Whenever Mahesh Nayak visits Raipur now, the mention of his village doesn’t invoke queries about its location any more. Rather, it raises eyebrows.

Was the deal has been struck over your village? Why are political parties bickering over it? When yours is just one panchayat, how could the government buy 36 of them? These are among the questions that villagers of Rafel, pronounced the same way in Hindi as Rafale, the fighter aircraft of French company Dassault Aviation, have been confronting for the past one-and-a-half months.

“Ever since the Rafale deal became a political issue this election, we are visited by journalists almost every day. You are the fourth one to speak with me today,” says Dhani Ram Patel, sarpanch of the village, 170 km away from Raipur. It is part of the Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency, which will go to polls on Thursday.

Earlier, villagers had to take the names of Putka and Paikin, neighbouring villages, to help others locate Rafel. “However, when the deal was picked up by the media and our village became popular, we realised there is a lot in a name,” says Mr. Patel.

Rafel village   | Photo Credit: SIDHARTH YADAV

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are squabbling at various levels over the merits of the deal, their candidates haven’t visited the village’s 200 families, who hope this accidental fame and belated attention could bring them some benefits.

The origin of the name is a mystery though. “Our ancestors named the village thus. We don’t know the meaning or the story behind it. Even the village elders are clueless,” says Mr. Nayak.

Every election, this village of farmers and labourers has sided with the BJP’s Raman Singh but the support seems to be wavering. “We are happy with the minimum support price offered on paddy and the loan waiver given to us by the Congress government. Many will switch sides this time,” says a villager.

Pressing issues

Although it has a primary and a middle school, the nearest primary health centre is 4 km away in another village. For the villagers, the declining water table is also a pressing issue.

“It would have been better if we got a name for better reasons,” says Mr. Patel.