Had RLSP president and former Union Minister in Narendra Modi government, Upendra Kushwaha, decided not to contest from Ujiarpur in North Bihar, the place would not have hogged the limelight during 2019 polls.
A Lok Sabha constituency, which came into existence in 2009 following delimitation (earlier, it was known as Rosera), Ujiarpur is dominated by Kushwahas and Yadavs, the two numerically-strong OBCs, in this part of the cow-belt.
Little wonder, the BJP has fielded again its Bihar unit president Nityananda Rai, a Yadav, who is outgoing MP from this constituency. On the other hand, Upendra Kushwaha is the Mahagatbandhan candidate, banking on the rainbow coalition of OBCs, EBCs, Mahadalits and Muslims.
But despite being a Mahagatbandhan nominee, Kushwaha faces a hostile Yadavs, who have decided to back the BJP. “We are unhappy with Nityanand Rai, the BJP MP, but will still vote for him (on April 29) in the name of Narendra Modi,” says 50-year-old Ganesh Rai.
His grouse: Nityanand promised a 30-bed hospital in his area during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but the PHC (public health centre) is still run by ANM (auxiliary nurse midwife).
Another electorate Sudarshan Pandit lists reasons why he or his family members are rooting for Narendra Modi. “We are very happy with Modi’s Ujjwala yojna. This helped me save Rs 4000 after I got free LPG connections. And there are hundreds of beneficiaries like me in Ujiarpur,” says Pandit, clarifying that he is not a Brahmin. “I am a Kumhaar (extremely backward class). But caste or class does not matter when it comes to ‘vikas’ (development),” argues Pandit.
To buttress his point, he cites how Modi’s another ambitious scheme of doling out Rs 6000 per year to the needy farmers has made prime minister more popular. “It’s far better than Rahul Gandhi’s promise of Rs 6000 per month. We are not sure how Rahul will ensure payment of Rs 6000 per month to crores of BPL people. But in the present Modi dispensation, I, and many others have received Rs 4000, out of total Rs 6000, in my bank account in two instalments. This amount will help me purchase diesel during farming,” he told Deccan Herald. “Modi’s Rs 6000 dole is far better than Rahul’s Rs 6000, as a bird in hand is better than two in the bush,” Pandit hastened to add.