Lone Samajwadi Party candidate is Himachal’s poorest
SHIMLA : Himachal Pradesh has 158 crorepatis in the fray for the November 9 elections but Samajwadi Party candidate Nand Kumar, 30, the poorest candidate, is unfazed.
The lone Samajwadi Party candidate in the state campaigns with ₹1,000 and canvasses with friends in a borrowed Bolero in Churah constituency of Chamba district. “Unlike helicopters, this vehicle helps me tour the interiors and far-flung areas of my constituency,” he says.
A postgraduate in political science and a social activist, Kumar grows fruits and vegetables for a living. His affidavit shows he does not own any asset whether it’s land or a vehicle. He has no investment either. His wife owns 2.5 bighas of farm land. “My friends and relatives are helping me. I’m hopeful my party will also extend some help,” Kumar said over phone.
He said he joined the SP as he needed a platform to fight for the rights of the people for better health care and to end the exploitation of workers at hydel plants.
After reading a newspaper report about SP leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav announcing that the SP would contest the Himachal elections, Kumar contacted SP secretary Pritam Hindustani. He was put in touch with state SP president Ram Niwas Yadav and ended up becoming the only SP candidate in the fray.
“Churah is a backward constituency. We have only one hospital with one doctor for 70,000 people living in the area,” he said. “People talk about 4G and digital India, but here one has to climb a mountain to catch the internet signal,” Kumar said.
Citing lack of development in the area, he said, “I know the BJP and the Congress candidates have money to pump in but that will not change the real issues of this constituency.”
“We have 10 hydropower projects in Churah but the royalty of ₹2.14 crore goes to Shimla. We want the entire money to be spent on the development of this constituency. People here are the sufferers,” he said.
Kumar said he did not know that he would be the poorest candidate when he was filing the papers. “I want people to be sensitised about local issues,” he said.
The constituency was last represented by BJP’S Hans Raj, who is contesting again. Surendra Bhardwaj, a former MLA, is the Congress candidate.
The candidates with highest assets contesting the Himachal elections are Balvir Singh Verma of the BJP with total assets of ₹90 crore followed by Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress with ₹84 crore.