Panwar counting on youngsters’ support
DEHRADUN: Bobby Panwar, who was once a torchbearer of protests against paper leaks in the Himalayan state, is now contesting as an Independent candidate from Tehri Garwhal in the Lok Sabha elections to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, the titular queen of erstwhile Garhwal kingdom.
With huge crowd of youngsters in his road shows, speeches in coaching institutes of Dehradun and campaigns past midnight at times, Panwar says he is confident of his victory.
His campaign to an extent has also overshadowed Congress’s Jot Singh Gunsola, who was inactive in the state political landscape before the announcement of his candidature. Gunsola represented the Mussoorie assembly constituency from 2002 to 2012.
“It was frustrating sitting on dharnas (sit-ins) under tents for almost two years to get our demands fulfilled. In a democracy, the government listens to grievances. It keeps one’s morale high, but our grievances were totally ignored. I had to take a political plunge for all these reasons,” Bobby said.
“The people of Tehri Garhwal have made up their mind for a change but they are silent and aren’t speaking up due to fear of parties. Youngsters are my biggest support. Their parents would also vote for me since they want their sons and daughters to be employed.
Even the BJP’s own workers are angry. The royal family will face defeat. BJP’s Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah remains absent from the constituency. The Congress candidate on the other hand isn’t very much active. He is old too,” he added.
Bobby further said unemployment, corruption, Pauri Garhwal receptionist murder case, the Agnipath scheme, strict land laws, and poor health and education facilities are the key issues in the constituency.
“I believe that employment should be a fundamental right,” he said.
The 26-year-old, a resident of Lawari village in Lakhamandal of Chakrata hill town in Dehradun district, came to the limelight in July 2022 for mobilising youngsters against incidents of paper leaks in government recruitment exams, notably the graduatelevel exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) in December 2021. It was a campaign led by him that compelled the state government to bring an anti-copying law, with a provision of life imprisonment and a fine up to ₹10 crores for violators in February 2023.
However, his journey to political candidacy is not devoid of legal entanglements. Bobby faces eight cases registered across various police stations in Dehradun and Bageshwar, with seven FIRs filed in 2023. Bobby maintains that these cases are “politically motivated”.
In an interview with local media, upon being asked about Bobby Panwar, BJP candidate Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah said, “I don’t talk about my political opponents.
Everyone has their own personality. Everyone has their own ideas.”
On Bobby Panwar’s candidature, Congress candidate Jot Singh Gunsola said he will not create an impact on his prospects to become an MP.
“My target is to become an MP. In a democracy, anybody can contest elections. It won’t impact my prospects...” he said.