As UP’s bureaucracy sensing something that the media and pollsters have missed? Residents of Lucknow and NOIDA are surprised to see a flurry of activity at Mayawati’s Ambedkar Parks. Suddenly, they are being cleaned and spruced up, damaged statues of elephants are being repaired, statues of Dalit icons are being washed and polished and shrubs and trees are being trimmed.

Bureaucratic circles say the Lucknow Development Authority and NOIDA Development Authority have started the clean up on their own. There were no orders from above. Their explanation is that UP’s babudom is taking no chances. Suppose the next chief minister is Mayawati?

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Although Mayawati and the BSP seemed to be trailing initially, reports suggest that they have picked up steam in eastern UP while the SP-Congress alliance is going down. Although the BJP maintains an edge, the buzz in the bureaucracy is that Mayawati is catching up. The babus want to be prepared just in case she sneaks past the BJP.
The parks were completely neglected under the Samajwadi Party government. Officials cleverly recognize that in its current mood of wooing Dalits, a BJP government in Lucknow would have no objections to Ambedkar Parks being given a facelift. And if Mayawati wins, the bureaucracy would be spared her wrath for not taking care of her parks.
Interestingly, both Authorities have set a deadline for the contractors of March 10. They want the parks ready the day before the results come out.

Blow hot, blow cold

Residents of Varanasi were both tickled and annoyed by Narendra Modi’s three-day power show in their city.  They were tickled because they got to see the PM up close. Modi is such a star that it was like having a top film actor in their midst. Among the more amusing comments from bystanders who thronged the streets to catch a glimpse of the PM were remarks like the following: he’s so fair, his hair shines like silver.

And then there were those who were annoyed by the disruption his three-day sojourn caused. Shops were closed, restaurants shut, business came to a standstill and the police as usual harassed anybody and everybody who came in their way because they were in total panic about the security risk to the PM.

BJP insiders say that this last burst of intensive campaigning by Modi has certainly made a difference. It injected more enthusiasm in listless cadres and added fizz. The downside is that all the workers were so busy with arrangements for the roadshows, visits to temples and his rallies that electioneering work ground to a standstill. An important task that remains unfinished in the hullabaloo is the distribution of voter chits which guides voters to their booth, tells them their serial number in the voters’ list and familarises them with the party candidate. This is an important part of ground campaigning which BJP workers have not been able to complete in the excitement of hosting Modi in Varanasi.

Destination Varanasi

It was quite a sight to see virtually the entire union cabinet descend on Varanasi to campaign for the BJP. Some of them like Piyush Goyal decided to do a people’s campaign by mingling with common folk. He even sat in a small dhaba to eat the city’s famous kachori-aloo. A photo of him sitting on a wooden bench and tucking into the food was published in a local newspaper the next day and became a talking point in the city.    

Arun Jaitley surprised everyone by taking the first available flight to Varanasi after landing from a grueling trip to London. He was so anxious to be where the action is that he didn’t stop in Delhi for more than a quick breakfast and some freshening up.

His task in Varanasi was to mollify angry traders who are upset by the 30,000 income tax notices that have been sent after demonetisation. Traders attended his meeting hoping to hear some words of reassurance. Instead, they got a lecture about the benefits of demonetization and 7 per cent GDP growth rate despite notebandi.

As Jaitley droned on trying to whip up a feel-good factor, the traders decided that silence was the best policy. Not one opened his mouth to talk about their demonetisation woes, the income hit they have taken and their worries about the tax notices. Many of those who attended the meeting came away dissatisfied. There were also those who stayed away from the meeting as a form of protest.

Wooing boatmen

Remember controversial union minister of state Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti? She had kicked up a storm with her communal campaign in the Delhi assembly election 2015, asking for votes for Ramazada, not haramzada. Her remark led to almost the entire winter session of Parliament being paralysed and the PM was forced to distance the government from the comment. Since then the Sadhvi has kept a low profile.

Well, she was back in action in Varanasi where she was deployed to campaign among her caste folk, the Nishads. This community of boatmen is upset with the BJP on various counts and Jyoti was tasked to try and woo them back. Nishads are an important voter group in Varanasi and depend on the Ganges for a living.

They are upset with the BJP and Modi because of plans to build a jetty at the Dashashwamedh Ghat for visitors to watch the famous evening Arti. Traditionally, boatmen row visitors out on the river to watch the arti. A jetty will finish their livelihood.

Niranajan has no answers to their problem or to their demand to be included in the list of Scheduled Castes instead of Backward Castes. But she is believed to have done what she does best, which is to polarize emotions on religious lines.