2  Pure Politics
UTTAR
PRADESH
DIARIES
By Sanjay Singh
ANIRBAN BORA
Catching the
Voting Trend
The absence of enough cam-
paign materials, like flags,
posters and banners, in differ-
ent localities impacted the
Varanasi voters. In election
time, voters generally catch
the prevailing trend and side
with a particular party or can-
didate using these campaign
materials. Muslim majority ar-
eas in the city also found it dif-
ficult to catch the trend.
Work Clearly
Cut Out
After the end of assembly
elections, the Samajwadi Par-
ty always counts the number
of votes polled at the native
places of its senior leaders in
every district. This time such
senior leaders, especially
those from upper castes, were
reportedly asked to ensure a
better show in their native
places. Since villages with up-
per caste population were
more aligned towards the BJP,
the work of these SP leaders
was clearly cut out.
All Eyes on
Malhani
On March 11, SP leaders are
expected to keep a close eye
on the Malhani seat, where
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh
Yadav campaigned hard. SP
candidate Parasnath Yadav
shares close ties with Mulay-
am Singh Yadav.
Wooing
Rajbhars
In Varanasi’s Rohania seat, the
Rajbhars are in considerable
number. So, the BSP workers
tried their best to woo the
Rajbhar voters. Since the
Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party
has entered into an alliance
with the BJP, it has become a
difficult task for the BSP to bag
their votes. “We wanted to en-
sure at least a share of these
votes was in our favour. So, we
made an attempt on polling
day,” said a BSP worker.
THE NEW POLITICAL CONSTITUENCY More ladies turn out to vote in Manipur, Goa, Punjab and
Uttarakhand too; election panel believes trend indicative of women’s increasing access to education
Women Outvote Men Again
UP
Outnumbered men in
Three-Cornered
2012 UP polls as well,
but this time they
Fight
have widened lead
2017 in Phase-VII
Anubhuti.Vishnoi@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: Female voters hugely
outnumbered their male counter-
parts in exercising their franchise
in UP, highlighting growing partici-
pation of women in the electoral
process in a politically crucial state
where all parties made special ef-
forts to woo them. About 63.26% of
woman voters in the country’s most
populous state cast their votes in the
seven-phase assembly election that
concluded on Wednesday, data being
compiled by the EC show. Of the
state’s male voters, only about
59.43% went to polling booths.
Women had outnumbered men in
the 2012 UP assembly polls as well,
but this time they have widened the
lead: to nearly 4 percentage points
from 1.6 five years ago.
Interestingly, in 2007, when the
state elected a woman chief minis-
ter, Mayawati, men had outnum-
bered women in the polling percent-
age at 49.35 to 41.92. The tables are
turned in a decade’s time.
Incidentally, high turnout of fe-
male voters in another cow belt
state, Bihar, had hugely favoured the
JD(U) and its incumbent CM Nitish
Kumar, who rode the woman-cen-
tric programmes he offered — from
bicycle for school girls to reserva-
tion for women in jobs — to victory.
That women are emerging as a new
political constituency in themselves
is evident. While the BJP promised
anti-Romeo squads in UP to rid girls
from the bane of eve teasing, the rul-
ing Samajwadi Party offered free bi-
cycles for school-going girls, as well
as a dedicated helpline and rebate in
state public transport for women.
Mayawati’s BSP made a pitch for pro-
viding better safety for women
through an improved and assured
law and order situation in the state.
UP registered an overall voting
turnout of 61.18% this year, a shade
better than in 2012 when it was
59.40%. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elec-
SIMULTANEOUS POLLS TO CUT COSTS: JAITLEY
‘Poll Bonds to be It’s Modi Vs Rest in Varanasi Even
Launched Soon’ As Most Muslims Opt for SP-Cong
Small donations can
now be made through
digital modes, says FM
Our Political Bureau
New Delhi: Union finance minis-
ter Arun Jaitley expressed the hope
that a slew of measures by the Modi
government like demonetisation,
issuing of electoral bonds for politi-
cal donations, capping of anony-
mous funds to political parties at
`2,000 will bring about more trans-
parency and usher in campaign fi-
nance reforms in the near future.
