Allahabad: Regular morning walkers at the sangam city's Chandrashekhar Azad Park, SC Dwivedi, his lawyer colleague Ramkrishna Shukla, and Sudhakar Singh, a healthcare professional, were debating the local Lok Sabha contest when mid-day interrupted their post-walk teatime. A post-graduate student, Sanjay Jaiswal, joined to give a younger perspective.

Money well spent?

"Ganga aur Jamuna nikaal dijiye yahanse to kya bachega? (What will remain if the Ganges and Yamuna aren't here?)" said Dr Singh. He makes this point to establish the importance of the holy rivers for keeping the city's socio-economic existence alive on the global map. And that leads the conversation to the recently concluded Kumbh Mela, which every participant says was meticulously planned and executed. They say the grand success should augur well for the BJP in terms of electoral gains.