UP Elections 2017: Saifai - At the crossroads of change

The sun was just breaking through the fog as some old men tended to buffaloes near a large pond. A usual pastoral morning but one unfolding against a backdrop of a row of white houses, screaming modern and contemporary with their big glass windows.

Saifai, that frequently hits headlines for the starry birthday celebrations of its most famous son, Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh, is a village caught between the old and the new. Somewhat like the party itself, torn between father Mulayam and son Akhilesh.

 Saifai veteran Ramdas has witnessed the village change and seen Mulayam Singh grow up. “I have seen him study, do pehalwani and join politics. When he comes, he calls the villagers to his home and chats with us in his lawn,” he said, pointing to the bungalows of the Yadav family that rules Uttar Pradesh and is hoping for another term in office.

Unlike Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati’s homes which are heavily guarded, the gates of the Yadav home are open. The members are away in Lucknow preparing for elections in the aftermath of the father-son tussle.

At a dhaba, where some aged Yadavs had gathered, the “baap bete ka jhagda” seemed almost inconsequential after the patch-up. “Baap bete ka jhagda hai. They are together now. It was Mulayam who floated the party and Akhilesh inherited the legacy... Those over 30 are with Netaji and the youth is supporting Akhilesh,” said Ranbir Singh.

At the crossroads, Safai is faced with several contradictions, besides being torn between “Netaji” and his son. The skyline of the village, too, has changed, with modern structures of stadia, paramedical university and a mall. “There were kuchcha houses earlier and just around 400 votes,” recalled Ramdas .

Saifai, which falls in Etawah district, has 1,481 families and a population of 7,141, as per the 2011 census. It also has a literacy rate of 82.44 per cent against UP’s average of 67.68 per cent.

About three kilometres away from the Yadav homes, Akhilesh’s dreams of a state-of-the-art cricket stadium, an all season indoor swimming pool and sports college in his village are turning into reality. While the stadium cost Rs 340 crore, the swimming pool was built for Rs 207 crore.

Proud of the developments in his village, Mohit Yadav, who works as a guard at the complex, gives the credit to Akhilesh. “The youth brigade is with him. The schemes have percolated down to people in his regime,” he said.
Akhilesh’s four-lane Agra-Lucknow express highway is just 5 km from Saifai, cutting the 250 km distance to state capital Lucknow by nearly half.

Saifai falls in the Jaswantnagar assembly constituency of Etawah, a Yadav bastion. Akhilesh’s uncle Shivpal, who has held the seat since 1996, is fighting  again from this seat that was earlier held by Mulayam himself.