Priti Kinar, a transgender candidate of Prashant Kishor’s party, aims high

Priti Kinar, the 41-year-old transgender candidate fielded by Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) in the Bhorey constituency, has suddenly caught the limelight ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly election.

She faces a tough battle, as she is pitted against sitting Janata Dal (United) MLA Sunil Kumar, currently the State Education Minister and a former IPS officer. However, anti-incumbency sentiments and the voters’ anger against the poor education situation in the constituency and in the State may help Ms. Kinar’s case.

She is quite popular in her constituency in Gopalganj district, but reaching her village of Kalyanpur is a nightmare journey along at least 20 km of dilapidated roads from Mirganj. Passengers travelling the route are livid, noting that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar takes credit for constructing good roads across the State.

“You must have realised the quality of the road that Nitish Kumar ji’s government has constructed. This is the condition in the Assembly constituency of the State’s Education Minister,” Ms. Kinar told The Hindu once this reporter had reached her village.

Poor education, health

Bhorey, a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes (SCs), falls under the Gopalganj Lok Sabha constituency and is located in northwestern Bihar, bordering Uttar Pradesh. Most Bhorey residents are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, with rice, wheat, maize, and sugarcane being the main crops of the area. There is hardly any industrial activity, barring a few rice mills and brick kilns.

Voters say that government schools in the constituency lack basic facilities and infrastructure. Government hospitals do not have the medicines needed to treat venomous snake bites, with several victims losing their lives while rushing to a private hospital in Gopalganj.

Grassroots experience

Having spent nearly two decades as a social worker, Ms. Kinar takes pride in the 10 to 15 girls she takes responsibility for each year, offering them financial help to get married.

“I have been engaged in social work since 2007. Wherever there is a need, I make sure that I reach on time and provide them as much help as possible. Even if it is midnight, I go and meet those affected by distress and disaster. Even my decision to join politics is due to the suggestions given by the people of Bhorey Assembly constituency,” Ms. Kinar said.

She had initially planned to contest as an Independent but then joined the JSP as she resonated with Mr. Kishor’s ideology and promises. Most other political parties think only about their own family members, she said, expressing confidence that the JSP is different on that front.

Ms. Kinar originally hails from Sitamarhi district, but was forced to leave her parents’ home at the age of 20 when she faced humiliation from local residents. If she wins the election, she vowed to live and die for the people of Bhorey. Her only plea to her people is to be educated, to be able to access a better life.

Voter anger

Husseypur resident Pankaj Kumar expressed his anger against the sitting Bhorey MLA, asking why he has not done anything to stop paper leaks despite being the Education Minister. He pointed out that due to the poor quality of education, Bihar students go to other States.

In 2020, the JD(U) won the Bhorey seat by a paper thin margin of just 462 votes. SC voters voters play a decisive role here, while Yadav and Muslims voters make up a solid chunk of the population as well, with a 12.5% and 11% share, respectively. As the home district of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the RJD is considered to have a strong influence across Gopalganj.

Like most other National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders, Mr. Sunil Kumar is seeking votes based on the work done by the Chief Minister.

The other main candidate is the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation)’s Dhananjay Kumar, a former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU). He is raising the issue of a domicile policy, and promising debt relief up to ₹2 lakh for women who have taken loans from microfinance institutions, and compensation for farmers whose crops have been damaged due to natural disasters.