A poster on an autorickshaw in Siliguri, seeking support for Tamang.

A poster on an autorickshaw in Siliguri, seeking support for Tamang.

Darjeeling, June 6: The singing hero from the town has gone one step forward in Indian Idol, despite a hitch in the mass voting plan from the hills.
Prashant Tamang, a constable with Calcutta Police and a resident of Toongsoong here, got through the voting round of the national talent hunt today though all the residents of the town could not vote for him.
After beating around 25,000 contenders from across the country, Tamang now has to defeat 17 opponents before he can become the next Idol. At this stage, Tamang’s hopes are pinned on his popularity, that is, the number of votes he gets through text messages on cellphones and calls from land phones. The facility for the last round was open from 9 pm on June 1 to 9 am the next day.
“While we could not send text messages through Aircel, Reliance agents here did not have enough refill vouchers in the town. If people turn ‘sentimental’ in the event of Prashant losing at the competition, the operators will themselves have to face the consequences,” Tenzing Khambachay, the Darjeeling municipality ward commissioner, had said before the voting results were announced today. Khambachay is heading an informal committee, formed to urge residents to vote for Tamang.
The residents have even accused Reliance and Aircel of “conspiring” against them and alleged that “their act almost snuffed out the hill’s Indian Idol hope”.
“We hope they will co-operate with us in the next voting rounds,” Khambachay said.
A representative of one of the accused cellphone service providers, however, said the problem was over and the vouchers would now be available. “Our vouchers had run out of stock from a few areas, but we have replenished them. It will not be a problem anymore,” said a Reliance executive from Siliguri.
Despite the hitch in the cellphone services, Tamang sailed through the voting round this time, the result of which was declared tonight. The constable became one of the last 18 contestants at the camp.
For the next rounds of voting, the committee has planned programmes to garner support for Tamang. The members have already sought permission from the Darjeeling municipality to start making announcements over the public address system across the town. “Prashant’s mother will go across Darjeeling in a van, fitted with mikes. The rest of the hills will also do their bits to drum up support for their idol,” said Khambachey. Residents of Toongsoong are already bringing out rallies almost every night.