Madhya Pradesh: Ahead of Damoh bypoll, BJP, Congress ship water tankers to dry, offended villages

DAYS AHEAD of the bypoll in Damoh on April 17, parched villages that type a part of this constituency in Bundelkhand belt of Madhya Pradesh have managed to get a main demand fulfilled, though briefly. For the previous three days, rivals BJP and Congress have been sending in water tankers to a number of of those villages, the place folks stroll or cycle lengthy distances to fetch water.
This got here days after most of the villages made it clear to the political events their situation: no water, no vote.
In truth, villagers of Padriya have additionally put up a banner – ‘Paani nahi toh vote nahi’ – together with two empty plastic containers. Earlier this week, when BJP candidate Rahul Singh Lodhi visited the village to marketing campaign, he was gheraoed and turned away.
Relief adopted quickly – the water tankers. But the villagers of Padriya know it might not last more than the elections. “It’s because of the election that BJP sends the water tanker in the morning, and the Congress in the evening. I’m unable to decide for whom I should vote. After election, the tankers will again stop coming,” says Rekha Ahirwar.
For her, the water tankers have come as a respite from the routine process of waking up in the course of the evening and cycle two km to fetch water in plastic containers for her household of 4.
Water has been one of many high considerations for the folks of Damoh, and figures prominently within the BJP marketing campaign. While the social gathering has promised growth, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has held a sequence of conferences with neighborhood leaders, promising piped water within the constituency. He has additionally reminded them of Rs 700 crore sanctioned for consuming water venture within the area.
It is the promise of growth that’s swaying a number of voters corresponding to Manish Aggarwal, who runs a cell restore store, in direction of the BJP. He says Lodhi gained the earlier election – as a Congress candidate – solely as a result of folks wished change from Jayant Malaiya, BJP veteran and former state minister, who earlier held the seat. “But sadly nothing changed,” says Aggarwal.

“But there is no point wasting your vote on a Congress candidate. Although the Congress might have a better candidate, with the BJP government at the Centre and in the state, it is better to vote for the BJP if one hopes for development,” he says.
The bypoll in Damoh was necessitated after Lodhi defected from the Congress and joined the BJP in October 2020. This time, he’s within the fray together with Congress’s Ajay Tandon and at the very least 20 different candidates.
Many consider will probably be a troublesome struggle for Lodhi, who gained with a slender margin of 768 votes final time. Apart from the rival events high-pitch marketing campaign, he’s believed to be dealing with a problem inside the BJP. Malaiya, who has appreciable affect within the constituency, is alleged to be upset along with his social gathering for denying his son Sidharth the ticket.

Apart from this, the BJP candidate is dealing with a problem from his cousin Vaibhav Singh Lodhi, who’s contesting the elections as an Independent, who could lower into his caste votes. Caste is a outstanding consider elections in Bundlekhand area.
Many conventional BJP supporters corresponding to Nitesh Jain really feel that voting for Congress is the easiest way to show turncoats like Lodhi a lesson. “Last time around it was not Lodhi who won but it was a vote against Malaiya that brought him to power. Now he [Lodhi] has sold himself and needs to be taught a lesson,” says Jain.
“We are facing election [in these Covid times] because of him and this will be followed by a harsh lockdown. How will traders like me survive.”