Starting a new precedent, newly-elected Aam Aadmi Party MLAs have got off with conducting surprise checks and inspections in government offices, schools, various departments, hospitals and police stations.
Neither his age nor his financial constraints prevent an 80-year-old cobbler in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur from contesting elections. As Punjab goes to the polls on February 20, he will be fighting his 20th election. Om Prakash Jakhu, who mends and cleans shoes for a living at a small shop near the Hoshiarpur Clock Tower, says it is his "junoon" (passion) that keeps him going. He is