Daughter of a JD(U) minister vs son of a JD(U) minister in seat once held by Karpoori Thakur | Political Pulse News

Sambhavi, arguably the youngest Dalit woman to contest Lok Sabha polls ever, is the daughter of JD(U) minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary and a candidate of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) – both parties are part of the NDA – from the Samastipur seat .

Sunny is the son of JD(U) minister Maheshwar Hazari who has been fielded by the Congress – a dichotomy that the JD(U) has refused to speak about.

While Sunny is a B.Tech from NIT Patna and a businessman, Sambhavi is making a splash in this constituency – mostly rural and suburban – for her educational pedigree as well: graduation from Delhi University’s LSR College, Masters from the Delhi School of Economics, and now doctoral research on “intersectionality of gender and caste in Bihar politics”. Plus, she is the director of a school for girls in Patna.

LJP (R) candidate Sambhavi Choudhary during her campaign trail in Rosera, Samastipur on Wednesday. (Express photo)

If all that adds sparkle to her shine, Sambhavi is not expected to have too hard a time in the Samastipur seat, which the NDA has been winning since 2009. The only hitch is that the past two times, the winner was a candidate of the other LJP faction – led by Ram Vilas Paswan’s brother. While Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ramvilas) is now the NDA’s blue-eyed faction, the one led by his uncle too remains within the coalition’s umbrella.

Of Samastipur’s over 18 lakh voters, OBC Kushwahas and upper castes make up over 3.5 lakh each, followed by 2.75 lakh OBC Yadavs, 2.5 lakh Muslims and EBCs each, and 2 lakh OBC Vaishya (Banias) and Scheduled Caste Paswans each.

Another factor giving Sambhavi’s campaign a boost are the women voters, who praise, as one, the Modi government’s schemes. Addressing a gathering at Darbhanga recently, Modi made a special mention of Sambhavi, saying: “This daughter of the country must win.”

Sambhavi, arguably the youngest Dalit woman to contest Lok Sabha polls ever, is the daughter of JD(U) minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary and a candidate of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) – both parties are part of the NDA – from the Samastipur seat .

Sambhavi too has been playing on this theme in her 12-hour campaign days. On Wednesday, she covered the Rosera and Samastipur Assembly segments, starting at 10.30 am. As she did road shows, public interactions and door-to-door campaigning, she sought blessings from elderly women, saying: “God has given me everything. I am not contesting to become an MP but to become the daughter of Samastipur.”

From a campaign vehicle blared the slogan: “Sambhavi hai to sambhav hai (With Sambhavi, it is possible)”, not too different from that other slogan, “Modi hai to mumkin hai”.

Claiming to have worked out her constituency’s needs area-wise, Sambhavi talked about development, with focus on connectivity, education and health.

She also made a stop in the Paswan-dominated areas and talked to the women there. Congress candidate Sunny is a local Paswan leader, although the bulk of the community’s vote is expected to go to Sambhavi due to the Ram Vilas Paswan factor.

So, isn’t she too another dynast in the poll fray? Speaking to The Indian Express, Sambhavi said: “It is true that I am a third-generation politician. My grandfather Mahavir Choudhary was a Congress minister. But I am talking about the need for more educated people in politics, who can understand the nuances of governance and public service, and be more sensitive towards people… My prime focus is education, which alone can address all problems.”

On both her and Sunny’s father being colleagues in the Bihar government, she said this matter “should not be played up unnecessarily”. “The real issue of this election is the strong leadership of PM Modi.”.

A constant companion during Sambhavi’s campaign is mother Neeta Choudhary, who looks on with pride as motorcycle-borne supporters join her roadshow waving LJP (R) flags, some of them embossed with images of Sambhavi and Chirag.

Sunny’s campaign underlines his image of a “local” person. “Always remember that my three generations have served you,” he says, harking back to his grandfather Ramsevak Hazari, a Rosera MP.

As night fell, Sambhavi moved towards the Rajput-dominated village of Singhia. An impressed villager, Awadhesh Prasad Singh, said: “We were not happy with sitting MP Prince Raj (Chirag’s cousin, belonging to the other LJP faction). Now that the NDA has a fresh candidate in Sambhavi, we are happy.”

Amit Kumar, another villager, cautioned Sambhavi against letting the crowds go to her head. “She is popular because of the Modi factor. But she must not take the Hazaris lightly. Apart from Sunny’s father, his cousin Aman Hazari is also a JD(U) MLA from an Assembly segment falling in Samastipur. With two of six Samastipur segments represented by Sunny’s relatives, local factors will be at play.”