He also maintained that the PM
Modi’s proposal to hold simultane-
ous elections to the Lok Sabha and
state assemblies will substantially
cut down poll expenditure and move
the polity from being “election cen-
tric” to “governance centric”.
Jaitley shared his thoughts at a
programme organised by the SP
Mookerjee Trust here on the issue
of reforms in campaign financing.
Electoral bonds once implemented
will make donations to political par-
ties “substantially transparent”,
the FM said. He said the scheme will
be launched soon. “These electoral
bonds will be open for a limited pe-
riod. The life of a bond will be short.
It can be brought by a donor from an
authorised centre. The bonds can
be given only to political parties
QUITE CANDID Our electoral battle in UP has been an extremely interesting and challenging experience for all of us: UP Congress chief
Our Sixer Shot is Reserved for 2019 Match: Raj Babbar
Cong workers initially
resisted tie-up but it
was necessary to fight
BJP’s ‘money power’
CL.Manoj@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: With the UP election
coming to an end on Wednesday, UP
Congress president Raj Babbar has
claimed that the “Congress-SP alli-
ance has given a united and fierce
fight to the BJP” and, then interest-
ingly added, “Our sixer shot is re-
served for the 2019 match”. The PCC
chief also said that the Congress’ de-
www.ecoti.in/stateelections
MEN IN 2007
In 2007,
when state
elected a
woman CM in Maya,
men had outnum-
bered women
THIRD GENDER TOO
There was a
reasonable
participa-
tion in the electoral
process by the third
gender as well
tions, UP saw a 58.44% polling even as
the Modi wave swept the state. The
higher voter turnout by women is
not just the Hindi heartland phenom-
enon in the 2017 elections. While final
data will only be compiled after polls
are completed in two seats in UP and
Uttarakhand on Thursday, numbers
coming in so far bear out the trend.
More women turned out to vote in
Manipur, Goa, Punjab and
Uttarakhand as well. Sources in the
ARUN JAITLEY
Union Finance Minister
It is a possible suggestion
(state funding of polls).
Many will question as to
why people should be
taxed for (it). Secondly,
what is the guarantee that
you (a political party) will
spend only what you get
from the state?
and these will be redeemable
only through one account of a
political party,” Jaitley said.
The small donations can now be
made through digital modes and
this will replace the door-to-door
small donations that were collected
by party workers earlier.
cision to align with SP was “indeed
resisted by our party workers ini-
tially”, but then, the alliance was “ab-
solutely necessary for countering the
Modi government unleashing the
might of its official machinery and
the BJP its huge money power”.
“Our electoral battle in UP has
been an extremely interesting and
challenging experience for all of
us… the leaders and workers unit-
edly fought. Since we had, in the be-
ginning, made elaborate prepara-
tions for fighting on our own, the
decision to enter into the alliance
with SP was dramatic. Yes, Congress
workers initially resisted aligning
with SP. But, for Congress and SP,
forming the alliance was absolutely
necessary to jointly counter the way
the Modi government unleashed the
might of the central government’s
Uttar Pradesh
„ MALE „ FEMALE
(61.18)
(59.4)
(53.80)
63.26
59.43
(45.96)
60.28
58.68
49.35
41.92
2017* 2012 2007
Other States
(82.92) (99.24)
(77.36)
(65.64)
84.58
81.19
78.12
76.69
69.34
62.28
Punjab U’khand North
Figures in () are Total % Voters
Goa
*Provisional
EC said the trend was indicative of
women’s increasing access to educa-
tion. Woman voters have turned out
in record numbers in Manipur where
there is greater gender parity on edu-
cation criteria: as of 11 am on March
8, in Phase-II of Manipur elections,
47% women had come to vote vis a vis
44% of men. In Punjab, 78.12% wom-
en voted, compared with 76.69% men.
In Uttarakhand, it was 69.34% vs
62.28%, in favour of women.
