Countdown begins for Indian Idol

The countdown has began in the northeast for today's final of the Indian Idol singing contest with two finalists -Darjeeling-born Prashant Tamang and Meghalaya's Amit Paul - getting an overwhelming response from people of the region. Tamang, declared a brand ambassador by the Sikkim goverment, has received support from several associations of journalists, taxi drivers, tribal youths and businessmen as well as ministers and MLAs. Huge banners and hoardings have been put up across Sikkim that hail the young singer as the "glory of the hills". His mother has toured different parts of the state to make emotional appeals to people to vote for him on the reality show. GNLF chief Subash Ghising, AIGL Chairman Madan Tamang and CPI-M MP Suraj Pathak have also campaigned for Tamang in the Darjeeling Hills. In Meghalaya, the telecom department has assured people that they will not face any line congestion during the show featuring local lad Paul. A car rally was organised in Guwahati today to mobilise support for him. Several other functions were also organised in the past few days to garner support for Paul, who hails from Meghalaya's capital Shillong.