Friends or foes? In politics...it's all inter-changeable as long as you're in the seat that matters!! #electionyatra twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 25, 2012
Uma bharati kickstarts her campaign for her assembly seat...charkhari in mahoba! But where are the voters? twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 25, 2012
The Bundelkhand terrain...infertile, dry, stark in many ways but beautiful in many more! #electionyatra twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 25, 2012
Fifty thousand people in Uttar Pradesh form a human chain on a highway for a stretch of 54 kms to create awareness about the upcoming assembly elections.
A combined #electioncommission and #mayawatigovt initiative! Love this story :) twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 24, 2012
A 54 km human chain from Barabanki to lucknow border with more than 50000 ppl to create awareness among voters twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 24, 2012
Ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, NDTV has been travelling through the length and breath of Uttar Pradesh, bringing you a whole range of stories about the voters, the parties and the major issues in these elections. Today, the Election Yatra comes to you from near Mahoba in southern Uttar Pradesh.
Uma bharati will be kickstarting her campaign for her own seat charkhari tom with a rally at 1 pm. Catch the #electionyatra from there
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 24, 2012
It's not just the fight for justice for the boys picked up from Azamgarh, it's not just a fight to shake off the terror tag that Azamgarh has acquired. It's a fight to get treated equally like everyone else in this country and this is the fight that Azamgarh will take to the election battleground this year.
These cops are escorting us to the saree shops in Mubarakpur. #Azamgarh love this about #uttarpradesh hehe!! Classic twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 23, 2012
Sanjarpur, azamgarh. Tagged the 'terror nursery' after the batla house encounter in 2008. #electionyatra #UP2012 twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 22, 2012
Unemployed youth of sanjarpur. They say discrimination begins when they say they're from #Azamgarh. #electionyatra twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 22, 2012
Sanjarpur is very upset that #RAhulGandhi came till shibli college in #Azamgarh and didnt visit them! #UPelections twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 22, 2012
There's little doubt the cong party speaking in 2 voices has been an own-goal for them. #electionyatra #uttarpradesh twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 22, 2012
If I hadn't covered the story of encephalitis as a reporter back in 2010, perhaps I would find it hard to understand what the fuss was about.
Not because children dying is not an issue that can be ignored... but truth is numbers mean just that. Numbers.
But I have seen dead children at the time... couples taking their lifeless bodies in autorickshaws back to their homes with a stoic-ness that made me livid beyond a limit I never thought I had.
One man I met - he and his wife just sat outside their hut. That's it. Lifeless.
What can you expect - they had just buried their second child a few hundred yards away.
Not just that, but the Congress ruled Centre sent vaccines for these kids - and here's the shameful part - these were leftover vaccines from the rest of the country - most of which were expired! Like these lives were less important than others...
And the State? Well, they couldn't care 2 hoots - so busy were they playing politics that they forgot this is a huge votebase if they managed to get their implementation right!
Ironically, the first case of encephalitis appeared in 1979 in eastern Uttar Pradesh and more than two decades later, when deaths started peaking did the govt get into action and sent vaccines importaed from China.
So in 2006, the first dose was administered. But the WHO says two doses have to be given. The second one 365 days after the 1st.
Clearly the govt felt it had done a huge favour by sending the first lot of vaccines. For they didn't send the second lot, saying only 1 dose was enough. Funny, because even the wrapper says three doses.
And as a result, the immunity built by the first dose not boosted by the second lost its effect and encephalitis started killing kids by the hundreds.
Now again, the govt after the expired vaccines fiasco, sent fresh ones. And they were administered. but they still haven't provided the second dose.
Yet again. They are creating a fertile situation for encephalitis to peak again... again thousands are going to die before they wake up and do something.
Mayawati on her own part couldn't care much. She hasn't ever visited and from her demeanour and lifestyle looks doubtful she ever will. How will they get this road cleaned if she does decide?
Rahul Gandhi has come twice. Sadly in the congress party....action only happens when the Gandhis step in. Then of course, people are falling over each other to carry out their orders.
It's a disease that nearly 40-50 lakh little kids are vulnerable to.
The Centre blames the State and vice versa.
And in the volley of attacks... kids just keep dying.
