Kaiserganj (Uttar Pradesh): Sexual harassment charges might have denied a ticket to sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, but in his turf of Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, the six-time MP’s influence is writ large as his son Karan Bhushan Singh makes his electoral debut, banking on the influence of his father and brand Narendra Modi even as undercurrents of discontent simmer against the influential Thakur leader in his pocket borough of the last three decades.“Ram Mandir se badhiya kisine koi kaam nahi (no one has done anything better than to construct the Ram Temple). Modi is the country’s vikaspurush, he has made India shine abroad. Brij Bhushan has been a key part of the Mandir andolan. We have been seeing him since we were children. All these allegations against him are false,” said Sunil Kumar Singh, while sitting at his agricultural wares shop in Kaiserganj’s Colonelganj.The Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat, which will go to the polls on May 20, includes five assembly constituencies including Payagpur, Kaiserganj, Katra Bazar, Colonelganj, and Tarabganj. The seat has a sizable Thakur and Brahmin population as well as Muslims.Singh, a Thakur himself, started working as a local journalist only five years ago and said that his primary work is that of a farmer and selling agricultural products. “It is just not possible that he would commit such a crime. It is a political conspiracy. All Thakurs will vote for him in Kaiserganj,” said Singh.On Friday, May 10, a Delhi court ordered the framing of charges against Brij Bhushan for sexual harassment, criminal intimidation and assault or criminal force with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty, in the wrestlers’ case. While the women wrestlers hailed the court’s decision, in Kaiserganj, there is little resonance of these serious charges against the area’s tallest leader whose family has had a long history of politics in the Gonda, Balrampur and Bahraich districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh.Brij Bhushan has been elected MP six times from Gonda, Kaiserganj and Balrampur constituencies since 1991. His wife Ketaki Singh was elected MP in 1996 when he faced terror charges. His eldest son Pratik Bhushan Singh is an MLA from Gonda. As Kaiserganj goes to the polls, Karan Bhushan Singh is looking to keep the Lok Sabha seat in the family. But it is his father and prime minister Narendra Modi that locals say, will see him through.Also read: The BJP and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Need Each Other More Than EverIn the familySufiyan Ansari, who runs a grocery store in Katra Bazar said that it is this influence that the BJP has not been able to ignore, even though it has not given him a ticket.“We have been supporters of Brij Bhushan, even when he briefly went to the Samajwadi Party,” said Ansari.In 2008, Singh joined the Samajwadi Party after he was expelled from the BJP for cross-voting in parliament during a no-confidence motion brought against the then-UPA government. In 2009, he won the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat from the Samajwadi Party but returned to the BJP months before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.“He returned to the BJP and we also returned to voting for the BJP. If his work was not good, would he be elected so many times? Whoever reaches his doorstep for help, he will remember him forever and will ensure that the person gets help. He does not discriminate on the basis of caste or religion,” said Ansari.“His image has been affected by these sexual harassment charges, no doubt about it. That is why his son has been given a ticket. But the fact is despite everything, he has dominated this area and continues to do so,” he said.Rohit Gupta, who fixes electrical equipment in the area, echoed Ansari’s views and said that while residents have heard of the sexual harassment charges, no one “criticises him here.”“We don’t criticise him here. Now his son is contesting, it is as good as him contesting. Whether he contests or his son, ghar mein hi hai na (it is within the family). It’s not just a vote for him but for Modi ji. Besides he himself listens to Modi ji,” he said.Rohit Gupta in Katra Bazar, Kaiserganj. Photo: Sravasti DasguptaPerhaps an indication of Brij Bhushan’s shadow looming large over his son Karan, alongside Modi’s influence, is indicative in the hoardings that dot the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat, which shows Modi and Karan on both sides with Brij Bhushan smiling right on top of his son’s image.“It doesn’t matter who is fighting. For us, Neta Ji (as locals refer to Brij Bhushan) is above Modi Ji as well,” said Ram Krishna Pandey, who is due to begin studying for an LLB degree in Ayodhya soon, standing in Tarabganj.“We can never meet Modi, but netaji is here all the time and is easily accessible. You can call Karan, a local hero here. He has a shooting range, he has bike rallies. In addition to this, he has been managing his father’s campaign in the background for over a decade. People are talking about sexual harassment charges, but justice is awarded by God not by courts. We don’t believe in these allegations,” he said.Ram Krishna Pandey in Tarabganj, Kaiserganj. Photo: Sravasti DasguptaAlso read: WFI Saga Proves Once Again That Sexual Harassment Is a Crime Steeped in PowerSimmering discontent over developmentWhile sexual harassment charges have not deterred support for Brij Bhushan, undercurrents of discontent are simmering in the constituency over the sitting MP’s “dominance” and failure to deliver vikas (development).Amit Kumar Goswami, a Brahmin, in Colonelganj said that while Brij Bhushan has been the MP for decades, the area has not seen any development.