Pizza, Roti and Papad
Some of the code words used by illegal bookmakers in India to take bets on the country’s elections. (Roti and papad are types of flatbread.)
On May 16, results from India’s five-stage general election revealed a decisive victory for the Indian National Congress party. According to the BBC, analysts had expected a much closer race between the Congress Party and the B.J.P. (Bharatiya Janata Party).
Reporting recently from Mumbai, The Press Trust of India stated:
In the lull between polling and counting, punters rushed to place bets worth Rs 20,000 crore [$4 billion] on what was better — pizza or roti.
There was also papad on offer, but it had few takers. Pizza, roti and papad were among the code words bookies used while taking bets so as to avoid the police net.
Pizza, code word for Congress, was the hot favourite among punters, while roti (B.J.P.) saw lesser volumes, a bookie said here. B.J.P.’s P.M. hopeful L. K. Advani was code-named papad.
