SULTAN BATTERY, WAYANAD (Kerala) AND AMETHI (Uttar Pradesh) • The crowd of mostly peasant farmers and cash-crop cultivators of the hill district of Wayanad in southern Kerala state wait patiently in the sweltering heat as local political figures address them, all the while promising that Mrs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will arrive within minutes.

Finally, after a wait of more than 21/2 hours, a red speck shaped like a fly appears in the sky and grows larger. Descending, the Dauphin helicopter circles the open field once and sinks to the ground, careful to keep a safe distance from the electricity cables at the edge of the maidan.