On the Road: BJP shaky in Bareilly

There is general discontent amongst people about sitting BJP MP. The mood is in favour of Congress and BSP, too
Akash Bisht Bareilly
 
 
It's 8 am. Riaz Khan's tea shop on the outskirts of Bareilly in UP is bustling with people, mostly workers, waiting for the next tempo to take them to the city. Riaz does his best to serve as many people as he can before they climb autos for a tough day ahead. He shouts and screams at his 12-year-old grandson, Javed, to hurry up and collect money from everyone before they disappear on the highway to the city. This has been a routine for the past 22 years. Riaz has served tea to several generations. Some of them swear by his tea and mentioned that though there are many tea shops in the vicinity but no one has the jaadu of Riaz chacha.
 
Riaz had come to Bareilly 30 years back with his parents from the village after they had to sell off their fields and house. Since then, he knows about everything that is happening in the city and is constantly updated by his customers every morning. With elections approaching, Riaz is excited about the local politics that never stops to amaze him.
 
Bareilly has been a stronghold of the BJP for more than two decades and both the MP and MLA of the district belong to the saffron party. In these two decades, the city has witnessed a rise of Hindu nationalism and growing support for the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal.
 
Santosh Gangwar, the sitting MP from Bareilly has been winning since 1998 and is expected to do a repeat in 2009 as well. However, with the SP fielding Bhagwat Saran Gangwar from Bareilly, the split in the Gangwar votes could in turn benefit Congress' Praveen Singh Airon and BSP's Islam Sabir Ansari.
 
"The political battle in Bareilly is heating up with the two Gangwars of BJP and SP fighting each other. They will spoil each other's prospect. It could even lead to BJP's defeat and help either Congress or BSP. If either of them benefit, then I will be a happy man," Riaz told Hardnews.
 
There is general discontent amongst people about Santosh Gangwar. Most believe he has done nothing for the district. "Santosh Gangwar has done nothing for his village, forget the entire district. During monsoons, his village in inaccessible and he has been an MP for five terms now. When it rains, villagers have to wade through deep craters," says Deepak Kumar, an engineer.
 
Congress candidate, Airon, has a better reputation. He is credited with substantial development work he has initiated in the city and adjoining areas as mayor. "With Airon saahab at the helm, the city has blossomed while Santosh Gangwar did nothing," said Lakhan Singh, a rickshaw puller.
 
SP party workers are not happy with Mulayam's decision to field Bhagwat Saran Gangwar who is not too popular among them. "We know he will not win. So, the morale is already at a low and we don't even feel like working for his campaign," an SP worker told Hardnews. Many believe that BSP's Islam Sabir can shock political pundits with a combined vote bank of Dalits and Muslims. People think he is a good man and would deliver his promises.
 
In Thiriya Ketal, a Dalit village in Bareilly, people complain that Santosh, during his long tenure as MP, has never visited their area. "Whenever we went to meet him, we were told that he is out of town. He hasn't been of any help. I understand that we are not his vote bank. But, people of other castes have similar complaints. So, this time we have decided to vote for Islam saahab," says a village elder. Similar views echo in different villages of the district.