As dusk gathers in Sikar, the sunlight paints the fields gold and young college girls, some adorning scarves, hit the dusty, pot-holed roads in this rural town in western Rajasthan to seek votes for Mumbai-based entrepreneur Wahid Chouhan. Nicknamed Sir Syed of Sikar, Chouhan has set up a network of polytechnic and free educational institutions for girls in the region. He is contesting for the assembly seat from Sikar on a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket.
A cursory look at the list of the 2,096 candidates in the fray for the Rajasthan Assembly elections to be held on November 25, shows that politics is no more a taboo for middle-class, young professionals, social activists and entrepreneurs.
More than 225 candidates are under the age of 30. Among these are 30 immediate alumni of Rajasthan University and even two existing students — Ph.D candidate Kailash Verma and dramatics student Manish Yadav. Among the other young candidates are Avanti Meena, Anshul Godara and Kanika Beniwal. While Avanti is contesting for Kirodi Lal Meena’s Rashtriya Jan Party, the other two are independent candidates. Avanti, a graduate form Griffith University in Australia, is contesting from Bassi constituency; Anshul, a history honours student from Delhi University, is contesting the Karauli seat and Kanika, a science graduate from Udaipur University, is contesting from Khimsar.
Known for their social activism, both Maharani of Jaipur Diya Kumari, contesting from Sawai Madhopur in eastern Rajasthan, and Wahid Chouhan narrate the difficulties of working for people’s welfare without acquiring political clout. We have faced lots of hindrances in the execution of projects, from acquisition of land to seeking permissions. The political clout will boost our social activism, they tell dna in separate interviews.
Just outside Jodhpur, Bhera Ram Choudhary is starting his political career from Osean, an assembly segment located in the midst of the Thar desert, on a BJP ticket. A Delhi-based businessman, Choudhary’s election office is literally amid sand dunes. He promises to set up a higher education institute in the region and exploit the area’s tourism potential.
Choudhary is up against the powerful Jat candidate Leela Maderna, wife of former Congress minister Mahipal Maderna, who is now behind bars for his role in the Bhanwari Devi murder case.
In Sikar, Chouhan banks on 20,000 alumni and parents of students studying in his schools, which are no ordinary institutions. In these schools, parents have to only take care of enrolling their daughters and arranging for their transport to and from the schools while the institution takes care of everything else from their uniforms to shoes and textbooks to stationary. “I am a basically a builder, and as a film-maker, I had partnered with Ismail Merchant. I devote a share of my business profits to these schools. I don’t ask for donations or aid ,” says the 63-year-old Chouhan. These schools are a silent revolution in the region — with a considerable Muslim population.
When he started his social work in 1997, he was opposed by the local maulvis, who accused him of corrupting minds of young girls. Chauhan also faced accusations of taking money from the ISI to build institutions. “But I refused to be a quitter,” he says while pointing to a red sandstone building housing a school and college for girls.
Sikar has been home to some of the country’s leading industrial families, including the Birlas, Singhanias, Bajaj, Mittals and the Dhoots. None of these families returned to the town after leaving, which is why when GD Birla and Jamnalal Bajaj contested elections from Sikar in the 1950s and 60s respectively, they both lost. The region, with eight assembly segments, faces an acute water shortage. What is worrying farmers here is the fact that water tables have gone down to just 400 metres.
Chouhan could lead the race if he manages to win the Muslims and a section of the Jat population. But he faces a stiff fight from the Congress’ Rajinder Parikh, the BJP’s Rattan Lal and rebel BJP candidate Raj Kumari Sharma. The BJP’s minority cell has made 15 teams under Chairman Amin Pathan, who has also been camping here to woo Muslims to outwit Chouhan.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}