AAP’s South Delhi nominee Sahi Ram says he’s prepared for his biggest bout
Politics can often feel a lot like wrestling. Sahi Ram, 63, is familiar with both. Popularly known as ‘Pehalwan ji’ among the people in his constituency, the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate for the South Delhi Lok Sabha seat got his nickname from his rst passion, kushti (wrestling), as he grew up in an akhada (wrestling arena) and went on to become a national gold medallist in wrestling.
Mr. Sahi Ram, who is currently serving his second term as an AAP MLA from the Tughlakabad constituency, grew up on the outskirts of the Capital in Tekhand village, which has been home to his family for generations. Politics, he says, was not in his plans. His father was a block president from the Congress, but he was more interested in continuing his career as a pehalwan (wrestler).
Pointing to his ‘cauliffower ears’ (a condition caused by friction between grapplers on the mat), he says, “You can tell I was a wrestler by looking at them.” But it’s wrestling, he says, that has also helped him reach out to a wider audience as a politician. “Many people who were fans back then have joined my campaign now,” he says.
Mr. Sahi Ram had his rst brush with politics in 1993 when a demolition drive in his neighbourhood ignited enough passion in him to take on the “might” of the administration. “In 1993, there were some demolition drives in my neighbourhood, which used to fall under the [Badarpur] Assembly constituency of my now opponent Ramvir Singh Bidhuriji. I remember protesting against these demolitions. It was from there that my political journey began,” he says.
“People had pinned their hopes on me and I realised that if I want to do something for them, I will have to join politics. In 1997, I contested my rst election for the post of MCD councillor independently and won. And since then I have been in politics,” he said.
Both belonging to the
Gujjar community, Mr. Sahi Ram and Mr. Bidhuri represent a huge chunk of voters in the constituency which is mostly known for upscale areas.
However, following the delimitation exercise in 2008, villages, slums and resettlement colonies dominate the landscape of the parliamentary seat that was secured by the BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in 2014 and 2019.
Traditionally a BJP stronghold, the South Delhi parliamentary seat has 10 Assembly constituencies — Bijwasan, Palam, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur, Deoli, Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Kalkaji, Tughlakabad, and Badarpur. Gujjars and Jats dominate a number of Assembly segments in the seat.
Mr. Sahi Ram says his
Gujjar upbringing is reffected in his eating habits. He still owns cattle which he cares for round the clock, and prefers to have milk from his own farm. His favourite drink is home-made badam lassi.
His selection as AAP candidate makes it clear that local politics and caste equations hold the key in this constituency.
Having fought almost nine elections, Mr. Sahi Ram has served Delhi in various capacities. He started out as a councillor and went on to become the Deputy Mayor of the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2013. He was elected as an MLA for two terms from the Tughlakabad Assembly constituency.
“If anything is left unnished, there is a drive in me to nd a way to ensure that the work gets done somehow. This is what motivates me to continue,” says Mr. Sahi Ram.
A former BSP member, he switched to AAP ahead of the 2015 Delhi Assembly election.
Growing up in one of Delhi’s urban villages, Mr. Sahi Ram says before the colonies came up in these settlements, these areas were known as Delhi dehat.
He says that his wrestling days have earned him goodwill among the people. “I’ve worked hard as a councillor and as an MLA and will continue to do so, if elected an MP,” he says.