Maharashtra: As taste of ‘chai’ changes, so does poll ‘charcha’

The election narrative changes with the geography. TOI reflects on this while travelling 397km from Pune to Sawantwadi

Cool man!

The orange sun is yet to beat down hard. A couple of kilometres from the Katraj tunnel, tea and milk brew in a saucepan at a stall tucked away from the dusty diversion of Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.

The stall owner tells the five patrons discussing last month’s rain fury, “Tea is ready. Add sugar from the bowl on the table.”

Arvind More, a middle-aged man in the group, asks, “Will the new MLAs do something to address waterlogging?” Subhash Gaikwad, a well-built man, says, “They can’t do much. It’s urban flooding.” The youngest in the team says, “First, we must check the population.” Raju Mayekar, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, asks, “Why vote then?” More says, “That’s right.”

Pun intended? The duo silent so far quip, “Leave it. Let’s go. Will have to be in office on time.”

The tea stall owner puts the saucepan back on oven.

It’s hot

The sun is now burning bright. The potent tea at a Karad stall is sweet, but the discussions aren’t. It’s about elections on Prithviraj Chavan’s poll turf.

“The BJP-led government has waived off loans of farmers. It has developed roads and infrastructure,” says one.

“All a sham. Where are the jobs? We need more employment because extreme climate conditions have made agriculture a risky affair. Concrete jungles don’t feed you. The regime must change,” says Shivraj More.

“Congress will rule Karad. There could be some upsets in western Maharashtra too,” says Amol Kale.

Hot & cold

The tea is sweeter and the sun hotter at a kiosk on the fringes of Kolhapur. The talk around is about flood relief and the stunts of netas. “A BJP leader tried to showcase himself as a messiah during the flood. But his eyes were not on the victims but on their votes,” says Suraj Dighe.

“Still, he was visible. His challengers were nowhere around,” says the youngster next to him, pointing to the damaged sugarcane field on the other side of the road.

Storm brews

The sun is now hidden behind the clouds. Misty rain and a cool breeze abounds, lending its charm to the tea stall bang opposite the Amboli waterfall.

Two youths discuss their daily commute plight. “These potholes never go,” says Rajiv Chauhan, pointing to the cracks on the state highway. “Parties change, leaders change, but bumpy rides remain,” says Vijay Mane.

The tea stall owner adds, “And the water. Will we ever get filtered potable water?”

The steaming tea is fast losing its sting, but it’s sweetness stays amid the bitter truths.

The landfall

After a bumpy ride down the hill to Sawantwadi, the next stop is besides a lake of the Konkan town. The cuppa is even sweeter here.

Asked if the rough ride was over, Raghav Raut at the stall says, “No. The roads are as bad till the Mumbai-Goa highway.”

Two high school students sipping chai debate on how long they would have to walk to school. Raut chimes in again, “Just like you, we too would walk to school. Nothing has changed.”

The stall owner murmurs, “Wish my daughter doesn’t have to do this (make tea). Something should be done to create jobs.”

The streetlights come on as the stall downs its shutter.