This utensil seller in UP seeks ‘one home, one vote’ in his 12th election

KAUSHAMBHI — A utensil seller, who sells his wares on his bicycle from door-to-door, is all set to contest his 12th election from the Kaushambhi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Chhedu, 50, a Dalit, has contested 11 elections so far, including both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections over the last 24 years. However, he came closest to victory when he became a Block Development Council (BDC) member in 2002.

Chhedu has been using one slogan in all his elections — ‘one home, one vote’.

A placard with this slogan is precariously placed on his bicycle and he roams around his constituency campaigning for himself as well as selling utensils.

 “Contesting elections has become an addiction for me. I do not spend money on campaigning but I get a good feeling in meeting people and asking for votes,” he confesses.

A resident of Taibapur in Sirathu Tehsil, Chhedu lives in a mud house and owns no agricultural land or any other property, as shown in his affidavit filed during the 2022 Vidhan Sabha polls when he contested from the Sirathu constituency.

He started contesting elections in 2001 and defeated his uncle with 195 votes in the regional panchayat polls. In 2006, he then contested for BDC member polls and zila panchayat polls in 2011 but lost.

In 2012, Chhedu contested polls from the Sirathu Vidhan Sabha followed by Lok Sabha polls in 2014, where he received 3,340 votes.

He also filed a nomination for Vidhan Sabha bypolls in the same year. He again contested Vidhan Sabha polls in 2017 from the same seat and Lok Sabha elections in 2019, receiving 3,566 votes. However, he forfeited his deposit in all elections but that has not dampened his spirits.