There are countless mantras for success but none is as effective as perseverance, which is what brought success to newly elected Khijri MlA Ramkumar Pahan, who toiled hard for about one decade to become worthy for contesting elections on two occasions — 2009 and 2014. Humble and soft-spoken, Pahan is a class apart with multitude of talents concentrated in a simple man. He is social worker, a religious man and a politician as well.
The 42-year-old Khijri MlA’s transformation from a common man to a legislator could inspire generations and journey from the corners of Salhan village under Angara block to the power corridors at Ranchi is a great lesson for those who believe in shortcuts to success. Pahan hails from a farmer’s family and the educational life of the BJP legislature kept him confined in the village until graduation. The politician within Pahan matured over ages and through close bonds with the people of the area which today he represents.
“I did my graduation from Ranchi College and PG in Political Science. My political journey started during my educational life. Apart from being active in politics I made contribution to the society by carrying out religious duties and supporting people in their work. First time I tried to contest in 2000 but I could not get party ticket. However that did not discourage me and I continued to serve my party without longing for anything,” said Pahan.
Unconditional service to the party brought laurels to Pahan and in 2009 he was given party symbol to contest from Khijri but the first experience opened the eyes of the soft-spoken man after he faced defeat at the hands of Congress’ candidate Sawna lakra. The defeat instead of discouraging Pahan made him contemplate the reasons and find out ways to reverse fortune in 2014. The BJP worker increased interpersonal contacts working closely with the people of areas under Khijri and won the confidence that reflected in the victory by over 60,000 votes in the recently concluded Assembly election.
“I lost by a narrow margin. It was then I decided to find out reasons for the debacle and studied causes of defeat at every booth. I learned that minorities don’t vote for BJP so I went to them and took them in confidence. And in this election I got more votes than any other candidate from two booths with overwhelming presence of minorities,” maintained Pahan. Pahan may have succeeded in winning votes but he believes that the real victory lies in overcoming problems like poor connectivity of villages with Ranchi, pathetic health services, improper hygiene and lack of basic services to the people of the constituency.
Although the humble legislator won due to hard work and bond developed with the voters of Khirjri during the political career spanning over a decade he owes the success to the well wishers whom he met after winning and expressed gratitude for extending moral support.