Birender’s citadel cries for care

Five years ago, Singh, a Congress heavyweight, could claim to be the uncrowned king of Uchana, and rightly so — he’d won the seat four times. But in the 2000 Assembly polls, his loyal subjects jilted him for Bhag Singh of INLD. ‘‘He lost by 6,000 votes, and that too because people thought he had shifted to Delhi,’’ said one. But others tell you how he lost: because his ‘I am the bhaavi CM’ line lost its ring of truth. Outside the Congress office, Jagdeep Singh reels out a list of problems ailing the constituency. ‘‘There is widespread unemployment, only one college, that too for women, and a civil hospital with 30 beds.’’

Scores of greasy auto-parts and diesel pump shops line the road of the mandi. Scattered around are one textile and seven cotton mills, but they’re not enough to absorb the local youth.

These grouses give new hope to 75-year-old Des Raj Numberdar, the INLD candidate and a serial constestant. Shakuntala Gehlot, the articulate pradhan of INLD mahila wing, claims Des Raj enjoys the support of women due to INLD’s contribution on the water front. ‘‘Chautala is the only CM who developed four minors here,’’ she says.

But the women could also be inclined towards Meena Seokand, the lone woman contestant from here who claims to be the candidate of all the panchayats. And BJP candidate Om Prakash Danoda has been promised the support of the Brahmins — they comprise 12 pc of the local population.

Anil Sharma, whose father is president of the 48 Khaap Brahmin Association, claims the pandits had promised to back Danoda at a rally addressed by I.D. Swami. ‘‘Jat votes will be divided between Birender and Des Raj, leaving us with the winning numbers,’’ he said.

Brave words these in a constituency whose voters admit ‘‘sarkar to Congress ki hi aayegi’’.