Political choice has a benefit quotient in UP aspirational dists
SIDDHARTHNAGAR: Managing daily chores has become easier for Saroj, 32, who now has a tap to fill water and an LPG gas stove to cook food in her two-room pucca house in Chauhatta village of UP’s Siddharthnagar. These amenities also make life smooth for several other families in the village.
“Kitchen work has become easier. Earlier, water was available through handpump while cooking was done on a ‘chulha’ (wood stove made of mud). Water coming out of the tap... I have seen it here only, and not even at my maternal house,” remarked a politically updated Saroj, a mother of two, with a smile on her face.
Siddharthnagar, one of the eight aspirational districts in Uttar Pradesh, has 1,19,527 Ujjwala beneficiary families who got wood stoves replaced with LPG system. Besides, 3,37,496 families in the rural pockets have got tap water connections. The Ujjwala and Har Ghar Jal schemes, along with the PM Awas Yojna that covered over 25,000 families in Siddharthnagar in the past few years have changed lives and politics too.
“Almost all from our village will cast our vote early in the morning on May 25. This is because cleaning of the house, storing drinking water and cooking are done quickly,” the woman from the OBC community quipped.
Politicians and parties have a different take on campaigning in these districts. They call it the “beneficiary connect”, which is high on agenda on the ground, and in rallies too.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of his concluding remarks in speeches, makes the beneficiary connect, asking the gathering to spread the word about three crore more PM Awas Yojana houses to be built in his next tenure.
“After June 4, the PM Surya Scheme will be expanded to bring down power bills to zero in houses via solar power connections,” the PM mentioned during his Nari Shakti meeting at Varanasi on May 21.
Chulahi Yadav, 57, former pradhan of the Chauhatta village, who has been instrumental in helping villagers get LPG cylinders under Ujjwala scheme and pucca houses under housing scheme, said: “People recognise me more than anyone. This is because I helped them get benefits under various schemes.”
Indravati Devi of Rampur
Nankar village in Siddharthnagar is another beneficiary who was preparing sweets for a small gathering in her house, when team HT reached her place. “The gas stove has made cooking easier and quicker. To prepare sweets for 25 people, it will take just over half-anhour. With the wood stove earlier, smoke created problems,” she added.
Siddharthnagar has 4,00,616 families that were to be provided clean drinking water via tap connections. Under the Jal Jivan Mission, 3,37,496 have got it touching 20,24,976 individuals in the rural pocket of the district or 84.24% of the target, according to data till May 10, 2024. In eight aspirational districts, 26,30,189 families were to be provided tap connections, and till now 22,27,070 families have got it. Like PM Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath makes it a point to include these figures in his speeches that cover aspirational and other districts.
By May 10, 2,65,305 families in Balrampur got tap water connections, 4,98,820 in Bahraich, 2,46,745 in Chandauli, 1,59,904 in Chitrakoot, 3,37,680 in Fatehpur, 1,53,061 in Shravasti and 2,28,059 in Sonebhadra, according to data from Jal Jivan Mission, Uttar Pradesh.
Political science terms such voters as those ‘who go by visibility.’
“Such voters live in today and decide vote preferences by what they get today. It could be benefit of drinking water at doorstep or a gas stove connection in kitchen,” said Dr Saroj Kumar Dhal, assistant professor, department of sociology, at University of Lucknow.
Among Ujjwala beneficiaries, Balrampur that is part of Shravasti Lok Sabha constituency, has 1,36,189 beneficiaries, Sonebhadra that is part of Robertsganj LS constituency has 78,406 beneficiaries, Fatehpur 76,020, Chitrakoot 62,584, Siddharthnagar, part of Domariyaganj LS constituency, has 1,19,527, Bahraich 270745, Chandauli 96354 and Shravasti 94,627 beneficiaries. Under the Ujjwala scheme, there are 9,34,452 beneficiaries in aspirational districts.
“The change has made our lives better,” said Ramnarayan, another villager in Siddharthnagar.
“The list of beneficiary families is managed by a separate team that reaches out to them and reminds them in an indirect way. For the ruling party, it is to remind the voter of the benefits, and for opposition, it could be targeting how benefits have not reached all,” said a poll strategist working in Siddharthnagar for a party.
“If you talk to such voters about the future, they won’t respond much as they look only to what they get at present. Just as a child would love to have a toy to play, ignorant of the toil his father would put in to get that toy,” said Dr Dhal.
“Shravasti ranks amongst India’s most underdeveloped districts on several parameters. Here, 96 of every 1,000 children die within a year of birth, much more than UP’s average of 68 deaths per 1000 births,” said state Congress spokesperson.
Among 112 aspirational districts selected by Niti Ayog in 2018 in India, eight are in UP.