 |
He has stood in every
Indian parliamentary election since 1962 - and lost every one - but that has
not deterred 78-year-old Shyam Babu Subudhi from throwing his hat into the ring
once again.
|
Dr Subudhi is a
homeopathy practitioner in Berhampur, a town in the eastern Indian state of
Odisha. And he is contesting two constituencies, Berhampur and Aska, in India's
forthcoming parliamentary polls.
Despite losing his
deposit in every previous election, having won less than a sixth of the votes
cast each time, Dr Subudhi is surprisingly confident he can win both seats this
time. His one-page election manifesto even claims that there is "enough of
a possibility" of him being appointed prime minister of India after the
coming elections.
This will be his 13th
attempt in a row to enter India's parliament.
"People are fed
up with the current crop of leaders, who switch parties when they are not given
a ticket by their own party. They have seen that I am the only person who has
steadfastly refused to join any political party since the 1960s," Dr
Subudhi told the BBC at his home in Berhampur.
Dr Subudhi's electoral
debut came in 1957, when he battled former State Minister Brundaban Nayak over
the setting up of a school in Berhampur.
"I fought with
him in the Hinjili Assembly constituency and lost narrowly," he says
proudly.
What started as a
battle over a school soon turned into an obsession for this man, a familiar
sight on the streets of Berhampur in his trademark cap, uneven beard, bulging
black bag and well-worn suit, even in the scorching summer heat.
He fought in both
assembly and parliamentary elections until 1980, when he took on former Chief
Minister JB Patnaik in Begunia. From then on, he has focused his efforts purely
on parliamentary elections.
The high point of his
long electoral career came in 1996 when he "fought" the Prime
Minister of India, PV Narasimha Rao, for the Berhampur seat. Biju Patnaik,
father of India's current chief minister and the biggest political leader in
the state's post-independence history, is among his other notable
"rivals".
"I am in
electoral politics because I want to end corruption in the country," Dr
Subudhi says.
But how can he end
corruption, even if he wins the election, when he is only an independent
candidate?
"I am sure I will
get the support of many others in parliament," he says confidently.
Curiously for someone
who is 78 and on the ballot in two constituencies, his manifesto promises to
bar people above 60 from contesting elections, and put an end to the practice
of standing in more than one seat.
His campaign style is
also frugal and lacks the pomp and ostentation usually associated with Indian
elections. He moves about mostly on foot, by bicycle or even bull-drawn cart,
as he meets his electorate in ones and twos.
But Dr Subudhi readily
concedes that despite his no-frills campaign style, he could end up spending
about 500,000 Indian rupees ($8,300; £5,000) this time. But he laughs away any
suggestion his family members might be peeved with him for "wasting"
the money.
COMPLIMENT OF BBC NEWS:
Story by: By Sandeep Sahu