Shambhavi Choudhary, 25, is among the youngest Lok Sabha candidates in Bihar this year. Her father Ashok Choudhary is a state minister and JDU leader. She is contesting from the Samastipur Lok Sabha constituency on a Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) ticket, an NDA partner.

Shambhavi has done her Masters from the Delhi School of Economics and is pursuing a PhD from Magadh University. She is also an animal lover — she feeds stray dogs and provides them medical care daily.

She spoke to The Telegraph about her election campaign and the road ahead in politics. Excerpts:

How are you going about the poll campaign?

We have covered all the six Vidhan Sabha segments under the Samastipur Lok Sabha seat and we are now proceeding block-wise and panchayat-wise. It is very difficult to target all the panchayats in the Lok Sabha elections but we are trying to cover 17 to 20 panchayats every day, which is a
huge task.

What is the reaction of the people you meet in the villages? You must be drained out, moving around in this heatwave?

The kind of love, affection, blessings, and the amount of respect I am receiving here is the source of all my energy.
These see me through the day. The youth are enthusiastic about meeting me as they identify themselves with me. It is great so far.

What are the issues people are talking about?

The most important issue here is poor road connectivity. I have been hearing this from the first day I came here. It is one of the reasons that there is not much investment in the constituency. During monsoon, there is a lot of rainfall and most of the places get
submerged here. Seasonal and disguised unemployment are also among the main issues I have observed.

How would you resolve these?

My priority is to work on the infrastructure and connect the entire constituency so that I can invite suitable investments. If the right kind of investment and companies come then we could work on generating employment. There is also a need for a women’s polytechnic college here.

Have you noticed the high rate of poverty here?

There is a lot of poverty here but I think it (rate) has been dipping for the last 10 years. If you talk to the people, they are extremely grateful for the foodgrains they are getting, the ₹6,000 per annum to farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, and the free vaccination during Covid. Poverty is a multi-dimensional thing and you need a multi-dimensional approach to address it. Poverty is also generational and caste-based.

Was joining politics accidental or deliberate? Did you do it under pressure from your father?

I am from a political family and a third-generation politician. I was always interested in politics and wanted to serve the people like my father and grandfather (Mahavir Choudhary, nine-term Congress legislator). It has been my dream and ambition. I worked for some time as the director of Gyan Niketan school in Patna. But I never thought I would get a break in politics at such an early age.

One thing you like about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, your party leader Chirag Paswan and chief minister Nitish Kumar?

The way the Prime Minister has connected with the masses, bridging the gap between him and the people, is awesome. Chirag bhaiya is a youth icon in Bihar. He has given four out of five seats of the party to youths, two out of five seats to women. No other party here has done this kind of experiment. Nitish Kumar has done much to empower women in the state.

Are you getting help from your father in the elections?

My father is permanently camping in the constituency. My mother is also on the campaign trail with me at times. My in-laws are also here though they cannot travel much because of their age. We have a family WhatsApp group and we keep sending pictures to update all.

Any funny incident from your campaign trail?

No funny incident but when I meet kids it is always fun. I had an overwhelming moment when I met an elderly lady. She started crying because she did not expect to see me. Women here are giving me khoinchas (when a daughter is about to leave home in Mithilanchal they are given rice, turmeric and a coin wrapped in a cloth). I am getting lots of them.