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Journalism of Courage
Rajendra Thakur is hopeful of winning the Assembly election as an Independent candidate from Arki constituency of Himachal Pradesh on November 12. His expectations are not unrealistic. Thousands of women voters from Arki may propel Rajendra, popularly known as Raju, to victory at the ballot.
Son of former minister Hari Das Thakur and a staunch loyalist of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Rajendra has devised a unique strategy to win over women voters – he takes them on pilgrimages to Haridwar and Rishikesh.
At rallies organised by Rajendra in Arki and Darlaghat on October 25, the day he filed his nomination, women outnumbered men.
Rajendra said that he sent the first batch of women on a pilgrimage on his birthday on July 2. Since then, more than 8,500 women have toured these holy places on buses sent by Rajendra to all panchayats in Arki to pick them. The three-day pilgrimage is free of cost and includes food.
Before they board the bus, the women give their phones and Aadhaar numbers to Rajendra’s team, thus helping it remain in touch with them.
The women have also been assured that after the Assembly elections, they would be sent on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan too. “Even if I lose the election, I will take them on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan from January 26,” Rajendra says.
Of the 95,788 registered voters in Arki constituency, nearly half (47,046) are women.
To win the seat, a candidate needs at least 25,000 votes, a difficult feat for Rajendra given the efforts being made by the two big contenders, the Congress and BJP.
Rajendra says he is expecting the majority of women voters to gravitate towards him. “They will be present at the booths on the day of voting and will also encourage families in the villages to vote for me,” he says, adding that if he wins, he will offer his support to the party that forms the government.
“If both the Congress and BJP win 33 seats each, then I might become the Chief Minister,” he laughs.
Kanta Verma, who went on a pilgrimage paid for by Rajendra, says he is the only politician who takes women to holy places and ensures that they don’t have to spend on anything during such trips. “Why should I not vote for him? Earlier, only men would be offered gifts such as liquor during election time,” she argues.
Rajendra, incidentally, is believed to have pitched in to ensure Virbhadra Singh’s win in 2017 when the former chief minister had left his constituency, Shimla Rural, to his son Vikramaditya Singh and contested from Arki.
After Virbhadra Singh’s death in 2021, Rajendra wanted to contest the bypoll but the Congress denied him a ticket, fielding its official candidate, Sanjay Awasthi, instead. Sanjay eventually won the bypoll.
