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UP Elections: As Azamgarh Goes To Polls, Dalit Villages Await Development

In Azamgarh, which goes to polls on March 7, Mayawati's BSP and SBSP's OP Rajbhar battle it out for the 'Dalit vote'.

Ambedkar Statue Bangaon in Phoolpur-pawai Vidhan Sabha
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Bimlesh Rajbhar was intrigued to find a group of blue-clad people entering her village and raising slogans for local BSP candidate Pankaj Kumar, who is contesting from the Mehnagar constituency of Azamgarh. 바카라œThey are campaigning for Behenji바카라, her brother-in-law바카라™s wife Rama Devi informed Bimlesh. 

Bimlesh knows who Behenji is. 바카라œOh kar hathiyan chinh wa바카라 (her election symbol is elephant), she said with a chuckle.  

Bimlesh바카라™s village is called Hasanpur Bharathipur, situated on the border of Azamgarh and Ghazipur district. It comes under the Mehnagar Vidhan Sabha in the Azamgarh district.  

Roads to reach the village are unmetalled and not easily motorable. 바카라œThis is a border village, nobody cares about us. In the rainy season, nobody can enter this village by car,바카라 said Prakash Rajbhar.  

The village has Rajbhar, Lonia, Yadav, Kushwaha, Jatav and other caste groups. Many members of the Rajbhar community in Hasanpur Bharathipur are unhappy with OP Rajbhar, the chief of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP).  

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Srimati Jatav in her village.

Radhe Shyam Rajbhar, a villager said, 바카라œHe does not represent the entire Rajbhar community. His supporters are in Ghazipur, and there too, not many support him. He is just taking care of his family바카라™s interest because he wanted to bring his son into politics.바카라Â 

Bimlesh does not know who OP Rajbhar, Anil Rajbhar or any other Rajbhar leaders are. She only knows that no leader listens to her plight. But she has heard about Modi, Yogi and Behenji. 

She is also unhappy about scanty money her family got to build toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission, 바카라œwe got 12,000 rs. You tell me, how can you build a toilet in 12,000rs. Nobody built toilets here.바카라

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Villagers sitting under the tree in Hasanpur Bharathipur village, Mehnagar Vidhan Sabha.

In the village, the majority of villagers are forced to opt for open defecation due to lack of toilets. Bimlesh, and Rama Devi are among them.

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Bimlesh Rajbhar (left) Rama devi (right) in their village.

In the Phinihani village of Mehnagar Vidhan Sabha Kalinder Gond was preparing Jaggery, when BJP candidate Manjoo Suresh held a roadshow in his village. 바카라œA river called Magai flows here. And it gets flooded during monsoon season. We have been demanding a pull on the river. But nobody listens.바카라 said 60-year-old Guddu Dubey. Floods and displacement during monsoon are big issues here.  

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Kalinder Gond was preparing jaggery

바카라œGopalpur and Sagri constituencies are largely affected by it, and Azamgarh Sadar, Mehnagar are also affected,바카라 said Khurram Alam Norani, a Senior Journalist based in Azamgarh. 

On the other side, in Khojapur village of Azamgarh Sadar seat, some labourers are sitting smoking bidi (a cheap cigarette) at an under-construction building. Their apathy towards the electoral process is visible. Srimati Khatik, 55, runs a small stall. She says: 바카라œI didn바카라™t vote in the last election. What happens by voting? I only voted in the election of village head last year because he gave us some money and promised ration.바카라Â 

바카라œI am poor and my husband is dead, and I am responsible to take care of my two sons. Unless someone offers me any benefit, why would I vote at all?바카라Â 

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Women listening intently to BSP candidate Shakeel Ahmad.

The situation is somewhat different in the Dalit-dominated Bangaon village of Phoolpur-pawai Vidhan Sabha. People here are not indifferent to the BSP candidate Shakeel Ahmad. He speaks about the discrimination faced by the Dalits community and their emancipation under the rule of Mayawati. 

A statue of BR Ambedkar is situated in the village. Shanti, a 30- year- old woman, said, 바카라œWe vote in the name of Baba Saheb.바카라 She comes from the Pasi community but is married into a Jatav family. 바카라œMy family initially opposed it, but I revolted.바카라Â 

(Image Credit- Mayank Jain Parichha)

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