Stalwarts fight to decide city's fate

KANPUR: On April 30 this year, when polling process gets over by 5 in the evening, the fate of Kanpur Parliamentary constituency no 43 and its candidates will be sealed.
In the city of 55 lakh residents, around 13.50 lakh voters will vote for 18 candidates contesting elections in the city. Voting will take place here on April 30 in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections and the counting of votes will be done on May 16.
The battle is among four major political outfits of UP and its candidates: Sriprakash Jaiswal (Congress), Satish Mahana (BJP), Sukhda Mishra (BSP) and Surendra Mohan Agrawal (SP).
As sitting MP from Congress and Union minister of home for state Sripraksah Jaiswal aims a hat-trick, Satish Mahana- the tried and tested BJP stalwart from Cantt assembly constituency- is giving him sleepless nights.
While Sukhda Mishra from BSP banks on social-engineering arithmetics of Mayawati-Satish Chandra Mishra duo, Surendra Mohan Agrawal from SP, on the other hand, adds spice to contest by his presence.
While city struggles with closed industries, the total net worth of these four richie-rich individuals is whopping Rs 20 crore.
The city has been represented four times by an independent, SM Banerjee, in the past, but none of the candidates apart from Omendra Bharat, an IITian, excites voters this time. The city was once the strong bastion of Left parties, but they are missing from the scene this year in the absence of fading base here.
Along with the candidates, the Election Commission and the public department, which has earned respect of public through its efficient handling of gargantuan exercise of conducting Lok Sabha elections in the past and made it one of the biggest achievement of the 60-year-old nation, is also slogging. Around 15,000 government employees will be involved with 4,400 EVMs at 3,102 polling centres in the city on the D-day.
What are the issues? Pollution, which always seems to get the better of city somehow; unemployment that has been aided by recession and scores of sick industries in the city's vicinity, a crumbling infrastructure or crime?
No matter what, grand old lady of democracy still promises hope to millions and city's fate and future of the city will be decided by its people on April 30.