As Uttar Pradesh gears up for elections, NDTV's Election Yatra today reached Gorakhpur to check the ground realities and find out what matters the most for the electorate this poll season.
As battleground UP heats up ahead of the Assembly polls, we bring you the live pulse and all the action from across the state. In Ayodhya, we take a look at whether Ram Mandir still evokes people's sentiments and can it be an election issue? Also, a look at history-sheeters campaigning in Bundelkhand, weather plays spoilsport in Uttarakhand during campaigning and transgenders taking the electoral plunge.
Election Yatra LIVE at 6pm from Ayodhya! Lots of news, flavour and of course the Ram Mandir or not?
4 time sitting MLA. Gets all the hindu votes. Can ayodhya ever shake off this image? Watch 6pm #electionyatra twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 19, 2012
Gulshan Bindu, fighting the ayodhya seat as independent. first time. She's a transgender! Watch at 6pm #electionyatra twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 19, 2012
In the heart of ayodhya...they may still raise the 'jai shree ram' slogans....but know that Vajpayee is a vote getter twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 19, 2012
Local stringers(reporters) are seriously #bosses in their own areas! Not like us byte-collectors in the big cities!! twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 19, 2012
Met an old man at the Mulayam rally in Gonda today.....he was easily in his early 60s or late 50s....
An old, tired, worn-out looking man.
Used to sell eggs, till they became so expensive, he stopped selling them a few years ago.
Since then he has become a daily wage labourer, has 4 young children and a wife to support. Earns about 150 rupees a day.
Votes for Samajwadi party...without knowing exactly why.
Likes the bit in Mulayam speech about hand outs to unemployed....was trying hard to get angry with him for wanting doles...but failed.
How tired was his face...etched with all the struggles he had likely gone thru...crinkled and aged feet and hands.
Maybe he was just tired of the struggle life offers to millions of people across the state simply tired of waiting for 'vikaas' to come.
Azam khan, the Samajwadi party's only other face aside from son, Akhilesh Yadav...stood at the stage and made some firebrand type speech....about Muslims being left behind. Replete with emotions, going back all the way to partition and the Gandhi promise that was left unfulfilled by successors. Trying to build a case for reservation.
There will never be a case for reservation. Ever.
When I asked Akhilesh Yadav how he justified the need for reservation given his own father was an OBC and had built himself from nothing, his pathetic answer was every party was also asking for it!!
Then he talked about corruption in Mayawati's regime and how she had spent money building elephants and all that. And yes, undoubtedly she has been extravagant in her indulgences....but today every citizen of Lucknow must feel proud of driving down the road which is dotted with beautiful lights.....it's just stunning at night. Simply Stunning.
But no matter how emotive and articulate his speech was, it just did not ring any resonance with the audience. Except the front benchers who are strategically placed there. None.
Truth is no one cares about the Hindu-Muslim divide and how things were. People care about the now.
Perhaps that's why Mulayam is still popular among the backward castes. Because he does take the stage and pick out local issues and talk about improving them which is what people want to hear because that's what their life is about. He gives them hope by doing that. Even if he will forget Gonda ever existed right after he gets comfortable in the CM's chair!
But Mulayam should know these are his closing links. All the leaders who were his grassroots friends slowly left because of Amar Singh (his singular biggest political faux pas). The latter certainly gave Samajwadi Party a national status, but truth is it is a regional party and always will be.
In a few years time, I suspect, it will be neither.
At the #Mulayam rally in gonda...how mobiles have allowed every person to take a little piece of something home! twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 18, 2012
On the third day of the Election Yatra, we travel to Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, which will vote on February 8. In 2007, the BSP won 30 seats from here, but will this time Gonda vote for the BSP again or will Rahul Gandhi's magic work here?
Too much political opportunism - and u might find yourselves completely alone. twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 18, 2012
Today we're planning a debate between candidates in gonda! First stop - police station to ensure Sp goons dont fire their guns!! State of UP
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 18, 2012
They all talk about reservation, handouts, waivers. Who will ever talk about development in terms of setting up employment and opportunities.
Of the six candidates the BSP has fielded for the Uttar Pradesh polls, four are millionaires. Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi says she is open to campaigning across UP for her brother Rahul - All this and more on Day 2 of NDTV's Election Yatra.
