Mayawati has relieved her nephew Akash Anand of his responsibilities as the Bahujan Samaj Party바카라s (BSP) national coordinator and as her political successor until he attains 바카라full maturity바카라, but there are many other young Dalit leaders in Uttar Pradesh (UP) who are gaining prominence in state politics.
Amid the peppermint farms of Barabanki바카라s Karpiya village, a discussion about one of them, who is an IITian, brews. 바카라[Tanuj] Punia ji itna bada pariksha pass kiye hain, woh chhaatron ki samasya samajhte hain바카라(Punia ji has passed such a big exam, he understands the problems students face),바카라 Ram Lalli, mother of six, says. The other women nod in agreement. What all of them have in common besides being the victims of rising prices and crippling hunger is having at least one or two unemployed children or family members 바카라wasting their education, toiling on farms바카라. Lalli says the repeated paper leaks in UP have quashed their hopes for jobs.
In UP바카라s Barabanki constituency, the Congress has fielded 39-year-old Tanuj Punia, an emerging Dalit face in state politics. This is the Congress leader바카라s second Lok Sabha election after he lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party바카라s (BJP) Upendra Singh Rawat in 2019, and was, in fact, the second runner-up after the Samajwadi Party바카라s (SP) Ram Sagar Rawat. He also contested two legislative assembly elections from Zaidpur in Barabanki, but failed to make his mark. In the past five years, Barabanki locals have come to know him as the 바카라MP who isn바카라t바카라.
바카라He comes and sits with us here,바카라 Karpiya resident Shanti Devi says, pointing to the overflowing gutter stinking up the neighbourhood. It forms murky pools of water outside people바카라s half-built brick shacks. 바카라He knows our names. When there바카라s a wedding in the village, we give him a call and he shows up. As does his father P L Punia ji. He may not be the MP but at least we see him often,바카라 she adds.
The Punia family has had a long association with Barabanki, with P L Punia having served as the MP from 2009 to 2014.바카라바카라I have a very good connection with Barabanki,바카라 says Tanuj Punia, who has just returned home after attending ajansabha in neighbouring villages. 바카라Even when it hasn바카라t been our (Congress바카라) wave, the people of Barabanki have stood by us바카라It is the public바카라s love. Since 2007 I have been among the people and have formed deep relationships. Especially in Barabanki, through our focused attempts, we have been able to connect with people and create a family.바카라
He credits his passion for social work as the driving force behind his entry into politics. 바카라I had an interest in social work from the start,바카라 he says. 바카라Many people in my family have been involved in public service. Since childhood, I had seen Mausaji, Chacha ji and Papa himself always extending a helping hand to people. People would start coming to our house at 6 or 7 am with their problems and my family members would try and resolve them.바카라
The young Dalit leader had been preparing for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examinations, when on his father바카라s advice, he decided to venture into the political realm. 바카라My father said you can do more for people if you are their representative, not a public servant, you can initiate things. I said but that would take me 10-15 years. He replied that since I am young, I could take time to build my political identity, and I have been at it since then.바카라
The reserved seat of Barabanki went to polls in the fifth phase, and for the people of Karpiya, which is dominated by scheduled castes, development and employment have emerged as the primary poll planks. 바카라The biggest problem is that the villagers do physical labour and get Rs 300 on a good day. When they fill out forms for their children or family members for competitive exams it costs around Rs 500. That바카라s about two days of their mazdoori gone, but they do it in the hope of securing a better future for their children. Sometimes we save up or take loans to send children for coaching and exam preparation. So, you can imagine the devastation we feel when we are told the paper has been cancelled again due to paper leak,바카라 local resident Savitri told Outlook.
Education, health, employment, and farmers and labourers are Tanuj Punia바카라s main focus in Barabanki.
She added, 바카라We are not for or against a party, we want someone who will understand our pain and suffering and I feel Tanuj Bhaiya will get it, he바카라s educated and he was a student once. We have hope in him.바카라
Education, health, employment, and farmers and labourers are Punia바카라s main focus. 바카라I have created a roadmap for Barabanki,바카라 he says, referring to what he would do if he is elected.
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About 200 km away, in Kaushambi바카라s Charwa village, there is a buzz about a 바카라boy from London바카라. The 바카라boy바카라 in question is the SP바카라s candidate for Kaushambi, Pushpendra Saroj, who has returned to India after graduating with an Accounting and Management degree from Queen Mary University, London.
The 25-year-old Dalit candidate is the son of local leader Indrajit Saroj who is currently serving as the MLA of Manjhanpur constituency. Pushpendra Saroj is in the running to become the youngest MP in the history of India.
바카라I바카라m 25 years and two months old and I think I바카라ll be the youngest MP in Indian history if people바카라s blessings are with me and I win,바카라 Pushpendra Saroj said in an exclusive interview with Outlook.
When asked if his entry into politics had just been a matter of time, he replied that he had always aspired to join the political arena, but had not anticipated it happening so early in his life. 바카라I바카라ll get to spend more time among my people, more time to work for them, what more can I ask for?바카라
He dismisses the thought of his father바카라s name putting pressure on him. 바카라There바카라s no pressure because my father has worked and we are not asking for votes in his name rather, on the work that he has done for the people. When we go and meet people, they are accepting the new face and they want someone to represent their voices across on the floor of Sansad Bhavan. They want someone who will respect them and will think about their welfare with a new vision.바카라
As the farmers of Charwa village seek shelter from the sun under a leafy tree, a political discussion involving Pushpendra Saroj is ignited. 바카라Videsh ka pada hua naya ladka hai, yogya toh hoga바카라 (He바카라s a new boy, educated overseas. He바카라ll be capable), Dhara Singh asserts, trying to get the others to agree. A few, not fully convinced, question how much the 25-year-old would actually know about the on-the-ground issues. 바카라Humne toh dekha bhi nahi hai abhi tak, bas suna hai,바카라 one of them retorts.
바카라Akhilesh also studied abroad, did he not show us what he was capable of when he became CM and even now as a leading politician? I바카라m hopeful that Pushpendra will also be successful,바카라 Dhara Singh adds.
Although Pushpendra Saroj is looking to make his electoral debut, he says his association with Kaushambi has been an old one. 바카라My father has been in politics in Kaushambi for over 30 years. He was born and brought up here and then committed himself towards the people and development of Kaushambi. The public knows and acknowledges this.바카라
Tanuj Punia and Pushpendra Saroj aren바카라t the only emerging Dalit names in UP바카라s political landscape. From the Lalganj constituency, the BSP has fielded Dr Indu Chaudhury, an assistant professor at Banaras Hindu University. A devoted follower of Kanshi Ram, she has been associated with social service and the Bahujan movement. From Machhlishahr constituency, SP candidate Priya Saroj is contesting for the first time. An advocate, Saroj is the daughter of Tufani Saroj, current MLA of Kerakat in Jaunpur. He is also a three-time MP from Saidpur (twice) and Machhlishahr (once). The BJP has fielded Dr Anand Gond from Bahraich constituency, who is the son of the incumbent Akshaibar Lal Gond and holds an MBA and a Ph.D.
(This appeared in the print as 'The Young & The Restless')
