Want Sonia as MP but Modi as PM, say Raebareli voters

RAEBARELI: In this traditional Gandhi and Congress stronghold, support for Bharatiya Janata Party's PM candidate Narendra Modi is growing. Voters mince no words when they say they want a "powerful" MP like Sonia Gandhi, but at the same time an "effective" PM like Modi. Raebareli went to polls on Wednesday.

When 83 years old Ratipal Singh, a resident of Behta Kalan village in Sareni assembly segment, says "Sonia will win sure but the votes she wins will be hit by the Modi wave."

"If it's the whole country that stands to gain under Modi's prime minister-ship why should Raebareli be left out," says 25-year-old Putan Singh, who does not shy from pledging his support to Modi.

Youngsters and first time voters are most likely to get swayed, more so because Raebareli has nothing to boast of being a VVIP constituency. Unemployment, poor medical and health facilities, poor state of primary education and civic woes have hit people's faith in their MP.

Raebareli, this time, has 1.18 lakh first time voters. "We are trying to reach out to them through our youth organizations," says representative of Congress MP in the district, K L Sharma.

BJP district president Ajay Tripathi says "youth will vote for Modi. We are reaching out to them through Facebook."

Ask Prasad Maurya, running a small, roadside shop selling groceries on the main Maharajganj-Haidergarh road, why people still vote for Sonia if she has not brought development to the region and he says "most of these people are lying. I am a BSP voter, but, this time my vote will go to BJP. I am sure others are not speaking their minds out or are under some kind of fear."

"I have never seen Sonia or Rahul coming to our village. We never got good roads or hospitals. In every election, candidates come and urge us to vote for them. We will vote for someone who gives us the basic facilities at least," says Rajab Ali resident of Rukha village.

At Thulsawan, when villagers started talking against Sonia, Karan Singh, a self-proclaimed Congress worker, silenced them all saying "I won't tolerate anybody talking against Congress," in an indication that elections might still not be a fair exercise in villages and support for Sonia might not be as real as it seems.

"I never voted for Congress not even during Indira Gandhi's time. Congress never showed any respect to voters in Rae Bareli," says advocate Ajay Prakash.

"Had BJP put up a strong candidate against Sonia, her vote share would have gone down considerably," says R B Singh, manager at one the schools in Rae Bareli.