We all woke up...bright and early on Monday morning to be able to start early on our first rollout for the Election Bus.
My first interview with Mulayam was fixed for 10:30 am....but just 15 mins before I got a call saying that he wouldn't be able to do it today....
I was stark raving mad!!!
This was supposed to be my opening interview for my much-hyped segment (in my mind anyway).
My cameraperson and I tried to chase him down....but it is impossible to get to these 'big guys', past their black cats etc.
What was irritating me the most was that I spoke to Mulayam the previous night and he promised me he would give me five mins...and that's all I needed....just had four questions and I would be done!
We were so annoyed....but decided to leave for his rally in Sitapur...100 kms from Lucknow....we had a show to roll from there at 7:30 pm and it was already well past 11 am.
If I wasn't sulking about that already....it got all cloudy and then started raining....and we were so miserable because we had to shoot a story on the sugar mills and how it controlled politics or vice versa.
Mayawati has slowly slowly sold all the government owned sugar mills to liquor baron Ponty Chadha ((which by the way has seriously upset Jaypee group)) for a song...
The sugar story is a fascinating one but in short what's happened is that Mayawati has increased the price the mills need to pay to farmers for buying their cane just before elections by 40 rupees. And while that should have brought cheer to them...it has brought more misery because the mill owners who went to court to protest this increase (saying that market price was less than the cost of their produce and the state doesn't allow export of sugar so hence it was impossible for them to pay farmers this price) got no relief and currently matter is in court and so what these mill owners are doing is using brokers in the middle to buy the cane from farmers who HAVE to offload them at some point otherwise they make no money at all...
But this is only a slice of the story...the whole of it is really FASCINATING as a study!
Mulayam comes to this rally where several thousand people have turned up.....Mayawati has made no friends here...not in this belt....despite her 40 rupee sop....
Mulayam seems the lesser of the two evils....shame we are always talking about politicians in these very words...
He comes for barely 20 mins....matches the Congress political sops - announces free electricity for weavers and a waiver for all farmers with loans upto 50,000 rupees.
That's what our vision is in this country - handouts to buy people!
Anyway, so we barely shot our story when we were called and told the segment had been preponed by three hours!!
Panic
Rain, no story, no feed, no location for bus and more rain and where was the promised Mulayam interview!
That's when I realized the single biggest challenge of TV is to make it happen....just somehow....even if you had to step on your heart and compromise on quality!
We all stepped up to the challenge and I won't bore you with the details but we made it happen and you know what...for a lot of viewers....they actually liked it :)
Travelled nearly six hours to Azamgarh today.....to find out if there was anything aside from the Batla House connection and the Muslim votebank that was a political issue there.
Sadly, truth is...it is still many years before Uttar Pradesh sheds off its image of voting along caste lines...but I am confident it will get there....after all how long can a farce go on?
The district has not been able to move beyond its tag of a 'terror nursery' since that tragic Batla House encounter in 2008 - which is now in courts (and for all those asking for a Judicial Enquiry....don't, because as far as I know....none can happen while a matter is sub-judice)
And so each leader has simply come here....made the right noises and left....but nearly four years later - no answers, no justice....which has bred a latent anger...
But here's the larger story....
While Rahul Gandhi has been travelling as much as possible to gather support across the state, Akhilesh may well emerge as the dark horse on counting day. He has little charisma and even lesser leadership skills...but he has the tag of being Netaji's son....a lucrative one, if it can be called that.
Spent some time watching him as he travelled in his 'rath' through various parts of Azamgarh...he has a certain affability about him which is hard to dislike...manners, decency, a pleasant face, a respectable demeanour....even, dare I say, a certain candidness which could also be called - political immaturity by many....including me.
Which is unlikely to mature now....after all he has been in politics for more than a decade now.
I spoke to him about the whole issue of Azamgarh, the Batla boys, the Muslim vote, the issue of reservation and his 'transition' from a boy in his father's shadow to someone who could well be the next Chief Minister....
A video of his interview can be found below for you all to judge for yourselves....but in my eyes, I found him to be bland and repetitive in his answers, vision-less and content with simply carrying forward his father's vision....there was no spark in his person, and simply no passion.
