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Photograph: Jayesh Tankaria
'I don't think India is shining but Vajpayee is a good man'
NAME: The Satliyas, Dhasa, Bhavnagar district

Dilip Satliya, 27, his wife, his sister, his sister-in-law, along with all their children, are at the Dhasa bus stand to see off his sister and her son, who were on their way to Amreli.

Satliya lives and works at Dhasa, a village in Bhavnagar district on the Bhavnagar-Amreli road. Barely educated, he makes a living as a labourer, doing hamali work -- either carrying heavy sacks from trucks to shops or from shops to trucks. He does not work in the fields.

"We all vote together. My grandfather, who lives in our home, decides who we should vote for and we all vote for that party.
My father is no longer alive. My mother lives in Satara, Maharashtra, with my sister, who makes and sells garlands.

"We are four brothers and three sisters. But the sisters are married and therefore do not live here. We brothers too are all married and work as labourers. All our children go to a government school in this village."

"I make about Rs 40 to Rs 50 a day and about Rs 1,500 a month. I do wish I could get a better job, but I don't want to work on the farms around here. I prefer to work in the village because I get sufficient work. I could work in Bhavnagar or Amreli, but then my expenses too will go up.

"I don't think India is shining, but the government has done quite a bit. I like Vajpayee, I think he is a good man."

Who will they vote for? "My grandfather will decide when the time comes."

The Satliyas spoke to Amberish Kathewad Diwanji in Bhavnagar

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How We Will Vote


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