Time and age move ahead at their own pace for the rest of the world but politicians in UP have proved that they can manipulate time and age to suit their conveniences. A look at the affidavits filed by some of the candidates in 2007 and now in 2012 shows how they have acquired the “anti-ageing formula”.
For instance, Ravidas Mehrotra, the Samajwadi Party candidate from Lucknow Central, gave his age as 52 years in 2007 and now five years later, he claims in his new affidavit that he is 54 years old. This means that he has aged by only two years in five years.
Similarly, Vidya Sagar Gupta, the BJP candidate from Lucknow Central was 67 years old in 2007 and in 2012 he has grown at a rapidfire pace to become 79 years old — he has aged 12 years in five years.
Fakir Siddiqui, the Congress candidate in Lucknow Central, has also aged by seven years in five years — he was 40 in 2007 and is 47 in 2012.
Women are known to hide their age and therefore one can forgive Sunita Singh, the Congress nominee from Bakshi Ka Talab, for ageing by only three years in the past five years. She was 51 in 2007 and is 54 in 2012.
Another woman candidate Purnima Varma, who is contesting the Mohanlalganj seat on a BJP ticket, was also 50 years old in 2007 and is now only 52.
Dr Neeraj Bora, Congress candidate from Bakshi Ka Talab, was 41 years old in 2007 and five years later, he has turned 44.
The most interesting case is that of Suresh Tiwari, the BJP candidate from Lucknow Cantt seat. He was 50 in 2007 and has grown six years in five years to turn 56 in 2012.
Daddan Misra, former BSP minister and now BJP candidate, was 37 in 2007 and is now 48 years old which means that he has aged 11 years in five years.
Meanwhile, when contacted, an EC official admitted that the affidavits had not been verified in context of 2007 and that the matter would now be taken up.