Many years ago, when I had just moved to Lucknow.....someone close to him had told me that Akhilesh was not very interested in politics to begin with.....but being the son of the grassroot teacher turned self-made political pehalwan - Mulayam.....he could hardly avoid the inevitable!
That was clear to see as I spent some time with him chatting...mostly off the record.
Many say Netaji is unwell now and is making no secrets about handing the reins to his son - a disastrous mistake if there was ever one. Akhilesh is a happy-go-lucky man who thinks small.....a sharp cry from a Mayawati who only thinks GIANT ELEPHANTS!
Uttar Pradesh seems to be (or at least I'd like to believe) at the cusp of some CHANGE.....there are rumblings in little corners....but Akhilesh does not have what it takes to make something of it.
In fact, with Mulayam slowly fading....the party MAY see a slow death. These are also the faultlines of dynastic politics in a democracy.
The future of Samajwadi Party is the subject of another blog....but you can be sure the future of UP will be less than bleak should Yadav Jr become the Chief Minister...
There are whispers all around....let's hope they stay just that.
He has the latest Blackberry, iPhone and also has a Twitter account (but not very active).
His time has come and it's unlikely to get better than this. Now it's up to him what he makes of it. People have already started referring to him as the chief minister!!!
Will sugar farmers be game-changers in the coming elections? With nearly 50 lakh sugar farmers set to vote in the upcoming polls, on our Election Yatra, we discuss if Mayawati has done enough to please the farmers.
Also, on the show today - Priyanka Gandhi begins poll campaign, Akhilesh Yadav's big political test and why Mayawati govt is covering statues of Kanshi Ram
It's a whole team effort. These are our fabulous drivers who will be driving more than 4000 kms over the next 6 weeks 
Make no mistake and I have no shame in admitting it - I am quite nervous about the first episode of my #electionyatra
Dear EC, you missed this elephant for a cover-up order! In #Azamgarh. #UPelections #electionyatra
One of the things we are planning to do on the Election Yatra is what I like to call baatcheet over chai with who we believe are the faces we think have shaped, are shaping and will continue to shape the course of UP politics.
Today I spoke with Abhishek Mishra, who is contesting the Lucknow North seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Now he's interesting because he is what Indians will called a pedigree... studied at Doon, then Stephens, MIT, Cambridge... and then taught in IIM-Ahmedabad... wears Cartier and Prada... and is going from door to door asking people to vote for him. It's a far cry from the cushy and somewhat high-profile job of teaching strategy and training bureaucrats, but he says its his time to do this (electoral politics).
In his own words... "all my life I have been a niche person... but now I want to go mainstream... because that's how you make a difference. I want to be like a Nirma (soap) or a Bisleri bottle... jisko har koi jaanta hai".
As he reels off his management jargon... I wonder how that will compete in a state embedded in caste politics... are the winds of change really here?
There is reason to believe... after all here is a man who's teaching me to upgrade the software on my iPhone - inducted into a grassroots party that has built itself on the OBC-Muslim combine - by a man who only few years ago said the famous words "no English, no computers'. It seems as Mulayam - the political pehalwan takes several steps back to allow his son to take the mantle and the party forward... he is resigning himself to the inevitable.
Have to candidly admit Abhishek even at the outset has a lot more confidence than Akhilesh... who despite being in politics since ever... has far too many incoherent thoughts and basically lacks leadership skills.
But confidence and articulation aren't enough in politics....its the tenacity and determination to keep fighting that decides the winner...
Does he have it? Too early to say!
His full interview will be online very soon... watch this space for more.
When Hazratganj was redone, all signboards were ordered to be in b&w. To give a certain look..does the ccd look odd? twitter.com/_kashish_/stat...
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 14, 2012
A lot of the campaign color is hard to find because no banners and posters allowed. Forces door to door campaign
March 6 - d-day...Can Mayawati rework her magic or will Rahul Gandhi steal her show? #UPelections #electionyatra
See #uttarpradesh through my eyes as we travel in the election bus across the politically fiery state!! #electionyatra
- kashish (@_kashish_) January 13, 2012
Join us everyday on NDTV 24X7 at 7:30 pm (IST) as the election picks up pace...of course, you can always log onto ndtv.com/electionyatra for 24 hr updates. #electionyatra
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
