Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls | BJP candidates relying on brand Modi-Yogi

Discontent against local leaders for lack of amenities is off set by communal rhetoric

As the BJP’s glittering, repurposed election drives into the labour chowk of Mathura, daily wage workers surround it with the hope that the party would recruit them for electioneering at ₹500 per person. But all they get is a BJP booklet titled “Mero Brij”.

“Ya ko kya karoon? ₹500 de do, saath le chalo din bhar ko (What can I do with this? Pay me ₹500 andtake me along for electioneering),” says a disappointed Chandan Singh from a village in Goverdhan constituency, who has been standing at the cross-roads since early morning waiting for work. There are hundreds like him, most of them have e-Shram cards, but no work. “We paid ₹50 each to get them [e-Shram card] made with the hope that ₹2,000 will come into our account but we haven’t received the installment,” alleged another worker Fateh Singh.