How much time one normally needs to acquire a bachelor degree after attaining intermediateIJ What is the age in general to pass matriculationIJ Or, what would you say to an aspiring people’s representative who often possesses ploughs as monsoon arrives but shows no agricultural land after his name!
Yes, these are some of the glimpses of affidavits filed by various candidates into the fray for lok Sabha elections and seeking vote and support of common man in the way of participatory democracy; depicted as ‘holy cow’.
Most interesting among the host of leaders who mandatorily pledged ahead of contesting political battle is from former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand and incumbent MlA Sudesh Kumar Mahto. More often, acclaimed as a student leader — his quite fulfilling political career is fuelled by college-going youngistan – took 18 long years to sail from intermediate to become a graduate!
Mahto, in the fray from Ranchi lok Sabha on AJSU party ticket, passed his +2 way back in 1993 but had to wait for his graduation until 2011 when Nalanda Open University gave him the degree at the age of 37. Though, pulling up his shocks thereafter, the young leader grabbed his masters in just two years, i.e. in 2013 from the same university.
Though, Sudesh’s contender Arshad Ayub, an independent, is not that fortunate to attain the qualification ‘at any cost’. Ayub, however, has scored a dubious distinction by passing matriculation at the age one year higher than Sudesh’s MA.
“I am from a poor family and had to drop out from the school. That is why I managed to pass matriculation at the age as high as 38,” says he but retorts firmly when asked why he tried to prove by passing the exam at 38IJ “It gives you an identity.”
Another heavyweight and poll veteran Subodh Kant Sahay had to take refuse of some minions to salvage him financially. Owner of property ranging in crores, the three-time Minister in the Union Cabinet has taken loans from the likes of Dicks, Toms and Harrys! His affidavit shows Sahay ‘indebted’ to Sarita (Rs2,36,000), Abhay (Rs1,94,000), Ashutosh (Rs95,000), Kishore (Rs2,87,000), Jitin, Rajesh, Suraj, Vijay, Kavita, Nishi…..totaling over Rs3,355,000.
Now look at the case of a ‘self proclaimed farmer’ whose invite to the media persons often comes when he descend into a paddy field with bullock and plough in his hands. Newspapers have published his picture of a laborious farmer Bandhu Tirkey who unfortunately does not have an inch of farmland, neither inherited nor purchased! “Does it mean the MlA does farming on other’s land,” quibbled a photo journalist. There are also in the battlefield whose promising career on earlier occasions has nosedived.
Glimpses into lS election affidavits Ravindra Kumar Ravi from Palamau reserved constituency cracked IIT-JEE and got admission in prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi for B Tech, Though, he could not manage to clear the course and left 2010. “I could not concentrate to my studies due to certain reasons. But I am confident of excelling in politics,” says Ravi.
One Abul Hasan has not a single piece of land on his name or his wife on the earth and bank deposits of just Rs 116,500 and Rs 49,000 on his spouse’s account. The known history-sheeter and dreaded Moist Kameshwar Baitha of TMC from Palamau had to attach as many as six additional pages in his affidavit to accommodate whopping 50 criminal charges naming him in various courts.
Salini Mehta — facing six criminal cases as grave as Section- 307 of the IPC — also from Palamau shows Rs 45,000 in his hand but her ‘poor’ husband Kalicharan Mehta is penniless owning not a single rupee in hand or bank accounts.