Huzur Vidhan Sabha: Hindu card versus unemployment - what will be prioritised

Following the disclosure of the Congress' second list of assembly candidates, Bhopal's political landscape—capital of Madhya Pradesh—has manifested with greater clarity. Congress has now confirmed candidates for each of the capital's seven seats. Former Congress PCC member, Naresh Gyan Chandani, will challenge the incumbent MLA and BJP candidate, Rameshwar Sharma, for Bhopal's Huzur Vidhan Sabha seat. Notably, both candidates hail from the 2018 assembly elections for this seat.

Huzur Vidhan sabha: What is the history of this seat?

The Huzur Vidhan sabha seat was established subsequent to the delimitation in 2007. In the ensuing elections of 2008, the seat was won by Jitendra Dagga, representing the BJP. Afterwards, in 2013, Rameshwar Sharma was given the BJP nomination. Consequently, Sharma has continuously occupied this seat for a solid decade, with the BJP holding influence over it for the past 15 years. In the most recent assembly elections, Rameshwar Sharma triumphed over Naresh Gyanchandani with a substantial margin of 15,725 votes.

Vote statistics

Discussing the caste equation, 73% of the voters in this seat belong to the General and OBC communities. In contrast, 14.2 % of voters are part of the Scheduled Caste. The Sindhi community holds approximately 14% of the votes in this area. In the previous assembly elections, Sharma received a substantial 65.48 percent of the vote.

Huzur Vidhan sabha: What is the main issue?

Rameshwar Sharma is esteemed as a prominent Hindutva leader within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hailing from Sangh. He maintains a noteworthy reputation in the state as a Hindu leader. In a recent development, in response to statements made by Congress leader Digvijay Singh, Sharma questioned any potential links between Congress and the PFI. Furthermore, this particular legislative seat is viewed to be heavily influenced by Hindutva ideologies. Sitaram Sahu, a resident of the Damkheda slum within this assembly constituency, brands the Congress as decidedly anti-Hindu and anti-national. Sahu, along with his father, are steadfast advocates for the BJP.

“There has been development. But I don't know where it has happened.”

Sahu says that a lot of development has been done by Rameshwar Sharma. He says,

“No one has done the work that the Janata Party (Bharatiya Janata Party) has done.” We wanted to know from them what work has been done. On this, he only says, “A lot of work has been done.”

Nevertheless, he later discusses the installation of sewage and water lines, along with the building of a six-lane road. A sign is displayed in front of Sahu's shop that reads 'Ma. Rameshwar Sharma ji performed the bhoomi pujan of the community building construction work in Damkheda A sector.' We inquired with Sitaram Sahu about the location of this community building. In response, he expressed uncertainty about the existence of such a construction.

Babita Pateria, a resident of this locality, has a disability, as is her husband, Rajesh Pateria. Despite their disabilities, they assert that they have encountered no major issues. When questioned about benefits obtained from the initiatives executed by the prior government, Rajesh referred to the Public Distribution System (PDS). He further added that they have been receiving benefits from all applicable government schemes.

Only the houses of the poor will be destroyed

Recently, the National Green Tribunal instituted a resolution aimed at eliminating the residential locale residing within the Kaliyasot River's catchment area. Although enforcement of this decision is still in the pipeline, its actualization could initiate the dismantling of the Damkheda slum areas and neighboring skyscrapers. Presently, the matter is under judicial review. Rajesh Patria asserts his lack of apprehension concerning the possible ruin of his property, echoing the sentiment of others. In contrast, Ajay Tiwari postulates that affluent residents in luxurious establishments will triumph in the impending legal dispute due to their financial resources and proof of property ownership. He declares,

“This will only destroy the homes of the poor.”

Employment is the main problem

In Damkheda's community, a group of youthful individuals gathers near a temple for a spirited discussion. Among them is Deepak Sen, a diligent B.Sc. student who identifies employment as his paramount concern.

“Most of the people here work as carpenters. People who are educated don’t have any work.”

Deepak says, Seekho Kamao Yojana was recently started by the Madhya Pradesh government with the aim of providing employment to the youth. Deepak got work on a farm in Indore under this scheme. He says, “How could I live and earn in Indore with Rs 8,000?” He says that the recent Patwari recruitment scam has also affected the future of the youth. However, when we talked to Sitaram Sahu on the issue of employment, he says, “We do not want employment, we are employing ourselves.” Sahu does grocery business.

Development has not occurred

Ajay Tiwari, another resident of this assembly (Huzur Vidhansabha) area, denies that development is taking place. “For the last 20 years, everything has been the same as you are seeing now. This is what you call development?” He says angrily. Road construction work is going on outside this settlement on the main Kolar Road. Referring to this, he says, “The road has been built here for the last 5 years, I don't know when it will be built.” Similarly, he also raises questions about the stadium not being built yet.

We have no benefit from Hindutva

Referring to Rameshwar Sharma's Hindutva politics, we asked Ajay Tiwari what benefit he got from it.

“We have not got any benefit from Hindu politics. We need employment.”

As soon as we enter Damkheda Sector B, we see many mechanic shops. One of them, Farhan Hussain, says, “There is a lot of water problem here. As soon as it rains a little, this place gets filled with water.” Pointing towards the divider built on the main road, he says, “That broken divider you are seeing. The municipality has broken it to let out water.” He says that the water from Sector A located on the other side of the road also flows and accumulates in his locality.

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