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In a rundown building in the Bihar capital, a group of CPI(ML) workers gathered to discuss the campaign strategy for their candidate Divya Gautam who is contesting from Digha, an urban seat in Patna. Outside, the markets are swelling with crowds shopping for Chhath Puja. With the festival punctuating the campaign schedule, the growing worry is that there are hardly 10 days available to cover the entire expanse of Digha, which is the largest constituency in Bihar. The 34-year-old’s diminutive frame is lost among mostly grey-haired men and women. She is listening intently, as her party comrades lay out the challenges – the biggest of which is coordinating with other allies of the Mahagatbandhan, the RJD-led Opposition grouping. There are niggling problems such as sourcing the flags of the Congress and the RJD – to display unity. Sushant connection Blaring headlines introduced her to Bihar as the cousin of deceased Hindi film actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Rajput was found dead in June 2020 at his residence in Mumbai. The Mumbai Police investigation revealed that he committed suicide. The BJP ran a campaign “Justice for Sushant” during the 2020 Assembly election, claiming foul play. “In a patriarchal world that we live in, often a woman’s identity is tied down to male a relative – husband, father or brother,” she said. The media after all, is part of this very world,” she said. She doesn’t flinch at the introduction. By now it is familiar to her. She does not see it as a roadblock in carving out her individual identity. It may open doors for her, but ultimately it is she that people see. “In his short life, Sushant made a mark on his own and he is loved by many. It is only obvious that people may want to speak about him,” she said. Poor representation What worries her far more is the continued under-representation of women in politics. The NDA has fielded 35 women candidates (14.40%) for the 243-member Assembly, while the INDIA bloc has fielded 32 (13.16%). Both the alliances are way short of the 33% quota proposed in the Women’s Reservation Bill. She is the lone woman candidate in the CPI(ML)’s list of 20. She asks,“Why wait for the Women’s Reservation Bill to pass?” Instead of being compelled by law to field women, political parties should have done it now.” Growing up reading Maxim Gorky’s Mother , watching Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, Ms. Gautam is a theatre actor with a long list of degrees to her name, including a Master’s in Women Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Gender and Communication at BITS Pilani. She has been associated with the CPI(ML)’s student wing, the All India Students’ Association, since 2011. She narrowly lost the 2012 Patna University Students Union Election. She describes as “contrived” the ruling party’s narrative presenting Chief Minister and JD(U) veteran Nitish Kumar as a champion of women’s rights, based on his government’s policy, especially the women’s self help group, Jeevika. Proliferation of micro-finance companies in the State runs counter to the government’s claims that Jeevika provided economic security to women. “They ask, ‘did you wear good clothes before 2005’, ‘did you eat mithai (sweets) before 2005, ‘were you able to speak up before 2005’. This is infantilising the narrative and denying women any agency,” she said. In 2021, Ms. Gautam cracked the Bihar Public Service Commission Civil Service examination but chose not to join so that she could focus on her political journey. “When I leave this world, I should not carry the regret that I didn’t speak up when I was supposed to,” she said.
