Mohammad Chirag is a brass polisher.
He makes Rs 200 to Rs 300 a day when he finds work. He has a child, wife and mother at home. He is assured of only one week's work in a month. This in a city that is said to export brassware worth Rs 2,300 crore (Rs 2.3 billion) a year. To augment his income, he has six cycle rickshaws, which he rents out. He gets Rs 20 per day per rickshaw.
"I vote for whoever I feel like voting for. I try and vote for the winner," says Chirag. "Last time I voted for Mayawati when I realised that she was going to win. In one election, my name was missing from the voters' list. I had to fill the form again. Hope this time my name is there. I will know when I go to the polling booth."
"I am more interested in looking after my family than elections. I have never voted for the BJP, but might if I liked the candidate," he adds.
Also see:
Power play on Mulayam's home turf
UP election: Who cares?
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