It is a clash of the Kayasthas in Patna Sahib, one of the most keenly-contested Lok Sabha constituencies not just in Bihar but across India.
The high-profile seat has BJP leader and union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad pitted against actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who recently quit the BJP and joined the Congress.
In this prestige battle between Prasad and Sinha, it’s obvious who will become ‘khamosh’ in Bihar. Here are three reasons for Shatrughan Sinha’s imminent defeat.
Also read: ‘Khamosh’ will be battle code for Shatrughan Sinha, Ravi Shankar Prasad in Patna Sahib clash
Organisational background & training
Patna Sahib has traditionally been a BJP stronghold and five out of six assembly seats in this constituency are currently represented by BJP legislators. The constituency has a sizeable presence of Kayasthas, an upper caste in Bihar, and has been represented by a Kayastha, Shatrughan Sinha, in Parliament in the last decade.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is contesting his maiden Lok Sabha election against Sinha, is a tried-and-tested lawyer-politician from the BJP who has made a name for himself.
He is the son of late Jana Sangh leader Thakur Prasad, who is credited with establishing the party in Bihar along with the likes of late Kailashpati Mishra. Thakur Prasad was the president of Jana Sangh’s Bihar unit for 10 years.
Ravi Shankar Prasad grew up under the guidance of top RSS and Jana Sangh leaders like Nanaji Deshmukh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He started his career as an ABVP member, won the Patna University Students Union (PUSU) elections and became its general secretary – Sushil Modi and Lalu Prasad Yadav have been PUSU office-bearers too.
Law Kr. Mishra, a senior journalist in Patna, remembers Ravi Shankar Prasad from his ABVP days. “Ravi Shankar Prasad used to come to the ABVP office in Naya Tola on his bicycle,” says Mishra.
He completed his primary education from a government school in Rajendra Nagar. “Prasad starts his campaign with his morning walk. There is hardly any major park in the city that he has not covered,” says Mishra.
On the other hand is Shatrughan Sinha. As a young voter in the Patna Sahib constituency, I along with other Patna residents have seen him losing connect with people over the last 10 years.
Even in 2014 election, Sinha’s candidature faced great resistance from within the party due to his inaccessibility and non-performance. He rode to Parliament on the back of the Modi wave.
Also read: Modi, alcohol & caste: Why BJP-led NDA has a clear advantage in Bihar
Performance vs Khamosh
In Patna Sahib constituency, Ravi Shankar Prasad is perceived as a hands-on leader who was born in the city and whose family continues to live in the city unlike Shatrughan Sinha, who visits the constituency only during elections. Ravi Shankar Prasad’s wife is a well-known academic who teaches at the Patna University.
Sinha has always used his star power to awe the voters, but has failed to deliver on the promise of development of his constituency. Patna was once in the same league as Kolkata and Lucknow, but is now decades behind other metro cities in terms of urban planning and essential infrastructure.
Ravi Shankar Prasad has played an instrumental role in getting the metro rail project to Patna, and generating jobs through projects like software technology park in the city.
With Sinha at the helm, the people of Patna Sahib constituency have struggled to get even the simplest of amenities, like train ticket confirmation or a bed at AIIMS, Delhi. This shows his absolute lack of connect with the people of Patna Sahib.
With Ravi Shankar Prasad, residents of Patna expect a change. He is already very popular among the city’s youth, who see him as a digital influencer.
Sugandha Munshi, a gender specialist who works at an international institution’s Patna office, says: “Prasad’s victory is a foregone conclusion. In this election, people are keen to opt for a representative who has a vision, is educated and clear-headed. The opposition’s candidate is totally confused about his own political ideology”.
Opportunism at its worst
There is a strong sense of abandonment among the people of Patna, with Shatrughan Sinha shifting his focus to Lucknow – his wife Poonam Sinha is contesting from Lucknow on a Samajwadi Party ticket.
Sinha has no designated campaign office in Patna and is seen spending more time in Lucknow. A state-level Congress party office-bearer admitted that Sinha has given up and the party could have had a better candidate in his place.
Also read: Shatrughan Sinha has a problem – he still thinks he has to attack Congress
Sinha’s wife Poonam claimed to be the daughter of Patna for the last 10 years. Now, she says her “association with Lucknow goes back a long time”. People can see through this. This is nothing but opportunism at its worst.
For Ravi Shankar Prasad, this election is not about winning alone, but winning with a huge margin.
The author is a fellow at India Foundation and Assistant Professor at Patna University. Views are personal.