Discover the remarkable life of Nagarmal Bajoria, Bihar's legendary "dharti pakad" candidate, who contested nearly 300 elections against political giants to champion public awareness in Indian democracy.
Key Points
- Nagarmal Bajoria, a 97-year-old Bihar businessman, passed away after contesting nearly 300 elections in his lifetime.
- Known as "dharti pakad," Bajoria challenged prominent political figures including former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
- A Partition refugee, he began his electoral journey in 1960, aiming to raise public awareness about the true purpose of elections.
- His unique campaign methods included using donkeys with placards of politicians and distributing dry fruits.
- Bajoria's philosophy was that elections were about people, not power, and he believed the people lost when he didn't win.
Nagarmal Bajoria, a Bihar businessman known for contesting nearly 300 elections, has died at the ripe age of 97, his family said on Friday.
According to close family members, the Bhagalpur resident, who boasted of having challenged former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi on their home turfs of Rae Bareli and Amethi, respectively, breathed his last at a hospital in Patna on Thursday, following prolonged illness.
His body was brought to Bhagalpur, where last rites were performed on Friday.
The 'Dharti Pakad': A Unique Political Journey
Hailing from western Punjab, which now falls in Pakistan, Bajoria was among the millions of refugees who fled their homes during the horrific communal violence that marked the Partition.
After settling down in the east Bihar town, which in those days was known for a thriving textile industry, Bajoria is said to have decided to make himself count in the nascent republic by becoming the proverbial perennial candidate, thereby earning the epithet "dharti pakad".
"He contested close to 300 elections, insisting every time that he wanted to raise public awareness that polls were about the people and not power", said Gaurav, a grandson of Bajoria.
Gaurav recalled his grandfather contesting the 2005 Bihar assembly polls, when the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was voted out of power, "donning clothes on which anti-corruption slogans were printed, and an old wristwatch proudly claimed to date back to the times of Mahatma Gandhi.
Challenging Political Giants And Campaign Style
"My grandfather never joined a political party and first contested a municipal election in 1960. Of course, he came to be known across the country nine years later when he filed nomination papers for the Presidential poll, which was won by VV Giri," Gaurav said.
Apart from the Gandhis, other prominent leaders against whom Bajoria contested included former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his deputy Lal Krishna Advani and former president Pranab Mukherji.
Old residents recall Bajoria "making headlines by hitting the campaign trail with placards inscribed with names of well-known politicians placed around the necks of donkeys. He was also known to distribute dry fruits among the people".
A Legacy Of Public Awareness And Electoral Spirit
Age eventually caught up with Bajoria, whose last widely discussed electoral venture was filing nomination papers for the 2012 Presidential election.
"His refrain used to be -- it is not I who loses elections, it is the people who are losing every time. He wanted to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from more than one seat, with Patna Sahib and Rae Bareli being his preferred constituencies. But failing health came in the way," Gaurav said.
