Voters near memorial sites cast away very own Maya in polls

People living close to the memorials,the most visible work done by the Mayawati government in Lucknow,turned out to vote with a vengeance against the BSP on Thursday.

People living close to the memorials,the most visible work done by the Mayawati government in Lucknow,turned out to vote with a vengeance against the BSP on Thursday. For two years,they had suffered unending nuisance and pollution. Today,it was their turn to pay back.

At a polling booth in Scholars Home School in Gomti Nagar, which had voters from Vipul Khand,close to the Ambedkar Memorial,the polling agents counters had small crowds around noon in spite of the scorching heat. In the last Assembly polls,only 800 voters had exercised their franchise. Today,almost 800 voters have already voted, said a polling agent. R A Singh,who resides exactly opposite Ambedkar Memorial,made no secret that he had voted against the BSP and the reason for his decision was the memorials. The dust of red stones and noise of heavy machines running round the clock have made our lives miserable,said Singh.

Dr K P Singh,resident of Srijan Vihar Colony adjacent to the Ambedkar Memorial,said: For this memorial,the government has closed the road near Gomti embankment and forced Srijan Vihar residents to drive five-km extra to reach Gandhi Setu. How can we vote for the BSP candidate? I have given my vote to a non-BSP candidate. My one vote will nullify one vote of BSP, he added. Singh said agencies had made a pedestal outside his house,covered with red stone that gives an impression that the house is a part of the memorial. Some day,they may start demolishing my house to make it similar to the memorial, he added.

Mayawatis love for setting up memorials has irked residents of Fauzi Nagar and Geetapalli the locality closest to Kanshiram Memorial in Alambagh. A Kazmi,a resident,said: In the last Assembly polls,I had voted for the BSP expecting better law and order. But Mayawati remained busy making memorials. Now,they have erected a huge wall in front of this colony to separate it from Kanshiram Memorial. Noise of heavy grinding machines and dust has upset our daily life. We have to keep our windows closed all the time.

This time Kazmi has voted for the Congress.

Uday Kumar Mall,a general merchant shop owner,is angry with the unused stones of Gautam Buddha Sthal being dumped in front of his house. A resident of Sector-H on Kanpur Road just behind the Sthal,Mall said: I have not voted for the BSP because if Mayawati becomes PM,she will construct similar memorials around the country.

In Mohanlalganj,where the state government has proposed to acquire 120-acre for developing parking place of Ramabai Ambedkar Rally Sthal,residents feel that the state government is not all bothered about them. The government is trying to demolish the houses and acquire this area for parking slot. Mayawati is not thinking about the 200 families residing in this area. Why should I think for her? said Subedar Amajeet Singh of Aurangabad Jageer village.

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