Ambedkarnagar elated over prospect of electing Mayawati

AMBEDKARNAGAR: In the summer of 2014, the discussion in every tea shop under shady trees was about Narendra Modi, the man who went on to become the Prime Minister. “The difference this time,” said Dinesh Kumar Verma, a tea stall owner on the Akbarpur highway, “is that we are now talking about whether Mayawati will actually be able to stake claim to the PM’s chair or whether Modi will retain his position.”
On Sunday, Mayawati, who had refused to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha polls said that if she had a shot at the Centre, she would contest elections from Ambedkarnagar.The rural segments of this constituency, from where Mayawati has won four times in the past when it was known as Akbarpur, is elated.
“Ambedkarnagar has been developed entirely by her. She has brought a medical college, an engineering college, a jail and polytechnic to this region. It will be an honour for us if she contests from here and becomes the PM,” said Verma. Krishna Bihari Pandey, sitting with his friends outside a grocery store in Katehri Bazaar agrees. “If she contests from here, she will win with a huge margin. Behenji ko kaun harayega yahan se (who can defeat Behenji from here),” he laughed.
In 2014, the seat slipped from BSP’s hands and went to BJP, in what locals call the Modi wave. This time, BSP has fielded a Brahmin, Ritesh Pandey, who is the son of former Ambedkarnagar MP, Rakesh Pandey.
“This year, because of the alliance, it looks like BSP has a strong chance and if Mayawati were to contest from here and become PM, nothing would be more befitting,” said Dev Narain Yadav, a farmer. In Akbarpur town, the buzz in favour of BJP is much stronger and people say that the alliance and BJP are locked in a tough fight, especially after nomination of the Congress candidate was cancelled. A Congress candidate, said a BSP member, would have helped the alliance but cutting into BJP’s votes.
“We are supporting BJP but it will be a tough fight here. I don’t think Mayawati has any chance of becoming the PM and in any case, what will she do if BSP lost this seat,” said Pramod Singh, a shopkeeper. “It would be an honour if this constituency could elect a woman PM,” said Meenakshi Devi, a local resident, adding: “Modi has retained his charm and it would be a tough ride for Mayawati or anyone else who thought of replacing him.”