Cooch Behar workers’ slogans of “vote first, work later” hit restaurants, homes and eateries in Jaipur. Business
JAIPUR: With two weeks to go before the Bengal polls, households and restaurants across Jaipur are facing staff shortages as migrant workers in Cooch Behar return to their hometowns to cast their votes, leaving kitchens short-staffed and businesses struggling.As nine constituencies in Cooch Behar go to polls on April 23, a large number of Bengali domestic helpers and daily wage earners in Jaipur are returning, telling their employers to “vote first, work later”. The exodus has disrupted daily services in homes, hotels, restaurants and construction sites.“More than 80 per cent of domestic workers and laborers in Jaipur come from villages in Cooch Behar. This is the first time we have seen such enthusiastic voting back home. In fact, post-COVID-19, people’s enthusiasm is at its highest. ” said Mewa Bharti, chief of Mahila Kamraj League in Rajasthan.The impact is widespread. Women work mainly as domestic workers, while men are employed in hotels, wedding gardens, factories and construction.“We cannot imagine running a kitchen in Jaipur without manpower from Cooch Behar. Currently, there is an acute shortage of manpower as almost the entire family is going to vote,” said Tarun Kumar Bansal, president of the Rajasthan Hotel and Restaurant Association, adding that more than 70 of his 240 employees are from Cooch Behar and all have applied for leave.The knock-on effect has spread to markets, with Bengali fish market in Bais Godham and Bengali Anaj Mandi in Shakar Marg likely to remain closed for nearly a month.Explaining the reason for the surge, immigrant Usha Barman said: “The political parties promised us financial help based on the number of family members who voted. There was also a fear that if we did not vote, our names might be removed in the next revision.”With trains full and waiting lists long, many opted to take regular coaches or private buses – underscoring that for these workers, voting is more important than livelihood.
