You’ve got to give it to Kalu Maliwad. Here is a man who, five years ago, seemed invincible as he beamed from his campaign posters—pictures of him with Modi and in the backdrop, the burning Sabarmati Express. Five years later, Maliwad sees his grip over his constituency, Lunawada in Panchmahals, loosening but the man still has that smile intact.

But his confidence alone won’t see him through. As he held court in Dhamod village, around 25 km from Lunawada town, only 20 of the 300 villagers turned up to hear him. Some who listlessly gathered at the venue went back to their fields, complaining he was an hour-and-a-half late. Maliwad’s supporters managed to round up a few villagers and took them to the sarpanch’s house, explaining that Maliwad had been busy canvassing in the border areas in this tribal area of central Gujarat.

And when he finally arrived, Maliwad began on his pet topics: development, 24-hour power supply, water for irrigation and praise for Narendra Modi. “With Narendrabhai at the helm, farmers will continue to move forward. Look at the Jyoti Gram Yojana or the irrigation schemes.”

A few clapped disinterestedly, but when Maliwad praised Modi’s Sujalam Sufalam project, a farmer in the front row said, “What work are you talking about—that there are no roads, no electricity for irrigation, or that we have no water to be pumped out?” Maliwad quickly placated him but showed no signs of embarrassment. “The project has begun and there will be hiccups,” he began when someone in the rear cut him off. “What about the fields which were submerged during the canal construction,” the villager asked.

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