GENERAL VIEW ‘Modi’s campaign has changed the picture of BJP in this constituency’
Sanjay.Singh2@timesgroup.com
Va r a n a s i : Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s extensive cam-
paigning in the last three days of
campaigning virtually turned it into
a ‘Modi versus the rest’ battle in most
polling booths in Varanasi on the day
of voting on Wednesday.
Voting trend suggested a division in
M u s l i m vo t e s, t h o u g h t h e
Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance
seems to have cornered a major
chunk of Muslim votes, at least in
the urban areas of the ancient city.
There were long queues before
Bengali Tola Inter College and Anglo
Bengali Primary School booths, lo-
cated opposite to each other in
Madanpura area. Madanpura, a lo-
cality with high Muslim population,
comes under Cantt assembly seat.
BJP, BSP and Congress-SP have field-
ed Saurabh Srivastava, Rizwan
Ahemad and Anil Srivastava as their
nominees respectively.
“Aadmi dekha, party dekha… The
party dominated my mind before I
cast my vote,” said one Abdul Moin
when asked about the choice for his
vote. He was clearly not alone in
thinking along those lines.
“We are happy under present re-
gime. It is good for us to see alliance
between Congress and Samajwadi
Party. We get regular power supply.
We have no grievance against CM
Akhilesh,” said Mohammed
Shamim, who is associated with the
Banarasi Saree business.
Another voter, Salim Ansari, how-
machinery and BJP’s huge money
power. For us, it was also a fight to
ensure the unity of India against the
divisive policies of the Modi govern-
ment and BJP,” he said.
Asked about his poll prediction,
Babbar said, “I am confident of good
results for us. The Congress has put
up a united fight in UP. The entire
Congress-SP alliance has put up a
RAJ BABBAR
UP Congress President
Priyankaji’s contribution
was much beyond
expectations, the way
she coordinated and
made contributions
THE ECONOMIC TIMES | MUMBAI | THURSDAY | 9 MARCH 2017
TRACKING VOTERS
BJP seems to have
bagged most backward
caste votes in most of
the 40 constituencies
Total Seizures
Cash: From `50.78 crore
Sanjay.Singh2@timesgroup.com
AFP
in 2012 to
`188.04 cr in
Varanasi: Polling trends in the sev-
2017. `122.26
60% Polling
56.72
cr cash seized enth and final phase of UP assembly
elections indicate three-cornered
50.25
Phase-VII Uttar Pradesh
from UP alone followed
by Punjab at `58.02 cr contest in most of the 40 constituen-
Voter Turnout (40 seats)
cies spread across Ghazipur,
Liquor: From worth
`2.82 crore
Varanasi, Bhadohi, Mirzapur,
Janupur and Sonbhadra.
Polling percentage
in 2012 to
worth `82.92
In 2012 assembly polls, the SP had
bagged 23 out of 40 seats in the re-
Ph-I (73 seats) 64.22
2002
crore in 2017.
`64.66 crore worth
gion. But it’s 2017 and the situation
on the ground has changed, with the Ph-II (67 seats) 65.16
liquor from UP,
`13.36 crore worth
BJP successfully bagging the most
backward caste votes on most seats. Ph-III (69 seats)# 61.16
from Punjab Also, the upper caste candidates of
the SP-Congress alli-
Drugs: 53 kg
82.88
Ph-IV (53 seats)# 61.37
narcotics Upper caste ance and BSP ap-
75.50
worth `54 cr candidates peared to be giving a
in 2012; 6,264
kg drugs in 2017
of SP-Cong tough fight to the BJP.
