Written by Pragyanesh There is a large television screen playing the results of the Lok Sabha polls in the lane near Hanuman Mandir. More than a dozen people have stopped by to watch, few walk ahead after a glance. The poll results, however, seem to be on the mind of everyone here in the business hub of Connaught Place. Those who aren't looking at the screen are busy checking the updates on their cell phones. “They got arrogant,” says Sanjay Sharma from Khurja, Bulandshahr, referring to the BJP. “I am a proud Hindu. And I am happy that Ram Mandir was built. But now what? People need jobs.That's why they are lagging behind in UP,” adds Sharma, who deals in medicine and is visiting Delhi to see an ailing friend. Sanjeev, standing next to him at the roadside tea stall, isn't too convinced. “PM Modi is still very popular,” declares the man from Darbhanga, Bihar. Around 3pm, as the poll numbers begin to suggest the BJP may fall short of the majority, Sharma expresses his concern. “The Congress has successfully led a coalition government twice. They (BJP) are not used to consultation with others,” he says. As a light drizzle starts, a much-needed respite from the Delhi heat, a few men come rushing and remove the screen. People now gather in front of a shoe store inside the adjoining Regal building. “Modi will have the victory but not the same power,” a man opines. “We were listening to only one voice, inside the Parliament and outside. Now it won't be like that,” says another. An old woman, who identified herself as Shanti, from JJ colony appears and asks: “Where are the jobs? All these big companies have taken away government jobs.” “Modi should go this time,” she says, her voice loud. On the other side of the building, insurance agents Arvind Singh and Rajesh are busy scrolling their phones. “What the political parties do is a lot like what we do. They too try to convince people that their schemes are the best,” says Arvind. According to Rajesh, “There is no alternative to Modi.” Just a 100 meters ahead, Mahendra Singh Chauhan is resting on a parked motorcycle, a Hindi newspaper in hand. “Three issues will take their (BJP) tally down: Jobs, Mohammedan (Muslims) and kisaan (farmers). What they did with the farmers during protests has impacted them in Haryana, Punjab and UP,” he says. Outside the Rajiv Chawk metro station, the auto and taxi drivers are huddled together in different corners, glued to their mobile screens. “I have taken screenshots of 400 paar predictions. You come to me tomorrow and we will see how true they are,” says one.
