The bhujia vote

In Bikaner, bhujia rules. Rasgulla, papad and namkeen come in a close second. And the season of politics hasn’t made a difference. &#14...

In Bikaner, bhujia rules. Rasgulla, papad and namkeen come in a close second. And the season of politics hasn’t made a difference. ‘‘People here love eating,’’ confesses Jagmohan Joshi as he tends to customers in his hotel. ‘‘And we don’t just eat, we eat well.’’

So it doesn’t come as a surprise that one of the most talked about candidates from Bikaner division is Gopal Joshi, the owner of the famous Chotu Motu Joshi hotel. And because his over 80-year-old establishment does brisk business, it is also no surprise that on affidavit, he is the richest candidate in Rajasthan.

‘‘Look, I just put down all I had on paper,’’ says 70-year-old Joshi. ‘‘ I have nothing to hide, I pay my taxes, so does my wife, and we have what we have.’’ And what they have is worth about Rs 10 crore. In fact, Joshi had to attach a separate sheaf of paper with the regular affidavit form because ‘‘everything just wouldn’t fit in those small columns’’.

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In Bikaner, everybody knows Joshi. ‘‘You write my name and Bikaner on an envelope and post it and I will get the letter,’’ claims Joshi. ‘‘We are almost like Bikaner’s first family.’’

A veteran politician who has always been associated with the Congress, this time Joshi wasn’t given a ticket. So he is fighting under the banner of the Social Justice Front, the outfit launched by Devi Singh Bhatti that has made reservations a part of the campaign.

Far from his customers, Joshi slowly makes his way through the villages of his Lunkaransar constituency, from where he had lost an election by ‘‘just 800-odd votes’’. He is confident that won’t be repeated. ‘‘Then Bhatti supported the BJP and they won,’’ reminisces Joshi. ‘‘This time Bhatti is with me and we are talking about reservations for all.’’

Traditionally, Bikaner, with five assembly constituencies, has been a Congress area. Aware that this region is probably their weakest bet, the BJP even decided to start their campaign for Rajasthan with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s rally in Bikaner.

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But in the bylanes of Bikaner, over their chai and bhujia, people discuss Congress minister and candidate B.D. Kalla’s stranglehold, and tricks. At present, the talk is about Dr Aziz Ahmad Suleimani. ‘‘He waited till the last minute and then just didn’t file his nomination,’’ says a jalebi maker. ‘‘All the Muslims had rallied around him but he said he didn’t want to give communal forces (the BJP) an edge. But everyone believes that Kalla paid him lakhs.’’

Whether that helps the Congress or not, says Dinesh Gupta, why worry. ‘‘Right now all we can do is eat and speculate. So have some more Bikaneri bhujia!’’