Peaceful polling in 'Omkara' territory

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) For those living in the badlands of western Uttar Pradesh, it was a big surprise when the polls went off peacefully Wednesday, contrary to the volatile image of the region that was the backdrop for the film 'Omkara'.

'It is one of the most peaceful Lok Sabha elections that we have witnessed. We were all very surprised,' said Mohammed Umar, a local businessman, who lives in Rampur. There were long lines of people lining up to vote in the constituency.

Violence had been feared in Rampur, which has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Sitting Samajwadi Party leader Jaya Prada is pitted against Noor Bano of the Congress and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

'We were fearing trouble,' he said but pointed out that even in Muzaffarnagar, known for its high crime rate, elections had been smooth.

Many others from the region agreed it is one of the most peaceful Lok Sabha elections that they had witnessed.

The socio-political nature of the region, known to be volatile and steeped in caste politics, was beautifully captured by Bollywood director Vishal Bhardwaj in his blockbuster movie 'Omkara'.