Not Caste Factor, Youngest Bihar MP Shambhavi Choudhary’s Election Campaign Focused On…

Shambhavi Choudhary of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has made history by becoming one of the youngest Members of Parliament. The 25-year-old secured a landslide victory in Bihar’s Samastipur Lok Sabha seat, defeating Sunny Hazari of the Congress by a margin of 1,87,251 votes. 

In a recent interview with NDTV, Ms Choudhary discussed her remarkable achievement. Addressing the challenges of contesting in Bihar’s deeply caste-driven society, Ms Choudhary, a part of the NDA coalition, said she had only focussed on development over divisive issues.

“When I went to the constituency, I did not talk of caste or religion,” she stated. “I only talked about the development that has happened in Bihar in the last decade.”  

Elaborating on her approach, she stressed the importance of engaging with constituents on issues pertinent to their lives and presenting a clear vision for progress.

“We talked about our vision, goals, and I especially tried to meet as many people as I could,” she added, claiming that she often spent 16-17 hours a day on the field, discussing various plans and aspirations with the electorate.

Ms Chaudhary, whose father Ashok Choudhary is a senior leader in the ruling Janta Dal (United), was next asked about her affiliation with the LJP, a smaller ally of the JD(U) and the BJP in Bihar. “I am young, I am a youth, and I think I connect with youth more,” she stated. 

She was confident in the leadership of party president Chirag Paswan. She also spoke about the LJP’s track record of consistent electoral wins despite recent changes, including the renaming of the party to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and its symbol change from a bungalow to a helicopter.

“Despite all these consequences, we have a 100% strike rate,” she proudly declared. “All the candidates from our party have been winning. We have worked very hard and we have been successfully able to achieve this party as a key in Bihar politics,” the 25-year-old claimed.

When asked if she had sought votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms Choudhary acknowledged that “definitely there is a Modi factor, you can’t deny it.” “We were also talking about Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ji, our party president Chirag Paswan, and respected late Ram Vilas Paswan ji,” she stated. 

Ms Choudhary has credited her win to a combination of factors, including leadership appeal and a well-defined “roadmap” tailored for her constituency. 

“I was also talking about my own goals, my own vision, my own aspirations from the constituency that I have in mind,” adding that “all these factors are very crucial and all these factors came up together and that is how I could win with the second largest margin in the state.”