In Sasaram Lok Sabha seat, can Meira Kumar defy odds against Chedi Paswan?

All signs of underdevelopment are visible in Sasaram: Agrarian distress, deplorable village roads, and lack of jobs.

And yet the electoral contest for this constituency has turned into a battle of prestige between Congress leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and BJP MP Chedi Paswan.

The Sasaram Lok Sabha seat, which goes to the polls on May 19, is virtually synonymous with the former deputy prime minister and socialist stalwart, the late Jagjivan Ram, Meira Kumar’s father.

He won the constituency for a record eight successive terms from 1952 to 1984. This all the more makes this election a prestige issue for Meira Kumar. She hopes the caste equations of the Mahagath­bandhan can help her win. 

Paswan, who has been debarred by the Supreme Court from voting on any Bill or motion in the Lok Sabha because he had allegedly suppressed a criminal case against him in his filing for nomination, is banking more on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s magic than his report card.

Meira Kumar spent 55 days in the constituency while she was the speaker during 2009-2014. Whereas, she spent more than 150 days overseas during that period. 

“My priority is development,” Meira Kumar told Business Standard, adding, “almost 1,200 km of roads were constructed with my MPLAD (MP Local Area Development) fund. The constituency needs a lot of focus on infrastructure. Since the economy is mainly dependent on agriculture, improving irrigation facilities will be of crucial significance for me. Plus, I will work towards setting up non-pollutant agriculture-based industries in the area. I would also like to set up an agriculture university in the area. My party and I believe in enhancing the quality of life of the people of the backward classes”.

On the other hand, her rival and BJP MP Chedi Paswan turned the election into a contest between "naamdar (dynast)" and "kaamdar (doer)". "I stay in Sasaram except when Parliament is in session and regularly monitor development works. I am one of the very few MPs who have spent almost the entire MPLAD fund for the development of the constituency. The Congress nominee rarely visits the constituency,” said Paswan. 

Kumar, 74, has won from Sasaram twice and lost on every occasion she contested Paswan. 

However, locals say none of the nominees has done anything for the constituency. “The buzzing industrial hubs of Dalmianagar and Dehri-on-Sone have gone silent. The Sone canal system is in ruins. The Durgawati reservoir project, which was Babuji's (Jagjivan Ram’s) dream project, is yet to be completed even three decades after work started on it. What have they done?” asked a sitting MLA from the area.

“There are no jobs. We still have to go to Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat for employment. There too employment opportunities have shrunk because of the goods and services tax and demonetisation. We are going to vote on this issue,” said Bali Paswan of Senduari village. 

“We don’t have access to pucca roads. We have been pleading before leaders and officials for the past 20 years, but no one has listened to us. We are fed up with the situation,” said Dasrath Sharma of Tenduni village. His fellow villagers say Paswan has neither visited the village, nor met any of their representatives. 

“Despite development being an important issue, the election is being fought on caste lines. As this is a reserved constituency, only those of scheduled caste can contest. Caste lines, however, have been drawn. The Yadavs and Muslims are behind Meira Kumar, while the Rajputs and Brahmins are supporting Paswan,” said Hakim Singh Yadav of Chandrabhar village. 

“Even the Brahmins are angry with Paswan because most of his focus is on backward-dominated areas. He doesn't care about us,” said Adityanath Mishra of Senduri. 

“We have to choose between bad and worse,” said Surendra Singh of Tendua village. “While Meira Kumar rarely visits her constituency, Paswan is equally inactive. She is asking for votes in the name of her father and Paswan wants us to vote for Modi. Meira and her father ruled the area for more than 50 years and still we have nothing.”