“We have voted for the Congress and would continue to vote for them because, with the Congress, there is less danga (riots),” says Hakimram, a 75-year-old resident of Ramdev Nagar. Sheo, with a significant Muslim and SC/ST population, traditionally supports the Congress. Villagers face casteism and gender-based violence from neighbouring Rajput villages, whose upper-caste inhabitants are largely BJP loyalists. Residents like Radha, a 60-year-old Dalit woman, fear BJP’s Hindutva ideology might exacerbate their situation, making them apprehensive about the party gaining ground in the region.