Hema Malini’s re-election from Mathura: Tough fight or cakewalk?

“I left the BJP after 20 years of my selfless service to the party just because Hema Malini is being imposed upon the people of Mathura. The BJP party workers are fed up facing the public over her unavailability in the constituency and her ignorance about the issues being faced by the voters here,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, an Independent contesting against Hema Malini after he was denied a ticket.

Singh also told the Indian Express that he raised his voice against her candidature for the third time ignoring the pre-poll surveys and mood of the public “but of no avail as no one is ready to oppose fearing punishment from the party”.

Bhanu Pratap Singh, a former BJP worker, is now contesting as an independent against Hema Malini. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

Hema Malini, 75, appeared unfamiliar with the local BJP leadership when, during a public meeting at Mant assembly segment in Mathura, she read out a few names from the paper provided by the organisers and abruptly asked about one name: ” Yeh kaun hai bhai (who is this person)?” The local leaders on the stage instantly told her he was the ‘Mandal Pramukh’. An uneasy look was quite visible on the faces of those sharing the stage with her.

“Being a party karyakarta (office-bearer), we have no option but to obey the organisation’s orders. We have shared our views and feedback about her candidature with the top leadership but we have not been heard. We have been facing people’s questions about her unavailability and ignorance about the constituency at the forefront. Still, we are helpless,” one of the BJP local leaders engaged in the poll campaign told The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity.

Hema Malini addresses a gathering during her election campaign in the Mant Assembly segment in Mathura. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

Shyam Sundar Sharma, an eight-time former MLA from the Mant Assembly constituency, publicly opposes the star’s candidature “The 2024 election is different and those within the BJP miffed with her candidature are secretly supporting the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Suresh Singh, who was with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for several years.”

“I challenge Hema Malini to tell me the names of 10 villages in the Mathura district. She is just a dummy who has been imposed upon us and is facing the opposition within the party,” he added.

Several villages still don’t have drinkable water and women cover a distance to fetch ‘meetha pani.'(Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

Brajwasi vs Pravasi

One political slogan from the Opposition that has successfully reached the masses in Mathura is the ‘Brajwasi vs Pravasi’ campaign against the sitting MP. Congress candidate Mukesh Dhangar’s hoardings say, “Nahi chahiye pravasi, abki baar Brajwasi (don’t want an outsider, want a local from Braj now).”

BSP candidate Suresh Singh’s slogan is” “Sarkari coaching, chhatravas, library- inme se kuch mila? Ya Bambai wali sansad ne chhatron ko sirf chhala. Yaad rakhiye apna hi kaam aayega (government coaching, hostel, library – did you get any of these? This MP from Mumbai just deceived the students. Remember this, a local resident will come for help)”.

The Independent candidate Pratap Singh’s campaign is based on the slogan: Mera Braj meri shaan, Braj me bajegi bansuri (flute is his election symbol). While the Opposition is banking on the Braj identity, Hema Malini’s posters also counter the narrative with- “Viksit Braj, Hema ki guarantee.” Her hoardings have a bigger picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

BSP’s Suresh Singh and independent candidate Bhanu Pratap Singh’s hoardings. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra))

Mathura, which constitutes a sizable number of Rajputs (over 4 lakh), Brahmins (over 3 lakh), Jaat (3.75 lakh), Muslims (1.5 lakh) and other castes (1.25 lakh), looks divided over caste lines but sounds united over the issues of Brajwasi vs Bahari and the BJP’s incumbent two-time MP is facing an uphill task now to counter it.

She has said she is a Brajwasi as she has been coming here for the last 10 years and is an ardent Lord Krishna devotee. The BJP finds it tough to counter the opposition attack multiplied by the questions over her unavailability in the constituency over the last 10 years.

Hema Malini and Mukesh Dhangar’s hoardings in Mathura. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

Banking on the slogan of being Brajwasi first, Congress’s INDIA bloc candidate Mukesh Dhangar is campaigning barefoot across the Braj area and kicking off public meets by bowing down to the ground.

“I am the son of this land, I am one among these Brajwasis. I filed my nomination by drinking one litre of Yamuna Jal because we revere the Yamuna river but when Hemaji was asked to do the achaman (to have the water as a part of worship) by purohit, she said no. This is what the people of Mathura have seen and decided to send her out from here now,” Dhangar said.

