Before entering the narrow street lined with matchbox-like houses stacked on both sides of Kansi Ram Colony in Unnao, one is met with the stench of rot. Women in many-hued sarees peep from the square windows of the buildings. The street is full of women. And sewage.
Shabnam, 23, who runs a little paan shop that sits on top of the sewage says that it doesn’t matter who comes to power, things will remain the same for the poor. She points at the swarms of flies and dung lying outside every doorstep.
"You should see it in the rains," she says.
Ikra, 21, who has three children, says that the water here is so dirty that they often find germs in it. “My child is sick all the time. But even ASHA workers don’t come here,” she adds.
The residents feel that things are going from bad to worse with successive governments. The streets lined with shit and sewage bear testimony to the neglect. “We were happy under Mayawati. She took care of the poor and oppressed. But now, we all know there are only two options and none of them cares about us,” Rukhsana Begum said.
In Uttar Pradesh, women voters outnumber men and political parties have come up with a variety of sops to woo the female vote. From ‘Kamal Kitty Clubs’ to 33 per cent reservations in jobs, and electric scooters, parties are leaving no stone unturned. But are the sops working? As the Assembly Elections In UP enter a crucial period ahead of the fourth phase, women voters from several districts have expressed.
With one of the highest cases of rape and sexual violence in the country, safety for women is one of the key demands. In September 2021, UP CM Yogi Adityanath claimed that UP is safer for women now than it ever was before. The government has also launched several schemes like Mission Shakti: 2.0 to promote women’s safety, especially in rural areas. Shreya, from Sitapur city, says that while politicians are always ready with promises, implementation is far from ideal.