& BSP giv- Voting trends from
Ph-V (51 seats)# 57.37
Precious Metals:
243.9 kg gold, 487.3 kg
ing tough Mohammedabad in
fight to BJP Ghazipur suggested
Ph-VI (49 seats)# 57.03
that BJP’s Alka Rai
South
silver, 175
Rado wrist
was in with a chance against BSP Ph-VII (40 seats)# 60.03
nominee and controversial MLA
Goa
watches
worth `52.3 cr
Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Sibgat 2017 All Phases (402 seats)
U l l a h A n s a r i . W h i l e B J P ’s
Ghazipur candidate Sangeeta
2012*
61.18
57.92
Balwant is said to have put up a
There was a reasonable participa- good show, SP’s Jamania nominee
tion in the electoral process by the and former minister OP Singh ap- 2012 (403 seats) 59.48
third gender as well. While UP re-
corded about 3.99% voting by
peared on a tough wicket.
In Jahurabad, upper caste voters
transgenders, Punjab recorded seemed to have voted for BJP ally 2014 (LS polls)* 56.12
23.61% and Uttarakhand, 8.65%. Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party
Despite the massive cash crunch nominee OP Rajbhar. In Janupur’s 2014 (80 LS seats) 58.44
that hit the country post demone- Malhani seat, MY combination ap-
tisation, `188.04 crore in cash was peared to be backing SP’s Parasnath
seized across the states – in UP Yadav. But in Sadar (Jaunpur), # 5 pm * Corresponding Phase
alone, `122 crore in new currency Muslims appeared divided between 7 seats/assembly segments
notes was seized. the SP-Congress alliance and BSP.
NO PREFERENCE HERE: Sadhus queue up to cast votes in Varanasi on Wednesday —AFP
BSP GETTING SUPPORT ever, hinted at a split in Muslim has his own local connections,” said
votes. “You know BSP has fielded a one Shamsher, a shopkeeper who
‘You know Muslim face and thus, this party is voted at booth in Navyug Vidya
also getting votes from our commu- Mandir in Gailwaria locality.
BSP has nity,” Ansari, who belongs to a weav-
er community, told ET at one booth.
Voters’ comments were similar at
several booths in Varanasi South
fielded a “Modi’s campaign has changed the
picture of BJP in this constituency,”
constituency where Congress-SP
has fielded Rajesh Mishra, a former
Muslim face and said Kundal Lal Chhubhani, who
cast his vote at a booth in this locality.
MP. The trend clearly suggested that
SP’s decision to ally with Congress
In all the five seats, though, most has worked at least in Varanasi city.
thus, this party is Muslim votes seem to have gone to In Rohania constituency, the
SP-Congress. In Varanasi North, the trend indicated division in the
also getting votes community seems to have mostly OBC votes, particularly Patels
backed the alliance’s Abdul Samad who have considerable presence,
from our community’ Ansari. “Samad is old leader and he between the SP and BJP.
determined and fierce fight against ment and energy Rahulji displayed all
BJP. Yes, I must say, our sixer shot is
still reserved for the 2019 match.”
through by leading us from the front,
by campaigning almost every day for
On the UP front, AICC is keeping its
fingers crossed for two main reasons:
more than a month, addressing two to
three rallies per day, motivating lead-
the outcome in UP, to some extent, will ers and workers... And Priyankaji’s
shape the course of politics which contribution was much beyond ex-
leads to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and, pectations, the way she coordinated
more importantly, for the Congress, and made important contributions
Rahul Gandhi has literally staked his mostly from behind the scene...”.
personal prestige in the battle by un- On PM leading BJP’s campaign and
leashing a highly personalised cam- the impact of note recall on polls,
paign blitzkrieg (along with Akhilesh Babbar said, “The PM was campaign-
Yadav) and by inking the first-ever al- ing as (though) he was in a corpora-
FILE PHOTO
liance with the party’s foe-turned ally tion elections. The way he spoke and
SP. For once, AICC has also advertised
Priyanka Gandhi’s personal stake by
raked up certain trivial issues was not
exactly very dignifying... For Modiji
crediting her with “major contribu-
tions” in making a Congress alliance
everything is his ‘tongue-sheet’ not
balance-sheet even though he has
with SP. Babbar acknowledged that been asking what the balance-sheet
profusely: “It was amazing to see the of the five-year-rule of the
extremely high personal commit- Akhilesh regime was.”