Sonia, Advani skip New Year’s bash

NEW DELHI: The Mumbai terror attack cast a shadow on New Year’s Eve celebrations in Delhi’s elite political circles, with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani  deciding to forgo their annual holidays and stay put in Delhi.

Sonia takes a break at the end of each year to spend time with her family. It is usually a family affair, which is out of bounds for the media and party members. Some years ago, the Gandhi family travelled to the Andamans for the New Year. Then Lakshadweep MP PM Sayeed had made all the arrangements. But barring a brief interaction at the airport, Sayeed saw little of the Congress president or her family.

This year, in deference to the Mumbai tragedy, Sonia decided to stay put in Delhi. She had her hands full on Wednesday, with appointments and meetings keeping her busy till late in the evening. During the day, she held a two-hour meeting with party bigwigs. The only thing planned for New Year’s Eve was a quiet dinner with family and friends. This is in sharp contrast to the manner in which the Gandhis have ushered in the New Year on previous occasions.

Like Sonia, Advani too was to spend a quiet evening with family members at his Prithviraj Road residence.