It’s as if a spell has been cast on the people,” said Kafeel Ansari. It sounded better untranslated, in the Hindi that he used in a charming accent from nowhere. “Jaise kisi ne hawa mein phoonkh mari ho.”
Sitting under a tree in Hargaon Chandan that lined a wide road coming from Nagina city, Ansari, the zila panchayat member who once fought the assembly elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket – and lost — was talking about Chandrashekhar Azad, the David from his eponymous Azad Samaj Party now up against Goliaths, BJP, SP, Congress, BSP.
Azad, a moustache-twirling sturdy man, sunglasses adorning a resolute face that some consider handsome, shot into mobile screen fame — later carving out a legitimate place for himself in Dalit iconography in Saharanpur and adjoining districts of UP — when he took on upper caste men in 2017 with a chutzpah that the other Dalit symbol of hope and power, Mayawati, had relinquished. He was an instant sensation. It helped that his rebellion, backed by education and training as an advocate, came at a time when reports of Dalits being tied to poles and whipped in public demonstrations of unbreachable social hierarchy were coming in from many parts of the country.
The Bhim Army founder, a man who once affixed Ravan to his name — he quietly dropped it somewhere along the way, the metaphor sitting uncomfortably as Ram rose once again in Ayodhya and beyond — walked a blazing path after that, with Dalits, especially in pockets of western UP, inscribing his name on wedding cards like a presiding deity and hoisting framed photos in drawing rooms alongside Ambedkar’s.
But Azad, not yet 40, soon realised that viral WhatsApp forwards and backward politics were not as organically linked as he once may have perceived. He began to cosy up to the big boys and girls of the political arena — Congress, SP, BSP—and was largely fobbed off. For this Lok Sabha polls, talks with Akhilesh Yadav looked promising initially but in the end, Azad was once again left alone. SP has gone with a retired additional judge called Manoj Kumar and BSP with Surendra Pal Singh. BJP, meanwhile, has reposed faith in Om Kumar, a three time MLA from the region. In 2019, the reserved seat was won by BSP, then in an alliance with SP.
“Iss baar, ketli (Azad’s poll symbol, the kettle) sab par haavi hai,” said Ganga Ram, 56, who works at Ambika Plywood in Najibabad, a town near Nagina. Asked why he feels Azad will overwhelm everyone else, he grinned. “Don’t you need tea from the kettle to start your day? All of us do.” Sitting next to him, Ratan Singh, 78, raised his hand in glory and announced loudly after an initial hesitation that he has the biggest kettle at home. The old man from Jalabpur Gudal village gesticulated to show just how big. Others around him smiled indulgently at his child-like exuberance.
Whoever wins, it is Azad who has infused drama and purpose in the election process underway at Nagina, turning the seat into one of UP’s most talked about contests. At Rampur Dass village, even BJP supporters mention his name often. Kuljit Chauhan, who said his vote won’t “move away from kamal”, is happy people are talking about Nagina. “These polls are about him (Azad).”
Raisuddin Sayyed Ahmed, 68, who runs Mehboob Wood, said that if the Muslim vote doesn’t split in the constituency that has a large presence of his community at 43%, followed by Dalits, 21%, Nagina’s result could “surprise many”. He added: “We are from a generation that went with Netaji (Mulayam Singh). But he’s gone. His party isn’t the same today. In contrast, BJP is a stronger party now than before. They have the men and machinery. They could win in the end.”
Azad himself is careful with what he says. He told TOI: “I always wanted to be part of INDIA bloc, but I was not included. I am now independent of any ideology or party line. Whosoever has heard my name knows that I take strong stands and that is my strength.”
Aslam Mohammad, an elderly man who said he’d seen Mayawati riding a cycle in 1989 in undivided Bijnor — Nagina later became a separate Lok Sabha seat—said Azad reminded him of her. “She was mostly alone, too, then.”
