Aiming to be voice for the weak, Rajasthan barber to contest polls

Bhagwan Das is a barber by profession with daily earnings of around Rs 250 to 400 and lives in a rented one-room set with his family. Das is also contesting in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly Elections from Jaipur's Malviya Nagar constituency as a Janta Dal (United) candidate.

Das underlined that having lived as a "voiceless" individual all his life, he now wants to be the voice of the weak and uplift them.

"I belong from Sain community and I want to become the voice of the voiceless. I work in the morning and go for campaigning in the afternoon on my friend's bike. I hurry back to my shop in the evening so that I do not miss my customers," Das said.

Das is contesting against veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kalicharan Saraf, who has converted Malviya Nagar into his bastion, emerging victorious from the constituency for the last four terms.

Das said he didn't even have money to procure banners and posters, saying his friends pooled in and encouraged him to pursue his ambition.

"My wife cooks in various houses on a monthly wage. I was encouraged by my friends here to contest the elections. My friends are helping me financially, to print banners and posters as I have no money," Das said.

There are over two lakh registered voters from the Malviya Nagar constituency this year.

The elections are scheduled for December 7 when the state will elect the 200 members of its assembly. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.