Voters unhappy with Varanasi minus euphoria
The cacophony and the election blitzkrieg may be over but Varanasi has yet to experience a sense of euphoria this time.
Varanasi: At 6.30 am, the Dashashwamedh Ghat is slightly more crowded than usual. Top leaders of all parties have left Varanasi but party workers and outstation journalists, who are here for reporting, are crowding around for a dip in the holy Ganga.
The local pandas are busy with the religious rituals and boatmen wait for customers. The cacophony and the election blitzkrieg may be over but Varanasi has yet to experience a sense of euphoria this time.
The election tamasha, marked by meetings, rallies and road shows by the country’s top leadership has failed to assuage feelings of the local people who are hurt that local issues have not been addressed.
Acronyms like SCAM and KASAB, slugfest over shamshan-kabristan, Kairana, Gayatri Prajapati and even promises of smart phones and pressure cookers are of no concern to the people of Varanasi.
“Hamara business barbaad ho gaya-kahe ki khushi?” asks Raju Nishad, a boatman as he haggles over the rates for a boat ride. Raju is one of the 10,000 odd registered boatmen who are upset with the BJP’s ‘brand of development’.