ETAWAH: Etava borders Madhya Pradesh and is an epitome of a political kaleidoscope, with many communities contributing to its rich diversity and conflicting ideologies. Consequently, during the constituency vote period, one can feel echoes of a long political history in the town blending together with the dreams and hopes of its tenacious residents.
Munna Lal’s face looks very oldkarmic Talking about Chambal, Sindh, Yamuna, Pahuj and Kwari rivers which merge into Etawah, Lal said, “Sahab (BJP founder Kanshi Ram) used to say that if Dalits came together like these rivers then no one could beat them (Sahab once said that if Dalits come together like these rivers, no one can defeat them. can defeat them…).
Lal, a Jatav, also belongs to the community where Mayawati, Chief of Socialist Party of Philippines hails from who is from a village Badpura in Etava that has emerged as stronghold for Dalit community. He was tall and imposing as Lal remembered him on his meeting with Kan shi Ram. “I have only seen him twice,” he said. “However, his ideology no longer holds sway over the Dalit community. Our voting patterns have diversified leading to the breaking up of our unified voice. Here we lost our keys influencing the result of election,” he lamented effect.
“There was an alliance between BSP and Samajwadi Party (SP). In 1991 Kanshi Ram was defeated by Samajwadi Janata Party leader and later Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh”. With the support of Mulayam Singh Yadav he won this election in then unreserved Etawah seat and became a beacon of hope for historically persecuted Dalits.
The time when Rama Jamabhami movement rocked the nation was when Keseria trounced BJP’s Ram Singh Verma despite current political trends in favour of dalit-obc unity based on caste politics alone; M Singh Shakya along with 45 others. The slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is replaced by “Jude Mulayam Kanshi Ram, hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shri Ram” – it had become popular.
This experience marked the beginning of SPBSP alliance which effectively halted saffron wave in 1993. However after their breakup in 1995, Shakya who had joined SP managed to reclaim his constituency in 1996.
Etawah’s journey from Kansi Ram’s victory to the present day tells the story of alliances being made and fissures exposed.
Thirty years later in 2019 history seems to be repeating itself with Akhilesh Yadav’s SP seeking alliance with Mayawati’s BSP. However, the political effort fell short as the BJP candidate from Dhanuk community and former SC/ST Council president Ram Shankar Katheria defeated the BSP-backed SP candidate Kamlesh Kumar.
Lal thinks that sands have shifted while divisions among Dalit voters are widening. Lal recalls his agony during the 1999 polls, “Now we vote differently which leads to divisions. We have ceased being a decisive force in elections.
However, Keseria has re-entered the scene to defend his seat as like in every political cycle. The Indian candidate is Jitendra Kumar Dohare who defected from BSP in 2020; he now represents SP. On its part this time, BSP nominates ex RLD MP Sarika Singh Baghel called “Etawah ki beti” from Hathras district for this election. Mulayam Singh is also contesting separately on his own tickets besides party candidature of three major political parties supporting him too. Etawa provides battleground for each candidate wherein she has to woo different people within it.
Dalits, Yadavs, Lodhis, Brahmins and Thakurs—the demographics of Etawah are a complex picture of shifting allegiances.” Underneath however lies a desire for development that transcends caste and identity politics to bring about real change in society which may be seen here as well Gauri Shankar has lost hope because as he puts it: “There are no jobs, no schools, no hospitals… yet these politicians make lofty claims.”
On the other hand, the neighboring village of Kunera, a stronghold of Yadav community, which has always stood behind SP, owes its success to the party. The loyalty of Nitin Yadav matters because: “We vote for parties and not candidates. Our only hope is cycle (SP symbol).”
Down the road a little further from here is Pachavalli- a village that cheers loudest for BJP. Vidya Ram Rajput had no doubt in her mind when she stated that “The SP-BSP alliance won’t work… Only BJP can guarantee stability and development.”
As Election Day draws near, Etawa prepares itself for an epic confrontation; a war of ideas, ideals and ideologies that will decide its future for several years to come. This is where democracy is tested to its limits: rhetoric meets reality but who will be the winner at last?