“We are supposed to get a 5 kilogram free ration, but have never got more than 4 kg. We have filled forms for houses under the PM Awas Yojana but sanctions are yet to come. There are electricity posts, but lines have not been extended to every household yet. We know he is influential and the BJP has been winning here for many decades, and the ticket will go to his family obviously. But where is vikas?” he asked.A group of villagers who had gathered to collect monthly rations from the government ration store in Colonelganj echoed Goswami’s sentiments, and said that this time votes will not go to the BJP.“The problem is not with Modi or Yogi or even the BJP. It is with Brij Bhushan. Ever since his sexual harassment charges came up, his arrogance has increased even further. We are tired of his dominance (dabdaba),” said Rohit Goswami, who works as a labourer in the area.Brij Bhushan, who has been extensively campaigning in the area from even before his son Karan’s candidature was announced, has continued to brazen it out after sexual harassment charges were framed against him.Addressing a campaign rally in the area on May 17, Brij Bhushan said that he is now a “chhutta saand ” (free bull).“I have neither become old nor have I retired. I will stay among you two times more than before. I will fight with double the energy. I have lots left to do. Ab toh main chhutta saand ho gaya hu (I have become a free bull). Now I can fight with anyone for you,” he said.One of the villagers, who works as a government functionary in distributing rations in the area and did not wish to be named, took out his phone and showed a Facebook post that has been circulating locally. The post was shared on a WhatsApp group several times. The post by Suraj Singh Kalhansh, an aide of Karan Bhushan Singh, who has his picture as his profile photo, states that while Karan Bhushan’s loss is “impossible”, if by any chance he loses, the Brahmin women and sisters in Katra, Colonelganj, Payagpur will have to pay.“First he (Brij Bhushan) referred to himself as a chhuta saand and now all the Brahmins in this group are angry that we have supported the BJP and this is how they are threatening our women and sisters. His arrogance has to end,” he said.While he is a Samajwadi Party supporter himself, he said that the women in the area have been supporting the BJP after receiving free rations from the government.Radha Pandey who had come to collect rations said that she has always voted for BJP and will continue to do so, just because of Modi.“He has given us free rations, and most importantly, he has constructed the Ram Temple. For us he is the tallest leader,” she said.However, Goswami said that in order to teach Brij Bhushan a lesson, all Goswamis in the area will be voting against it.“We know our vote may not make a difference in the large scheme of things. But it is against Brij Bhushan. If the BJP loses one seat in the entire UP and that seat is Kaiserganj, nothing would make us happier,” he said.In Katra Bazar, Nitish Kumar, who works as a tailor in Ludhiana, said it is not about caste or religion but about development.“What development has happened here? Karan’s victory is not certain. If the BJP had put up another candidate, then we would have voted for them. But Brij Bhushan has been winning here for years and not doing any work. During elections he comes and seeks votes in the name of Modi and then stops working after elections. Governments need to change every five years, otherwise their tanashahi (dictatorship) increases,” he said.Nitish Kumar in Katra Bazar, Kaiserganj. Photo: Sravasti DasguptaWhile Brij Bhushan has been associated with at least 50 educational institutions in the area including private degree colleges, the youth in the area are waiting to get jobs.Anand Prasad, who works as an electrician in Qatar, has his family living in Tarabganj. He mentioned that his youngest daughter is studying for a BA at one of the degree colleges associated with Brij Bhushan. He has two older daughters. One of them holds an MA degree but is still searching for a job. The other daughter has also completed her master’s degree but got married after waiting for a job for years.“I may live outside but I have to pay for my entire family. Inflation is the biggest issue. Neta ji says he has built about 60 schools in this area. Have you seen any? Yes, he has about 50 degree colleges in the Gonda area but what will the youth do getting degrees and diplomas without jobs?” said Prasad.Prasad said that while his family has voted for the BJP in both 2014 and 2019, this time they are looking for change.“The BJP has been winning in this area because it neighbors Ayodhya, and there are many who believe in Hindutva here. Brij Bhushan has been closely associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, so he has enjoyed support. But this time, their victory may not be that easy,” he said.