NEW DELHI - Election speeches in India are mostly delivered by leaders on a dais and received by the masses that are assembled further away and below the platform. This separation between the hoi polloi and politicians is an abiding feature of electioneering in the country.A former migrant worker, Mr Sahni is contesting state polls in Bihar next month as an independent candidate - his first electoral foray.
Indian democracy, despite the many foibles that make it an inequitable battleground, throws up uplifting stories of grassroots mobilisation where the marginalised take the political centre stage. Mr Sahni, who worked as an electrician in Delhi until 2012 and has now plunged himself into state-level politics, is one such example.
His activism grew over the years. He has helped locals in rural Bihar access several government services and has empowered them to demand accountability and fight widespread graft that diverts public financing meant for the poor. This disillusioned the locals and convinced them that one among them had to take up the political gauntlet."It was decided that one should represent us at the state assembly, while we continue protests on the streets," Mr Sahni said. That responsibility was passed on to him by locals who often refer to him as the"NREGA-wale bhaiyya" , inspired by the work he has put in for them.
Mr Sahni, who has a grade 7 education, acknowledges that he cannot match the political or financial muscle of his rivals."But I have something that they don't have: public support," he said. Migrant workers and locals from the region are especially drawn to Mr Sahni's resolve to create jobs in Bihar, the lack of which has forced them to migrate."He has been a migrant worker like us, which is why he understands our pain and promptly steps in to support us," added Mr Kumar, who is currently unemployed.Can a poor labourer also sit in the state assembly? This is the key theme often heard in his campaign speeches.
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