Mirzapur Ground Report: Vindhyachal Temple Corridor And Development Central To NDA’s Campaign; Anupriya Patel Faces Caste Challenge From SP

A single queue of the devotees stretches itself over slow steps towards the vigraha of Ma Vindhyavaasini. 

The few moments of the glimpse of the Devi melt the distance, heat and miles for every devotee. In tears, a mother of two from Pratapgarh, tries to pull herself away from the deity. Tears of devotion wiped, in a few seconds, they find themselves at a huge and neat compound. 

It has been washed and wiped. Geometry and curls in stone carvings catch the attention. The cleanliness and attention to details in construction at the under-construction temple corridor emerges courageously from accounts of how difficult the darshan was in the past -- even for the locals.

Children splash around to give their feet some succour from heat. There are different portions at the newly-constructed part of the Maa Vindhyavasini Corridor dedicated to the mundan ceremony (the shaving of heads for children -- one of the 16 sanskars or rituals in a Hindu's life) where devotees sit in the shade with their children. Labourers move around quietly to continue their assignments for the day. 

The darshan is done in barely 20 minutes and each gate opens to a lane selling prasad, flowers, bangles and other offerings to the Devi. 

For this author, the Mirzapur poll ground story turned out to be an opportunity for the darshan of the Devi of the Vindhyas and for the glimpse of the fourth temple corridor - after Kashi, Ujjain and Ayodhya. 

One of the three in Uttar Pradesh alone under the double engine sarkar and the fourth to get a temple corridor under Modi-led NDA in the cradle of a holy river.   

Ma Vindhyavasini is central to the Mirzapur Lok Sabha poll 2024. 

The NDA candidate from Mirzapur is Anupriya Singh Patel – the Apna Dal (S) leader who is also union minister and sitting MP.  She is fighting to win the third time.  

One denial of ticket from the NDA in neighbouring Bhadohi has made the contest interesting. The Samajwadi Party is aiming at caste-centered disruption of Kurmi-dominated OBC votes. The BSP has fielded a Brahmin candidate.  

One of the entrances of the under-construction corridor at the Ma Vindhyavasini Mandir faces a shop of gamchhas and worship-related articles. It is run by Ganesh Soni and Munna Jaiswal. It’s a coveted place to be. “The government began working on the corridor at the right time. The lull during and after the Covid-19 was when change was budding here. Work is progressing at a good pace. The Modi-Yogi team has been very effective in its decision-making. The results of this decision-making are showing for us.” 

Rajkumar sells flowers specific to rituals at the temple. But when  asked for flowers or for his views on the election, he passes on the responsibility to Mohammad Sameer, who doesn't seem too impressed by the work of the BJP-led government. “They are focused on the development at the corridor. They are not bothered about unemployment or other problems being faced by the people. Bas Mandir hee mandir chal raha hai abhi unka.”  

At the Vindhyavasini Mandir, Yogi Adityanath is mentioned as the energy behind the uplifting of temple life in Vindhyachal. “His repeated visits to the temple inculcate huge trust and confidence in people regarding the developmental, structural and cultural rejuvenation in Vindhyachal. Modi to achcha kaam kar hee rahe hain, par Yogiji yahan baar baar aate hain.” 

Rahul Kaushal, a local devotee mentioned that Yogi Adiyanath’s visits to Ma Vindhyavasini Mandir happen without much fuss. Shopkeepers go about their business as usual. He visits like any other devotee.” 

Kaushal adds that the strategic step taken by the Samajwadi Party is to field Ramesh Bind. 

Ramesh Bind was fielded by the INDI block after he left the BJP following a denial of ticket from Bhadohi, where the BJP preferred to go with ally Nishad Party candidate. By doing that, BJP seemingly preserved two aspects - alliance and inclusion. 

Caste equations deeply affect the Mirzapur contest. 

