Some miss cacophony, others welcome silence

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">LUCKNOW: The cacophony to attract public attention, clubbed with political party members raising mostly ridiculous slogans and huge processions — all these charms of election campaigning— are passe. <br /><br />"About 10 years back there was so much of fanfare during election campaigns, but this year there has hardly been any rally.It doesn’t feel like an election,� says 26-year-old Mohammad Adnan Khan, owner of a shop at Kaisarbagh. But for many the peace is welcome. "Pahle to sar mein dard ho jaata tha (earlier I would get a headache)," says Fareed Ahmad Khan. <br /><br />With polling in the state capital only a couple of weeks away, election talk is what interests all. "Young politicians are good news for the country. Even when youngsters join a business, novel changes are sure to follow. The same is true of politics," says MK Bajaj, who runs an auto spare shop at Kaiserbagh. The young breed of politicians have nearly everyone in their grip. "New people have new ways, and that could change the future of the country," says Fareed Ahmad. <br /><br />Despite the ugly blotch of the sari stampede on the BJP canvass, many still feel that Atal Bihari Vajpayee would be elected. "Atal is a nice leader but I do not believe in the BJP," says Munawar Ali, a tailor in Nazeerabad area. "There is no competition between Atal and Jethmalani, Atal will not lose," says Musheer Ahmad. "Atal is the root of BJP, no one is as popular as he is. I don’t think Advani can take his place," says Adnan Khan. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Lalji Tandon gets the benefit of doubt in the sari stampede. "I don’t think Tandon planned to get the women together for a stampede. It was an accident. And as far as the FIR against him is concerned, I don’t think he will be sent to jail," comments Adnan Khan. On the other hand, Baba Ram Prasad Gutpa feels that had Tandon refrained from "showbaazi" things would perhaps have been different. <br /><br />Ram Prasad has been running his Aminabad based paan shop since 1948 and is now disheartened with election promises. "Where is the development? I have just a light bulb and a fan running at my shop and I get an electricity bill worth Rs 36,000. I can never understand the government," says an exasperated Ram Prasad. His feelings are echoed by Munawar Ali: "See the roads, is this development? All the leaders are really bothered about is themselves. Is zamane mein koi doosre ki nahi sochta (no one thinks of others today)." <br /><br /><formid=526372></formid=526372></div> </div>