People in Fatehpur Sikri love me and I love them too: Raj Babbar

Fatehpur Sikri: The people here love me, and I love them. This election is all about that love,” Raj Babbar told ET in Fatehpur Sikri, underscoring that he is at home in the new constituency after switching from Moradabad. After all, it was carved out of Agra, after delimitation, which he represented twice in Parliament till 2009.

As he entered Gulab Shankar Gate of the walled city on Thursday, the film star-turned-politician perched himself out of the SUV’s door, accepting garlands and hugging and patting many people. He allowed people to tie him a turban, and many a time he recognised the locals.

“These are good people… I have worked here a lot. These are my people. There is no such talk here whether they have to vote for the alliance candidate or the BJP candidate… these people only see Raj Babbar,” he said.

In his campaign speeches, including one in Kiraoli on Thursday, before a roadshow in Fatehpur Sikri, Babbar reminded people that this election was about choosing a Prime Minister in Delhi and not a state government in Lucknow. Therefore, he said, it would be pointless to vote for BSP-SPRLD candidate Guddu Pandit.

Congress insiders here said Babbar prevailed upon party chief Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Ahmed Patel to change his seat from Moradabad to Fatehpur Sikri, assuring them he would win the seat. In his campaign speeches, he invariably told people that he did this for their benefit.

Many people in Fatehpur Sikri termed the BSP’s Pandit an ‘outsider’ who had just landed from Bulandshahr three days ago. “If the BSP had chosen former MP Seema Upadhyay, it would have been a tough fight. Right now, the fight is just between Babbar and BJP,” said a local youth in Kiraoli.

Babbar, too, attacked the BJP most. “Let Modi say anything but the real issue of this election is unemployment. The BJP has failed to give jobs to youths and is trying to distract their attention now. Why are 22 lakh government jobs lying vacant? We will fill them as our first step,” he said during the roadshow.