While Ramesh Bind's candidature has been dominating news, workers of the Apna Dal and the BJP believe that the power of tilt lies with Anupriya Patel and not Ramesh Bind when it comes to caste. Their explanation: Bind might dent the NDA alliance owing to the support of the Bind community, but the Patels, who align with Anupriya Patel and the BJP's own voter, will go with Patel. “It perhaps is not known to many people that Patel has done more work for the Bind community than Ramesh Bind himself.” 

Will this factor help Anupriya Patel divide the Bind vote? “One cannot deny that.”  

“Both Anupriya and Ramesh Bind are good candidates” -- a refrain heard in Mirzapur. Voters mention that Ramesh Bind is popular in Mirzapur regardless of caste, and the same applies to Anupriya Patel. 

Some voters mentioned that Anupriya Patel’s strength lies in bringing Mandir and infrastructural development, including highways, sowing seeds for a medical college, a university, to Mirzapur.

Mahesh K Prajapati, a shopkeeper near the temple is not disappointed with the NDA government's work in the region. “The BJP is because of Modi. It is what Modi ji is. It is not the other way round. This facet reflects in BJP's work.” 

However, he believes that OBCs have no political party to call their own and that’s where BJP has lacked in efforts and outreach with the OBC communities. 

He explains: Let’s look at the three different categories in caste. The upper castes got the BJP. The lower castes found solace in the work of Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party. What about those in the middle? Who will look after them?"

Shantanu Prajapati, a youth voter seems to agree with Mahesh. He says, “Employment is a big issue in Mirzapur and the region. A section of people among the castes is ignored when it comes to welfare. Most promises made by the government are verbal. They are not reaching the ground." 

According to them, Ramesh Bind has a good image in Mirzapur and is known for addressing people's problems. “Ramesh Bind might have these factors working for him. Add to these, BJP's inability to address unemployment and mehengai.” 

Narendra Pandey is a pujari attached to the Ma Vindhyavasini Mandir, devotees and rituals. He believes that the government made some difficult decisions in carrying out corridor-related work in the vicinity. “Many people were upset because the widening of the path leading to the temple meant that the development work would affect their shops. The smaller shops had to go. Around 90-95 people suffered because of that and nearly 75 others on account of other development work undertaken for the corridor. It takes time for people to accept some huge changes for development.”

According to Pandey, the building of the four-lane roads in Bhadohi and Mirzapur and their improved connectivity with the neighbouring districts is among the impressive contributions of the government. 

He looks at domestic prosperity through the kitchen. “However, mehengai is the BJP's weakness. Dals are the basic. Kitchens cannot run without them. It is difficult to run the kitchen when a dal costing Rs 75 a kilo soars up in price to Rs 172 per kilo.”

Sunil Prajapati, a voter, told this author that all complaints regarding the loss to shops owing to the development work undertaken for the temple corridor are a result of people's shortsightedness.

He says, “This entire area outside our shops was in a terrible state. People criticising the government don't see that today, the development has resulted in a safe and secure visit for the devotee, our business and prosperity, and above all, above everything else, is the fact that after the positive changes, the vicinity has become ready for a 5 lakh per day footfall during the Navratra.” 

Pankaj Pathak, a devotee added: “This same place would be unimaginable with just 50,000 devotees pouring in earlier. Thankfully, that’s a thing of the past. Today, five lakh people go satisfied and safe after their darshan of Ma. The willingness and execution of the change brought here by the Modi government and Yogi Adityanath government is commendable.” 

Yes, Kol Can 

While sections of the media seem interested in presenting a romantic view of Mirzapur as a caste-thriller, workers of the alliance tend to de-steam the excitement about Patel facing Bind.

Shambhu Nath Tiwari and Durga Prasad Srivastav, two workers of the BJP, have seen 60-70 Mirzapur summers. Few minutes after some senior Apna Dal leaders leave for preparations for Yogi Adityanath's rally in Mirzapur, they take their manning positions at the alliance's combined “chunav karyalaya.” 

At the entrance of the space, there is another desk where senior workers of the Apna Dal are seen making notes. The huge wing resembles a “baithak” of a huge joint family where experience, seniority, mind, legs and yuva shakti prepare for an iconic day in their joint history. 

