Long wait till results, candidates chalk out post-campaign plans

Kolkata: The battle has been fought but the war is yet to be won. The vote warriors, weary after campaigning in scorching heat and dust of battleground Bengal, now have time on their hands to wait and ponder which way the wind will blow.
From holidaying in foreign locales to picking up their child from school, from watching movies to shopping, as the candidates from Kolkata and its suburbs begin their long wait for election results on May 19, they have different plans to take their minds off the tense days.
Shashi Panja, the heavyweight yet soft-spoken minister in the outgoing cabinet, could finally fulfil her daughter's wish last week when she picked her up from school and took her shopping at Quest mall last Friday. Even after her constituency in north Kolkata voted on April 21, Panja could not afford much time to herself as requests poured in for her to campaign in several constituencies in south Kolkata, including Bhowanipore. She had to cancel her plans of watching 'The Jungle Book' last Saturday when she was requested to appear on TV debates.
"I was campaigning since our party's list was announced in the first week of March. I could hardly give time to my daughters. But I hope I will be able to spend some quality time with them till the results are announced, though I have lined up several meetings during this period," Panja said while surfing channels at her Girish Park residence on Monday.
Her colleague Firhad Hakim wants to watch a movie. Though Hakim contested from Kolkata Port that voted on April 30, he has been a part of the party's "star campaigners" who have been criss-crossing districts for the past two months, canvassing for the party. He is currently in East Midnapore, which will go to polls on May 5.
"I will be campaigning in East Midnapore on May 2 and hopefully I will be through with canvassing for the party after that. I have to watch a movie after that along with my entire family. My daughters want to watch 'Fan', so we may go for it," Hakim said.
CPM candidate from Kasba Satarup Ghosh also plans to watch 'Fan' once he is through with campaigning in East Midnapore. "I have heard Shah Rukh Khan has done exceptional work in the movie," he said.
Mahua Moitra, Trinamool's Karimpur candidate, is "catching up on some sleep and enjoying some time with family and friends".