February 23, 1998

Hoshangabad  Madhya Pradesh
Electorate: 10.8 lakh
Main Rival: Sartaj Singh (BJP)

He's lost in the crowd and even a total stranger can touch him. For the first time in years, Arjun Singh is without his impenetrable security ring. Once his VIP aura, the cordon would have proved counter-productive in Hoshangabad.

"If you cannot meet him now, how will you do so once he returns to Delhi?" the opposition had started whispering. The former chief minister, rejuvenated by Sonia Gandhi's emergence, has clearly heard these voices. He has made every effort to ensure that the humiliating defeat in Satna in 1996 is not repeated in his new constituency.

His day starts at 10 a.m. and ends after 3 a.m. -- the next day. Lunch is at 5 p.m.; dinner, if he's lucky, at 1 a.m. In between, Arjun travels and travels and travels -- one village to another, bad road to worse. He stops even if he sees five men and a garland. In Delhi he measures time in minutes. Here, he has found time for everyone. Even after a long day, he refuses to rest. "People must be waiting," is his new mantra. Democracy once again is proving to be a humbling experience.

Even so, people are waiting. Sometimes till 3 a.m for a glimpse of him. Many come out of curiosity. Is not Arjun Singh a famous politician? Says Rameshwar Neekhra, former MP from Hoshangabad: "His stature sets him apart. It will definitely see him through." Arjun certainly hopes so.

-- N K Singh

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