Living in the shadows: 'Widows of Vrindavan' are the forgotten people this election

In Mathura Lok Sabha constituency, widows in Vrindavan lead quiet lives, finding themselves excluded from political discourse and overlooked by politicians seeking votes

The buzz of electioneering stops where the quiet of their lives begin.

Thousands of women, known simply as the 'Widows of Vrindavan, have been relegated to the margins even in the noisy, participative general elections with little interest in a group largely without voter IDs.

The women, mostly in their 60s and 70s, have taken refuge in this temple town, abandoned by their families and left with virtually no identity - other than being banded together as women whose husbands have died. Crowded together in dirty rooms and earning about Rs 20 a day, or even less, singing bhajans, there are no promises for them this election season.

And while most are resigned to their fate, some still fight it.