The euphoria generated in Kanpur last week extends to the rugged Bundelkhand region as BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would address his second rally in Jhansi on Friday that already has been tipped as complete sell out.
The BJP leaders know that this Jhansi rally would be a replice of Kanpur’s rally. Party workers, common man on the streets and villagers would throng the Government Inter College Grounds to hear Modi’s speech - that already has become a supper hit. Excitement among the aam aadmi on the street over Modi’s rally has made BJP leadership happy.
The Bundelkhnad region which is home to almost 3 crore people is one of the most impoverished regions of the state. Poverty, lack of development and prevalent caste system has made it one of the most backward regions of Uttar Pradesh. With failing agriculture year after year because of truant rains migration of youth to neighbouring Allahabad or Bhopal is highest.
In this scenario everyone is waiting to hear Modi’s development mantra. The people of this region have seen best of Rahul Gandhi. He had had made frequent forays and promised moon to the ‘kalavatis’ of Banda village. Nothing changed for the people except their expectations sky-rocketed during Rahul’s visit that fell flat after ‘ Papoo’ reached 10, Janpath. One time Bundelkhand used to be a good hunting ground for the BJP. Though in 2009 lok sabha elections the party failed to win a single seat in 2012 assembly polls the BJP was able to win three seats despite a decline in vote percentage. Uma Bharati won her maiden UP assembly seat from Charkhari in Hamirpur.
Other two winners were Niranjan Jyoti and Ravi Sharma. During Ram Mandir agitation BJP had won all the four seats of Bundelkhand region. Ganga Charan Rajput in Hamirpur, Rajendra Agnohotri in Jhansi, Bhanu Verma in Jalaun and Prakash Narain in Banda were victorious. That that time Kanlayn Singh was at the helm of affairs and was holding sway among backward caste.
The signs of revival are there for the BJP. In the Panchayat and Corporation elections in Bundelkhand region held a few months back the BJP has done well. It has won almost half a dozen Nagar Parishad and Jhansi corporation elections. Thus, meaning that revival of BJP in urban areas was complete. And in rural areas the party has used traditional methods to invite people for Modi’s rally. "During door to door meetings people were given rice stained in yellow colour as invitation as is done in this part of the world during marriage. This experiment has gone well," said BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
In city the ingenious people have found their own way to popularize the Modi rally. Some people have renamed their tea shop as Modi ki Dukan while another party worker has put up a hoarding with Modi’s face that read: "Main aa raha hun Oct 25 ko, aap aayenge na. Modi’s "magic is working among people because of four reasons - one, a perception among people that the UPA government is "rotten" while Samajwadi Party and the BSP have allowed the "rot" to grow.
Two, a belief that Modi is a "strong" leader and "incorruptible", as his record in Gujarat is "unblemished" and he is not "saddled with family". Three, a feeling generated by the Muzaffarnagar violence that the Akhilesh government panders excessively to the minorities. Four, Modi is from a most-backward caste. Whatever the perception one thing is clear that Jhansi rally would another show of strength which will make parties like Congress, SP and BSP run for cover.