official, "These offices and bungalows will have to be occupied by Congress ministers who will be sworn in later. They will have to make do with the offices and bungalows that they considered jinxed."
Himalayan Baba
Back in 2003, a man from Versova was arrested for duping an 18-year-old college student for Rs 61,000.
The girl asked Baba Ganga Sagar Dwivedi alias Himalayan Baba, at his residence on Juhu Versova Link Road to mend a love affair.
The baba, who promised to reconcile the girl with her love in three days, asked for Rs 61,000 to conduct a puja. The girl paid the sadhu.
When the puja had no tangible results, she confessed to her parents. They contacted the police and had the baba arrested on July 26.
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