West Bengal polls: Meet Ashok Lahiri, a catholic thinker in Hindutva's camp

If the BJP actually gets to form a government, Lahiri's name is at the top of several BJP lists for the post of finance minister

He’s among the first set of psephologists India has had and has predicted victories and defeats of many in many elections. But can Ashok Lahiri, 70, former chief economic advisor, public policy analyst, economist and statistician, ensure his own victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections?

He is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from north Bengal — Balurghat, in South Dinajpur district. He was dropped from Alipurduar because the party felt the local claimant and BJP General Secretary Suman Kanjilal had a point when he and other BJP supporters protested Lahiri’s candidature. Lahiri didn’t really help his case when