Singer chants Thakur mantra

For Tripti Shakya,its time for a different kind of a stage show. The 35-year-old bhajan singer,a known name in Uttar Pradesh....

For Tripti Shakya,its time for a different kind of a stage show. The 35-year-old bhajan singer,a known name in Uttar Pradesh,Bihar and Madhya Pradesh,is busy addressing public meetings in dusty villages these days,having decided to take on Samjawadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in his stronghold,Mainpuri,as the BJP candidate. Kurta-churidar,sports shoes,and sunglasses are part of her standard gear a contrast to her glamourous outfits for stage shows. She rests only while traveling from one village to another in her air-conditioned Scorpio.

A different kind of glamour is associated with music shows; it is all organised by others. Here,you have to face everything on your own, says Tripti describing the difference between the two worlds.

For Tripti,it wasnt a sudden decision. She joined the BJP about a year ago. It was May 29,to be precise. It changed my life. I joined the BJP and started eyeing this seat. I finally got the ticket. Now I feel its possible to defeat Mulayam Singh in Manipuri, claims Tripti on her way to Kusumara from Mainpuri. Jharkhand ke CM haar sakte hain to ye Mulayam Singh to bhootpurva CM hain If Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren can taste defeat,so can Mulayam,after all,he is an ex-CM, she says.

During the 40-km drive,her cellphone continues to ring. Organise meetings to be addressed by Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh at more than five places, she tells a caller. Raman Singh is a Thakur and she needs Thakur votes to counter Mulayams Yadav-Lodh combination.

Obviously,Tripti has learnt a lot in the last one year. This is netagiri. As a singer,the caste factor is of no value to me. But in politics,caste matters, she says. Triptis caste,Shakya,has considerable presence in the area,but the number is not enough to counter Mulayam. So,she has to reach out to other castes,particularly the upper castes and the Lodhs.

Though based in Allahabad,where she got her degree in music,Tripti belongs to neighbouring Etawahs Piprauliya village. She has covered more than 1,000 booths out of a total of 1,272 in Mainpuri,but has skipped Mulayams native village,Saifai. He never visited my native village. So why I should go to Saifai? she says. As an artiste,she had performed at functions which Mulayam had attended as the chief guest.

At Kusumara,she alights from her vehicle,her head covered with her dupatta as a protection from the scorching heat. She enters the pandal and enquires about state party president Ramapati Tripathi. Soon,a helicopter lands; she waits for the dust to settle down,then walks out to offer a garland to Tripathi. The proceedings begin. The speakers tell the gathering that the fight in Mainpuri is between Tripti and Mulayam,with the BSP candidate on the margins. So the BSP should ask its supporters to transfer their votes to Tripti. Mulayam is number one enemy of the BSP supremo Mayawati. Dushman ka dushman dost hota hai, enemys enemy is a friend one of the speakers argues. Tripti delivers a short speech,because she is keen to go on a door-to-door campaign in another village. The most difficult part of her campaign is when people demand she sing a bhajan,I cant ignore their demand, she says.