While a majority of women voters in UP’s Bijnor are supporting the BJP due to betterment of the law and order situation in the state, the SP-RLD alliance is also gauging the minds of voters ahead of the upcoming UP Assembly polls.
Thirty-four year old Manju was eagerly waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bijnor’s Vardhaman College ground on Monday when news came in that he had to cancel his visit following bad weather conditions. Despite the dampener, Manju said, “I am not sad at all, his security is important. What if something would have happened? He has taken care of all of us.”
Manju and her group of 15 friends are beneficiaries of women self-help groups who came to Bijnor to attend PM Modi’s rally. On the question of the Opposition claiming there’s a dearth of jobs in the state, one of them said, “Yes there is an issue of jobs, but the present government has provided us with help so that we can run our own business. Even during Covid-19, we could stitch masks and make an income out of it.”
Most women voters who came to hear the prime minister spoke about betterment of law and order as a major reason to vote for the BJP.
However, if one moves away from the rally ground, one would also be able to see SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance gauging the voters’ minds. Just a few metres from the rally ground, a fast-food seller said, “Netas only come during elections. After that, they are not to be seen. Ask us how we survived Covid-19. No one came to look after us. This time we would want to see a new government.”
This was also the chorus in Bijnor’s Qaziwala village, which is famous for woodcraft. Speaking to India Today, Mohammad who’s a resident here said, “We suffered a lot during Covid-19. Our business took a hit. Not only that, this [BJP] government is also responsible for ruining communal harmony. Animosity existed before as well, but it has reached its peak with the BJP. This time we will vote for SP-RLD. Most of us from the village want the government to change.”
Bijnor has eight assembly constituencies and has a sizeable Muslim and Dalit votebank.
The district, which usually used to be a BSP stronghold, saw six seats going to BJP and two to SP in the 2017 Assembly elections. However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP couldn’t maintain its magic.
In the backdrop of the recently withdrawn farmers’ protest, it will be interesting to see who Bijnor votes for, a place whose economy largely depends on agriculture.