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Notably, during her first bid for the Mathura Lok Sabha seat in 2014, Hema Malini and the BJP promised the rejuvenation of Yamuna and also mentioned that river cruises and boats would be functional in the holy river in their bid to promote tourism in Mathura. However, 10 years later, things are still the same, and Yamuna rejuvenation is once again one of the hottest topics in Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Shift in poll dynamics

Despite her image of an outsider, two-term anti-incumbency and infighting within the BJP leadership, along with a host of other issues — including unemployment, inflation and her unavailability in the constituency — are making this a tough fight for the BJP candidate this time. Voters openly commend ‘Modi and Yogi’ for their development works done in and around the religious sites but the BJP’s hardcore voters are also seen admitting Hema Malini’s absence from the area for five years.

Ashok Pathak, 50, sitting in front of Krishna Janm Bhoomi gate, said,” Mathura is voting for Modi and Yogi, not for any MP. We have also seen Brajwasi ruling us before; they also could not do much. Why expect much from her now?”

Mathura is known as the birthplace of Lord Krishna. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

The other issues that resonate most on ground zero are massive unemployment and paper leaks. ” Ravindra Singh, 22, qualified for eight out of 12 government exams but was not selected for multiple reasons. Sitting in Hema Malini’s public meeting in Jawra village, he said, “I will not vote for the BJP; I will vote for Rahul Gandhi because he is a well-educated person.”

The youth said he is troubled by unemployment and the current government’s inaction to address the issue. He also added that youngsters are hopeful of Rahul Gandhi’s announcement that he will scrap the Agniveer scheme if he comes to power.

Ravindra Singh, 22, says he wants to vote for someone who is educated. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

Interestingly, none of the posters, banners, hoardings, or public speeches by the BJP leaders mention employment issues. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) data, at least 1.82 crore first-time voters and 19.74 crore young voters in the 20-29 age group are on the electoral rolls in India.

Mathura is a farmers-dominated area, and the youth aspire to join the defence forces, but there is evident anger over the implementation of the Agniveer scheme. “Char-char saal ki naukri karke, barbad kar diya Modi ne (Modi is ruining the future of the youth by giving employment for four years),” said an elderly woman walking back from Hema Malini’s public meeting.

“Our boys have stopped preparing for Agniveer, fearing the lack of future security. We have been giving Modi our votes but getting back unemployment in return. He should think of us.”

The elderly woman says Modi government should think of scrapping the Agniveer scheme. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

Rural vs Urban divide

The voices for and against the current regime visibly differ in rural Mathura and urban periphery. In and around the city hails ‘Modi and Yogi’ and gives an advantage to Hema Malini for the hattrick, whereas the villages in all five Assembly segments- Mant, Baldev, Mathura, Goverdhan and Chhata- sound disheartened and seeking a ‘parivartan‘ (change).

Baldev Kumar, who runs a tea stall outside Rawal village, said, “We are so much troubled by unemployment. We openly support Congress because the candidate (Mukesh Dhanagar) is a farmer like us. The rural areas of Mathura are supporting him in a big way.”

Hema Malini adopted this village in 2014 under the Sansad Adarsh Gaon scheme and spent Rs 35 lakh on the road, street lights, drinking water, and other basic amenities. The Rawal village has historical significance as it’s the birthplace of Radha Rani, and people who come to Krishna Janmbhoomi also offer obeisance to this place.

Villagers in Mathura voice their concerns over unemployment, scarcity of drinkable water and Agniveer scheme. (Express Photo: Parveen K Dogra)

With over 800 villages, 504 gram panchayats. Mathura has a total rural electorate of approximately 15 lakh.

Bhanu Pratap said, “Rural population is facing multiple issues like unavailability of meetha pani as the groundwater here is khara pani. Hema Malini and the state BJP government have only been able to install the RO system for just 31 villages out of 800. Women and girls still fetch drinking water from 2-3 km away.”

The farmers’ distress is another major issue the BJP finds challenging to address. “We all have been seeing how the BJP is treating the farmers, but also, we have been made paralysed since the Chhata Suger Mill got shut in 2008. We used to grow sugarcane earlier but after the mill’s closure, we had no choice but to shift to paddy, which is not profitable. Ahead of every election, they are promising the mill’s revival but it has still not been functional,” said Ram Khiladi Dhangar, a farmer in Naglapula in the Baldev area.