Gangsta Rap

Did an independent candidacy elevate Pappu Yadav's stature? Voices from the ground say so

- Md Asghar Khan

AT around 3 pm, Pappu Yadav leaves his home to reach a programme venue. His black Fortuner is cruising down the Rajabari Road when it is overtaken on either side by young boys on bikes. Yadav slows down and extends his hand towards the boys. From the left, Aman Gian, 17, shakes his hands and says: “Sir, if you win, I will set off more than a hundred firecrackers. You’ve made us famous. Purnia has shot to fame during these elections because of you.”

It’s the day after the elections. Purnia voted on April 26, in the second phase. But even after the elections, Yadav seems to be in a campaign mode. The people in the streets still run towards his car and he still stops to shake their hands and greet them with a namaste.

In Purnia, Pappu Yadav has a dedicated fan base. Gian, only 17, is full of beans about Yadav. He says that when ever he gets to cast his vote, it will go to him. When asked to explain his choice, he says: “I asked all of my friends, and even my teachers, to vote for Pappu sir. I have been his fan ever since I got to know how he helped people during the lockdown. I’m interested in politics. If I become a leader, I will emulate him.”

Purnia is said to be the hottest seat among the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Political analysts and local residents account for Purnia’s prominence by referring to the fact that Yadav contested as an independent.

Manoj Mukul, a senior journalist who has been reporting on Bihar’s elections for several years, believes that the particular sequence of events that unfolded with regard to the Purnia seat put the electoral fight here and Yadav in the limelight.