Chiranjeev bonds with Rewari voters over cricket pe charcha

Congress candidate and former Rewari MLA Chiranjeev Rao is targeting urban youth in a unique way. In addition to his usual campaign, Chiranjeev is trying his hand at gully cricket to bond better with youth and conduct a ‘cricket pe charcha’.

An avid player in the yesteryear, Chiranjeev said that he wanted to informally connect with the future of Rewari and ensure there is no gap in their expectations and deliverables.

“Youth are future of the district. Sadly, while we are just a few kms from swanky NCR districts like Gurugram or Faridabad, we cannot match the opportunities or youth-oriented ecosystem there. I have been an MLA here for five years and will be for the next five years. So, I need to know what they want from me.

“Cricket is best way to connect with them. Stage, garlands or road shows distance us but playing cricket with then brings us at an informal comfort level and helps me talk to them better,” said Chiranjeev.

In what started as just one weekend outing turned into an immediate hit with people inviting him to play with them in stadiums, empty plots and even the lanes and he is more than happy to oblige.

“Even I enjoy it as I am one from among them and they treat me like family. I am going door to door meeting people and speaking to women. The boys and men are eager for a match with me and I am all for it. Frankly, this kind of campaigning is a stress-buster. While playing here, I realise that we have a talent pool, but sadly in 10 years, we got nothing in terms of sports. Once elected, I will get world-class sports facilities for boys and girls in Rewari,” said Chiranjeev.

For the unversed, Chiranjeev has been a Ranji Trophy player and takes on the pitch as and when free.

Not just cricket, Chiranjeev’s pictures of indulging in activities like farming after tying a ‘gamcha’ on his head or conversing with women casually has got him more eyeballs. He is being compared to Rahul Gandhi for this campaign. Chiranjeev, who had debuted in 2019 as the coy son of Ahir veteran and Congress’ OBC cell chairman Captain Ajay Yadav has come out as a strong youth leader.

Chiranjeev had — much to everybody’s surprise — defeated BJP MP Rao Inderjit Singh’s supported candidate Sunil Musepur from Rewari in 2019. Many credited it to infighting in the BJP but Chiranjeev has proved his mettle all these years. He has a strong voter base in rural Rewari, but struggled among urban voters in 2019. He is working to change it this time.

“We have spent five years connecting with urban voters. I have and am visiting each home myself and taking notes on what they want,” he added.