Around 17 villages spread over Raya, Goverdhan and Mant Assembly constituencies in Mathura had initiated a boycott of the April 26 Lok Sabha elections. This was in protest against what they called “failed promises of development” in their areas. This boycott had sent the local administration into a tizzy as they rushed to these villages.
After much persuasion the administration managed to bring the voters of eight villages to the polling booth. However, voters from nine more villages continued their boycott of the elections. Apparently, only the elected representatives from these villages had cast their vote.
Despite two terms in office, the incumbent Mathura Member of Parliament Hema Malini is still being dubbed as an outsider. “‘Nahi chahiye pravasi, abki baar Brijwasi’ (Don’t want an outsider, want a local from Braj this time)”, Congress posters declare across the constituency.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) posters describe Hema Mailini as the “‘Mumbai wali saansad’ (Parliamentarian belonging to Mumbai)”.
“‘Sarkari coaching, chhatravas, library – inme se kuch mila? Ya Bambai wali saansad ne chhatron ko sirf chhala. Yaad rakkhiye apna hi kaam aayega’ (Government coaching, hostel, library – did you get any of these? This MP from Mumbai has only deceived students. Remember only locals will help).”
Political analysts believe that in the absence of a ‘wave’ or populist national issue like Pulmawa in 2019, local development issues or the lack of development have acquired centre stage.
Hence, this time Mathura may definitely not be a cake walk for film star turned politician 74-year old Hema Malini. Popularly called ‘Dream Girl’, Hema Malini is hoping for a poll hat-trick.
However, during the second phase of polling on April 26 Mathura registered the sharpest decline, of 11.8 percent voting amongst the eight constituencies which voted in Uttar Pradesh on that day.
It is a matter of conjecture what this abysmally low voting of 49.3 percent actually signifies for the various political parties in Mathura. The constituency had seen 61.1 percent voting in 2019 of which 60.79 percent of the cast votes had been cornered by Hema Malini.
She had defeated her nearest Rashtriya Lok Dal rival Kunwar Narendra Singh by a margin of 30,000 votes. In 2014 her victory had been far more resounding. She had defeated the then sitting Lok Sabha MP RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary by a huge margin of 3.30 lakh votes. This time he is an ally and seen sharing the dais with her.
Despite these two significant victories, Hema Malini is facing a tough fight in Mathura from her main rival I.N.D.I.A. Bloc’s Congress candidate Mukesh Dhangar.
Thirty-six-year-old OBC leader, Mukesh Dhangar has been with the Congress since his student days. A member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), he currently holds the post of general secretary in the UP state unit of the party.
His party had plans to field celebrity Olympian boxer Vijendra Singh against the superstar BJP MP Hema Malini. But a day before the filing of nomination Singh had a “change of heart” and he joined the BJP. The Congress then chose Dhangar hours before the closing of nomination.
The third candidate in the three-cornered contest is BSP’s 65-year old Suresh Singh, who took voluntary retirement from Indian Revenue Service. He had served in the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation. A Jat, he has been actively associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has also served as an office bearer of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Mathura Lok Sabha constituency has five Assembly segments of Chhata, Mant, Goverdhan, Mathura and Baldev. All the sitting MLAs from these five Vidhan Sabha constituencies belong to the saffron party.
While Hema Malini assures to complete the unfinished work in her third term as MP the locals question her on this and claim that till now she has won elections in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They charge her of spending her time in Mumbai, earning her the soubriquet of “Mumbai wali saansad”. Hema Malini is accused of being “inaccessible and absent during the tough COVID days”. Locals recall that she “did not make even a routine appearance when 12 people perished in a huge blaze at the firecracker market in Raya on Diwali day in November 2023”.
The main grievance against the sitting MP is that she makes an appearance in public only during election time. Shyam Sundar Sharma, an eight-time MLA from Mant Assembly constituency, challenged the two time sitting MP to even name 10 villages of Mathura. “She is a dummy who has been imposed upon us and is facing opposition even within her party”.
Substantiating this is Bhanu Pratap Singh who is contesting as an independent candidate after being denied the BJP ticket. “I left the BJP after 20 years of selfless service due to Hema Malini repeatedly being imposed upon us. We BJP workers are left to face the public anger due to her unavailability and ignorance of local issues”, Singh said.
Locals blame her for not solving the long pending Yamuna 'shuddhikaran (purification)’ project, failure to promote industrial growth, better roads and infrastructure and the holistic development of Vrindavan, Govardhan and Barsana.
To counter the outsider tag she proclaims herself as a ‘Jat Bahu’ maintaining that her husband Dharmendra was a Jat. A staunch Krishna devotee, Hema Malini calls herself ‘Gopi of Krishna’ and promises to complete her unfinished task during the third term including the Rs. 11,000 crore Braj 84 Kosi Parikrama which she claims union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari has already sanctioned.
However, she faces an uphill task as despite the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) joining hands with the BJP, the Jat votes are not completely behind the alliance. “This election is different. Those angry with the BJP candidate are secretly supporting the other Jat candidate fielded by the BSP, Suresh Singh, who has been associated with the RSS”, confides a local.
Additionally, the Rajputs next only to the Jat in numbers, are determined to upset BJP’s applecart during this election and have largely kept away from voting.
The Congress candidate being a local is expected to have received the support of the OBCs and Muslims and even a section of voters wanting a change.
In this changed scenario where local development issues have become decisive it remains to be seen if Bollywood’s Dream Girl’s dream of a third term will come true.