* Tractor chal sampatti ya achal (Is tractor movable asset or immovable)? * Do I have to submit the tractor purchase receipt also? Samu Kashyap,the Congress candidate from Jagdalpur,has unique questions. Patiently explaining him the significance of correctly filling the nomination form,his economic adviser now loses cool. Ive been telling you for a week. Your papers are all incomplete. Kashyap asks,From where will I get the proof of my land records? His adviser replies,Why cannot you ask someone to collect it from patwari? Your form will be cancelled. Nomination filing closes on October 25,and the 37-year-old with absolutely zero experience in politics looks completely lost. Almost like a college student,who,while filling the examination form on the last date,suddenly finds that his crucial domicile certificate missing. Congressmen in Chhattisgarh were left surprised a fortnight ago when the party high command announced the candidature of this former panchayat secretary from the prestigious seat in the first list,defeating powerful probables. Jagdalpur is the only general seat in Bastar; the rest 11 are ST seats. Also a reserve seat until 2008,Jagdalpur usually sets the tone for Bastar. Still,the party chose the neo-convert Christian,who originally belonged to the extremely backward Mhara community and had little visibility in the area. He has no funds,no godfather,has seen no life except that of his village and knows nothing. The party should have opted for an upper caste candidate. Opting for a Mhara sends a wrong signal, says a powerful Congressman from Jagdalpur,who was denied ticket. In contrast,the BJP candidate is sitting MLA Santosh Bafna,a prominent jeweller from Jain community. One theory doing the rounds is that Kashyap was Rahul Gandhis pick. During a visit to his Jamawada village in 2008,the Congress vice-president had asked elders,Who is the most educated among you? They had named Kashyap,who had passed Class XII. He (Rahul) shook hands with me,we exchanged a few sentences. I dont know if he still remembers me or if it helped them select me, says Kashyap. Kashyap first got a taste of politics in 2003 when he became a panchayat secretary and fought for tribal status for his community,which,though in general category,is among the most deprived in Bastar. A few months ago,his people suggested him to contest the polls. He resigned from the government job and submitted his form for a Congress ticket. We saw him in the Congress office for the first time only when he came to submit his application, says a local leader. His name was not even recommended from the block and district Congress committees. His ticket brought instant detractors. But such is his disarming naivete that the hostility gradually disappeared and they turned up to support him. His economic adviser,for instance,is Rekh Chand Jain,a senior Congress leader who contested the 2008 polls and was considered a frontrunner this time. Another powerful probable,Manohar Lunia,gives him tips on mass mobilization. Always take people with you. Whenever you step out of a vehicle,30-40 youths should accompany you), another leader advises him. The combined strength of Mhara and Christian voters is 30,000 of the total 1.75 lakh voters in Jagdalpur,and Kashyap with the youth-next-door image today has few detractors. On the other hand,BJP candidate Bafna has some strong detractors,including the Bastar Palace. Bastar king Kamal Chandra Dev,who joined BJP recently,wanted the ticket for his man,Jagdalpur Mayor Kiran Dev. But Bafna is confident: They opposed me earlier,they oppose me now. I won earlier,will win now. Kashyaps team mostly comprises youths. On Tuesday,at least 50 from BJP turned supporters at the Congress office. He is our hope, says a former BJP worker.