Tewari opens up his conversation cheerfully after I break the ice with the key word “Sonbhadra”.

Slapping remains of jaggery off his hands, Tewari explains why Rinki Kol and her teaming up with Anupriya Patel are important in 2024. 

The combined strengths of the two women candidates are vital for the NDA. In Sonbhadra, the NDA alliance has fielded Rinki Kol, an MLA from Chhanbey Vidhan Sabha constituency in Mirzapur. Tewari adds: “Chhanbe is Kol-dominated. At the inset of Mirzapur is the firm hold of the Kol family headed by Pakodi Kol ji.”

Pakodi Kol was in news because he was not given the ticket from NDA. However, with Samajwadi's strategic move of choosing Ramesh Bind for its Mirzapur contest, the NDA had to turn to the Kol family. Tewari adds: “Rinki Kol came into the picture. She was given the ticket. Kol, Patel and Brahmin voters are considered the NDA's strength in Mirzapur.”

Kols wholeheartedly supported the NDA in 2019 and seemed upset in the 2022 assembly poll. NDA's denial to give Pakodi Kol a ticket was naturally not bound to make things better. Hence, Rinki’s foray. 

Voters this author met said that the SP might hurt the NDA in Majhawan, Chunar, and Marihan on the Bind and unemployment factor. 

In the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, Anupriya Patel defeated Samudra Bind of BSP with a margin of more than two lakh votes. She got 43.52 per cent share of votes while Bind was at 21.68 per cent. Interestingly, in the  2019 Lok sabha poll, Majhawan assembly constituency saw the lowest winning margin for the winner. Assembly constituencies of Chunar and Marihan delivered the largest margins for Patel followed by the Kol-family dominated Chhanbey Vidhan Sabha. 

When the BJP’s opposition talks “caste”, the BJP, too, talks “caste”. Shrivastava told this author: “The Kurmi and Patel vote too is with Anupriya ji. Nearly 75 per cent Patel is with her. Brahmin, Rajputs and Vaishyas are with Anupriya ji. Please keep in mind that the BJP's loyal voter never leaves the BJP.”

According to Shrivastava, the biggest strength of the alliance is the developmental work initiated and ongoing under the double engine sarkar (centre and state partnership). 

“During the last 10 years, Anupriya ji has done more for the Bind community than the Bind netas themselves.” 

Sangathan And Alliance Warmth 

Workers of the BJP and the Apna Dal (S) told this author that their fight against the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll is powered by their experience of fighting in an alliance in two previous Lok Sabha polls and two Vidhan Sabha polls. 

Youth leader from Apna Dal Dushyant Patel is so full of energy two days before the campaign comes to an end that senior colleagues choose to channelise his words towards this author: “Dedicating the Swatantra Sangram Senani Jhoori Bind Smriti Dwar in Bhatori village to the public, the building of the Bhatori-Chunar bridge, the building of road infrastructure connecting Mirzapur with other districts, are some of her works for people of every samaj including the Bind samaj.”

“The completion of the Bhatori-Chunar bridge and the establishing of the medical college are two points where the NDA emerges as distinctly delivery oriented. Next, the six-lane bridge over the Ganga which is upcoming will give the Vindhyachal region better connectivity with Lucknow, Banaras and neighbouring states.”  

Patel adds that the building of the medical college in Mirzapur is a gamechanger for the region. “The pre-2014 picture was not pleasing when it came to health infrastructure. Patients needing serious interventions would have to be transported to other cities in UP and towards Madhya Pradesh.” 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Mirzapur last week, Yogi Adityanath’s rally and the coverage of the ground by the alliance might make Patel edge past her opponent. 

Then, there are workers of the Apna Dal (S) such as Vijay Kumar Patel. He was attached to Anupriya Patel’s father Sone Lal Patel in Bihar and continues to work for the Apna Dal (S). He says with belief: “I have come all the way from Bihar to make her win. She will take it the third time.”