'Mamata's fascination with stars is so deep-rooted that she uses her clout as chief minister to get close to them.'
The list, which is a mix of seasoned political players and greenhorns, has 17 women candidates, five more than the last elections, constituting roughly 41 per cent of the candidates.
The EC has deployed 580 companies of central forces to man over 98 per cent of the polling booths in these constituencies to ensure free and fair polling.
Counting's underway and the fate of the candidates is awaited. As we wait for the results with bated breath, here's how your heavyweights are faring for now.
'My mom, dad, sister and husband often yell at me to get off the phone. but I say, let me check this picture for the last time...'
It was a changed scenario in the new Lok Sabha with the churning brought out by the elections throwing in contrasts.
'I have started getting a lot of messages from people, directors, photographers...and I realised the importance of being visible.'
A modern day prince and princess are getting married in Bengaluru this weekend.
'I choose the best of what I get. I will not do every Hindi film that comes my way. I would rather wait and do good films than do rubbish films because I will have no career left. It's tough in Bollywood because there is a lot of competition. You have to create a niche for yourself.' Raima Sen tells us why she's been away from Bollywood.
'If the Congress is to challenge the NDA government, Rahul Gandhi will have to shed his indifference to Parliament, become more visible and vocal and, essentially, lead from the front,' says Rediff.com contributor Anita Katyal.
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