From Advocate to Dalit icon
➤ Relinquished by Mayawati, Chandrashekhar Azad carved a place for himself in Dalit iconography in Saharanpur and adjoining districts of UP by taking on upper caste men in 2017
➤ His education and training as an advocate helped at a time when atrocities on Dalits were being reported from many parts of the country
➤ Nagina, where he is contesting from, has a large presence of Muslims at 43%, followed by Dalits (21%)
Sitting under a tree in Hargaon Chandan that lined a wide road coming from Nagina city, Ansari, the zila panchayat member who once fought the assembly elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket – and lost — was talking about Chandrashekhar Azad, the David from his eponymous Azad Samaj Party now up against Goliaths, BJP, SP, Congress, BSP.
Azad, a moustache-twirling sturdy man, sunglasses adorning a resolute face that some consider handsome, shot into mobile screen fame — later carving out a legitimate place for himself in Dalit iconography in Saharanpur and adjoining districts of UP — when he took on upper caste men in 2017 with a chutzpah that the other Dalit symbol of hope and power, Mayawati, had relinquished. He was an instant sensation. It helped that his rebellion, backed by education and training as an advocate, came at a time when reports of Dalits being tied to poles and whipped in public demonstrations of unbreachable social hierarchy were coming in from many parts of the country.
The Bhim Army founder, a man who once affixed Ravan to his name — he quietly dropped it somewhere along the way, the metaphor sitting uncomfortably as Ram rose once again in Ayodhya and beyond — walked a blazing path after that, with Dalits, especially in pockets of western UP, inscribing his name on wedding cards like a presiding deity and hoisting framed photos in drawing rooms alongside Ambedkar’s.
But Azad, not yet 40, soon realised that viral WhatsApp forwards and backward politics were not as organically linked as he once may have perceived. He began to cosy up to the big boys and girls of the political arena — Congress, SP, BSP—and was largely fobbed off. For this Lok Sabha polls, talks with Akhilesh Yadav looked promising initially but in the end, Azad was once again left alone. SP has gone with a retired additional judge called Manoj Kumar and BSP with Surendra Pal Singh. BJP, meanwhile, has reposed faith in Om Kumar, a three time MLA from the region. In 2019, the reserved seat was won by BSP, then in an alliance with SP.
“Iss baar, ketli (Azad’s poll symbol, the kettle) sab par haavi hai,” said Ganga Ram, 56, who works at Ambika Plywood in Najibabad, a town near Nagina. Asked why he feels Azad will overwhelm everyone else, he grinned. “Don’t you need tea from the kettle to start your day? All of us do.” Sitting next to him, Ratan Singh, 78, raised his hand in glory and announced loudly after an initial hesitation that he has the biggest kettle at home. The old man from Jalabpur Gudal village gesticulated to show just how big. Others around him smiled indulgently at his child-like exuberance.
Whoever wins, it is Azad who has infused drama and purpose in the election process underway at Nagina, turning the seat into one of UP’s most talked about contests. At Rampur Dass village, even BJP supporters mention his name often. Kuljit Chauhan, who said his vote won’t “move away from kamal”, is happy people are talking about Nagina. “These polls are about him (Azad).”
Raisuddin Sayyed Ahmed, 68, who runs Mehboob Wood, said that if the Muslim vote doesn’t split in the constituency that has a large presence of his community at 43%, followed by Dalits, 21%, Nagina’s result could “surprise many”. He added: “We are from a generation that went with Netaji (Mulayam Singh). But he’s gone. His party isn’t the same today. In contrast, BJP is a stronger party now than before. They have the men and machinery. They could win in the end.”
Azad himself is careful with what he says. He told TOI: “I always wanted to be part of INDIA bloc, but I was not included. I am now independent of any ideology or party line. Whosoever has heard my name knows that I take strong stands and that is my strength.”
Aslam Mohammad, an elderly man who said he’d seen Mayawati riding a cycle in 1989 in undivided Bijnor — Nagina later became a separate Lok Sabha seat—said Azad reminded him of her. “She was mostly alone, too, then.”
From Advocate to Dalit icon
➤ Relinquished by Mayawati, Chandrashekhar Azad carved a place for himself in Dalit iconography in Saharanpur and adjoining districts of UP by taking on upper caste men in 2017
➤ His education and training as an advocate helped at a time when atrocities on Dalits were being reported from many parts of the country
➤ Nagina, where he is contesting from, has a large presence of Muslims at 43%, followed by Dalits (21%)
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