Dapodi 8212; A day in the life of a candidate

DAPODI, Sept 6: It's yet another hectic day of campaigning for Nationalist Congress Party NCP candidate Vitthal Tupe. Even as he answer...

DAPODI, Sept 6: It8217;s yet another hectic day of campaigning for Nationalist Congress Party NCP candidate Vitthal Tupe. Even as he answers phone calls in a hurry, he makes arrangements for proceeding to Uruli Devachi for seeking the blessing of the gramdaivat8217; Bhairavnath temple.

8220;It has been my practice since childhood to visit the temple every Saturday. Even during sessions or any busy work, I never miss going to this temple on this day,8221; he says.

According to the day8217;s schedule Tupe is supposed to start the padyatra at Dapodi at 9 am and cover the entire Bopodi area along with sitting MLA and NCP candidate for Bopodi, Rambhau Moze by 1 pm.

Tupe8217;s arrival at Dapodi is however delayed and that causes some confusion among party workers at various places: while one says, the padyatra is to begin from the Shivaji statue, another says that it is to begin from Chandni chowk at Bopodi. A short while after Moze begins his padyatra at Dapodi, Tupe joins him. The area in which they are campaigning is onedominated by families of the lower income group and even as they are busy in their daily work, women invite the candidates for an aarti where a red tikka is applied on the forehead and sugar is offered.

As the padyatra moves across small lanes of Bopodi, Tupe and Moze have little say in which direction to proceed. It is the party workers who insist that the candidates should visit a particular house or go into a particular lane.

Near the Dr Ambedkar chowk, the candidates recieve a grand welcome as crackers are burst. Tupe and Moze also visit the temple of Lord Hanuman. Its been an hour since the candidates have been on the move and when they are invited for another aarti at a house, Tupe has the privilege to sit comfortably and have some water.

Campaigners raise loud slogans highlighting ghadyal clock 8212; NCP symbol and some even sing songs. Tupe says, 8220;I have laid stress on padyatras. I do not know how much distance I cover everyday. I have hardly four hours of sleep as my campaigning ends at 2 am. Iintend to take out a huge rally in the city on the last two days of the campaign,8221; he says.

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The new party symbol is not any problem: 8220;On the contrary it is more popular both in the rural and the urban areas.8221; After nearly four hours, the padyatra formally concludes at the party office along the Mumbai-Pune highway.

After attending a press-meet at Navi Peth, the same day, Tupe moves on for the padyatra in Aundh. 8220;I see BJP candidate Pradeep Ravat as my immediate rival,8221; he says. After Aundh he moves on to Parvati. The day does not seem to have an end as Vithal Tupe says, 8220;there8217;s a party workers meeting at 12 am.8221;