In Modi’s Kashi, Samajwadi Chaiwala’s loyalty to party is picture perfect

A tea stall owner in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi constituency flaunts his love for all things Samajwadi.

Known as Samajwadi Chaiwala, Mahesh Yadav, 26, has installed a brand new photograph of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and an old photograph of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav at the tea stall near Dashashwamedh Ghat here. His support to the party and its new president is quite evident from this act.

Situated in the heart of the city, the stall attracts many young SP leaders and workers in the age group of 25 to 40 years late every evening. They come from various pockets of the city. Sipping tea served by Mahesh, they discuss political trends and strategies to win the voters’ hearts.

Mahesh Yadav became an ardent supporter of Akhilesh Yadav at the age of 16. He caught glimpses of Akhilesh on December 12, 2015 on Dashashwamedh Ghat where the UP chief minister attended Ganga Arati along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

Mahesh Yadav recently got a fresh photograph of Akhilesh Yadav from Lucknow and installed it at the shop. “In 2015, I saw bhaiya (Akhilesh) on television for the first time and became his fan for life. I installed his picture at the shop the next day. Recently, I replaced that picture with a new one from Lucknow,” Mahesh Yadav told HT.

He started calling himself Samajwadi chaiwala two and half years ago, drawing inspiration from Narendra Modi who sold tea in his early years but rose to the position of prime minister.

“As I am an SP supporter, I like to be addressed as Samajwadi chaiwala. I try to popularise the party by all means,” Mahesh Yadav said.

As for his plans, he said, “At present, I don’t want to contest polls. I want to meet Akhilesh Bhaiya at least once.”

Around 9 pm, a group of the SP supporters turned up at the tea stall. They took seats and ordered for tea which invigorated their discussion on political affairs.

Vinod Yadav, a party office bearer in the Cantonment assembly constituency, said, “Mahesh is a selfless party worker. He never asks for anything. In the true sense, he is a Samajwadi. Therefore, we call him Samajwadi Chaiwala.”

Manish Yadav, Shyamu Yadav and many others, all in the age group of 30 and 40, are among the regular visitors to the tea stall. They prefer visiting the tea stall around 9pm when activities in the area reduce. Often, they are joined by the passersby. The discussions continued till 11.30pm.