Will Bhadohi roll out the red carpet for BJP amid triangular fight with BSP, TMC?

Famous for weaving world-class hand made carpets, Bhadohi is the lone seat, which the TMC is contesting in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

Famous for weaving world-class carpets, the Bhadohi parliamentary constituency, where the lotus bloomed in 2014 and 2019, is witnessing a triangular fight among the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party-supported Trinamool Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

The carpet artisans and other associated with this industry feel that their issues hardly find poll resonance (HT Photo)

Caste equations dominate poll debates, which usually start with issues such as unemployment and inflation and end up calculating caste numbers.

The carpet artisans and other associated with this industry feel that their issues hardly find poll resonance as it is business as usual for the political parties on the campaign trail in Bhadohi.

“Bhadohi makes carpets worth about ₹9,000 crore annually. Of these, carpets worth over ₹5,000 crore are exported to various countries, including the United States and European nations every year. The carpet industry gives employment to over five lakh artisans,” says All India Carpet Manufacturing Association (AICMA)’s ex honorary secretary Piyush Baranwal.

Like previous polls, this time, too, the carpet industry’s concerns are not an election issue, says Baranwal. He suggests infrastructure should be developed in Bhadohi for technological upgradation in designing, dyeing and finishing in accordance with the demand for the international market and the government should arrange training for the artisans from time to time.

The sitting MP (Ramesh Bind) made just a little effort for infrastructure development for carpet manufacturing in Bhadohi, says Baranwal.

This time, Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, the TMC candidate, is pitted against the BJP’s Vinod Kumar Bind and the BSP’s Harishankar.

Nawaz Sharif, a local carpet yarn trader, says, “ We are traders, we work hard, weave carpets, and contribute to the development of the nation.”

In the last five years, the sitting MP hardly ever visited us and tried to know our problems and what should be done for promoting hand-made carpets, he adds.

Asalam, another manufacturer, says the sitting MP could have made more efforts for welfare of artisans and the carpet industry.

Moin Khan observes that the Trinmool Congress is in a strong position in Bhadohi at present but as as voting date nears, the political equations will change. Voting in Bhadohi is scheduled for May 25.

Vimal Kumar Yadav, resident of Bhadohi, says, “Locals are not happy with sitting BJP MP Ramesh Bind since he didn’t pay attention to development in Bhadohi. After winning the election in 2019, he almost forgot the locals.”

Yadav, however, asserts, if Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a political rally here, the poll scenario will change on the seat where there are over three lakh Brahmins and over 2.75 lakh Binds.

Brahmins are not happy with the incumbent MP for several reasons and perhaps, this is the reason the BJP replaced Ramesh with Vinod Bind, he says.

Shiv Sagar Tripathi, a Bhadohi-based carpet manufacturer, accepts the Brahmins are angry with the outgoing MP, and therefore, they are claiming to support Lalitesh Pati Tripathi of the Trinamool Congress. This is a temporary trend which will change in the next few days and Brahmins will most likely support the ruling party, he says.

He says outsiders have won past elections in Bhadohi. In 2014, the winner was Virendra Singh Mast who hails from Ballia and in 2019 it was Ramesh Bind who belongs to Mirzapur. The present BJP candidate Vinod Kumar Bind is from Chandauli.

Gulab Chandra Maurya, a bike mechanic at Indra Market in Bhadohi, says at the eleventh hour, people will forget the candidate and look at Modi who will eventually make the BJP candidate win the seat.

Shivkumar Jaiswal, a local cloth merchant, says, “A large number of people, especially Brahmins, are not happy with the outgoing MP. The business community supports the BJP due to good law and order. We are doing business peacefully. Remember, this is also an issue in this election.”

At a tea stalls, youths like Mohammd Faiyaz flag the issue of unemployment and others talk of inflation. “Unemployment and inflation are very serious issues for us,” Faiyyaz says.

In Gyanpur area, Mohammad Irfan and Naveen Kumar echo similar views.

However, Babloo Gupta, an entrepreneur, says, “Unemployment is for those who don’t want to work hard. See, I learnt CCTV work and am earning well.”

Despite such issues, eventually caste equations will play a decisive role, locals say.

Daya Shankar, a local says, together, Brahmins, Muslims and Yadavs comprise over seven lakh voters.

“Till now, most of them are supporting the INDIA bloc and if the trend continues, you may guess the results. Issues are there, but caste equations decide the election results,” he says.

Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, the TMC candidate, is pitted against the BJP’s Vinod Kumar Bind and the BSP’s Harishankar.