Women at receiving end of poll mania

VARANASI: The election fever has gripped the city and majority of men voters do not miss any chance to start a discussion about the prospects of candidates in the fray. But, it became evident in casual chats with women, especially housewives that the coming two months are going to be hard, as these discussions have already started to take a toll on them.Decreasing TV time for their favourite TV soaps so that men can indulge in the latest political dig or the pressure to maintain a constant supply of snacks and refreshments for them are some of the common complaints. Although most of the complaints were in good humour, but for some women especially for the spouses of the retired men, the every now and then political sessions are already trying their patience.
"Up till now, it was during the cricket matches that I had to miss my favourite TV shows but then I always had an option to tune in for the repeated telecasts the next day. But now it's virtually, 24/7 news channels in my house. Even the kids are asking for a new TV set so that they can watch their favourite cartoons," says Manisha Chaturvedi, a housewife from trans-Varuna area.
For Sumitra Mishra (name changed) of Kabir Nagar area, it has become serious to the extent that she already had a number of altercations with her husband for holding long sessions of discussion with friends and with the TV set on that increases the noise manifold. "Now, I get irritated even listening the names of politicians. Most of the Holi visits went in these discussions without even realising that we women might want to catch up on other things," she lamented.
Meanwhile, working women seem to be less affected by the election mania as they are carrying on with their normal routines. But once they are back, even they are noticing the change in the preference for TV programmes and the content in the conversation over phone with friends and colleagues. Puja Singh, a teacher from Shivala says that although her mornings are as usual, it is only during the evening that her husband increasingly gets keen on keeping the remote control of TV with him. Also his noisy discussions with the neighbours while standing in the balcony disturbs her son who usually studies at that time, she complained.