'We will go to every home and ask them to vote. We will go back once in 3 hours to check if they have voted. If not, we will ask them again... We will not rest till the final vote is cast,' RSS worker Chandramohan Seth tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is known to help the Bharatiya Janata Party get voters to polling booths on polling day.
One such dedicated RSS worker is Chandramohan Seth.
A commerce graduate who runs a business in Varanasi, Seth tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com about his role in this election.
I have been part of the RSS since 1984. My father Brijmohan Seth, who was an RSS member, introduced me to the Sangh.
Though we don't have much to do with elections, this time we have come out openly in support of the BJP because development is the agenda.
I have been allotted an area in Banaras city. I have been working here for the past 15 days. We don't use BJP pamphlets... we prefer to talk to the voter.
Even this lotus (BJP symbol) pin (pointing to his shirt) is unnecessary, but they (BJP office-bearers) insist we wear it.
There are about 1,800 voters in this area. I have 4 to 6 full-time workers with me. There are another 10 to 15 workers who work with me for 2 to 4 hours every day.
They are all volunteers. We don't pay anyone and no one pays me. We speak to all communities. Irrespective of which community they belong to, some people give us a patient hearing, while some don't.
We will get 1,400 out of 1,500 voters here. I know every voter in the area and also know how s/he will vote.
Cancelling Narendra Modi's rally in Varanasi was a mistake (The Election Commission denied permission for Modi's rally, citing security concerns). There is no fear here and there is no threat.
If someone doesn't like Modi they will not vote for him. Nobody is planning to harm him.
I am a Banarasi... Hindus, Muslims live here peacefully. We do business with everyone.
After the election, it will be back to normal life.
As an RSS member I exercise for an hour every morning. Then I go meet five families, every day. I ask them to join the RSS and explain our way of life to them.
On polling day we will get the voters to the booth. We don't arrange cars. We just ask them to vote. We start at 7 am and work till 6 pm in the evening.
We will go to every home and ask them to come out and vote. Then we will go back once in 3 hours to check if they have voted. If not, we will ask them again.
Our work is outside. The booth agents will be from the BJP, but we are not concerned with that.
We have the voting list. We put a tick mark against those who have cast their vote. We will not rest till the final vote is cast.
Image: RSS worker Chandramohan Seth in Varanasi. Photograph: Sandeep Pal/Rediff.com
