February 23, 1998

Amethi Uttar Pradesh
Electorate: 11 lakh
Main Rival: Satish Sharma (Congress)

There's a sense of deja vu to Sanjay Singh's campaign, given he was election manager for the Gandhi brothers in the '80s. As he drives around his family's erstwhile estate, he may well be telling himself, "Been there, done that." This time though he's in a new party. So what's novel about a BJP campaign? "Nothing," he says, "Same style, same speeches." The smirk, the gleam in the eye, reflect overconfidence: "This election is a walkover.

Sonia would have been a real contest." Yet, Sanjay is canvassing hard. One minute he accuses Sonia of seeking proxy votes for a "nincompoop" nominee who is actually the sitting MP from Amethi. The next it's Mulayam and Mayawati -- and corruption: "Woh to kali chamri wale angrez hain (They're dark-skinned Britons)."

The man seems popular; or is it true that Amethi lives in fear of this Thakur? It is all explained away: "It's not fear but respect, which means you maintain a distance. I communicated with my father through his secretary. This is our feudal tradition."

-- Ashok Malik

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