Barely 30 km from state capital Shimla, in the narrow lanes of Theog, a 66-year-old man, accompanied by a dedicated group of his followers, wanders without any hustle and bustle associated with the election campaign. This is a classic door-to-door campaign, involving small group meetings. He may not be a big player in Himachal Pradesh politics, but he says he is not a jerk and is determined to win.
Meet Rakesh Singha, one of the 12 CPI(M) candidates in the November 12 assembly elections. In a country where the party and its workers have collapsed, Singha may be single-handedly trying to hoist the communist flag. He won from Theog constituency in 2017 on a CPI(M) ticket and is seeking re-election. He managed to rake in the last election with 2,000 votes and is confident that he will improve his odds this time despite the star-studded campaigns of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.
Speaking to News18.com, Singha said that his campaign may not be “soaring”, but grounded. Health, education, ration depots are all out of reach of common man. “As elected representatives we can make people aware of their rights and mobilize movements inside and outside the assembly.”
In most parts of the country, the CPI(M) terminal is in decline, and its cadre is hardly visible. But Singha says his association with people makes him win-win. “I may not have the party cadre to work with, or a huge social media army to bombard voters online, but I do have the strength of a connection with the voter on the ground,” he said.
Singha was born in a gardener family of Thanedar of apple area of Shimla. He has been at the center of several protests, including hotel workers, daily wage workers, hydroelectric project workers and farmers. He can also be seen going to court to fight the cases filed against him by the government and the promoters of the power project. “It is the section of voters who feel marginalized. They feel that political parties are not raising their issues adequately. I try to represent him in the state assembly.”
The CPI(M) has fielded candidates in 11 other constituencies including Shimla, Kullu and Seraj. But the party is pinning its hopes on Singha for success again with Theog.
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