Under the NDA's seat-sharing agreement, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas faction) announced its candidates for all five Lok Sabha seats on Saturday. The party's leader, Chirag Paswan, will contest from the Haajipur assembly constituency, while his brother-in-law Arun Bharti has been fielded from Jamui.
The highlight of the candidate list is Shambhavi Chaudhary, daughter of JD(U) minister Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, nominated to contest from the reserved Dalit seat of Samastipur. Previously, Chirag's cousin Prince Raj represented this seat, who has since joined uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras's camp.
'Shambhavi's Dream Realised...'
Following the official announcement of candidates, Shambhavi Chaudhary excitedly ran to meet her father Ashok Chaudhary, embracing him tightly in an emotional moment widely shared on social media. During their encounter, Ashok can be heard saying, 'This was your dream, and now it's becoming a reality.'
Both Ashok and Shambhavi Chaudhary had been ambitiously pushing for a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Ashok envisioned Shambhavi contesting from the Jamui Lok Sabha seat; however, with the ticket not secured there, Chirag Paswan granted her the party's nomination for Samastipur.
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On receiving the ticket, Ashok Chaudhary expressed the emotional significance, saying that becoming a Member of Parliament was Shambhavi's aspiration, which now seems within reach. Shambhavi's husband Shayn Kunal's maternal home is also in Bibhutipur area of Samastipur district, although this falls within the Ujiarpur Lok Sabha constituency. It remains to be seen how much support Shambhavi Chaudhary will receive from the people of Samastipur.
Who is Shambhavi Chaudhary?
The granddaughter-in-law of former IPS officer Kishor Kunal, Shambhavi Chaudhary (25), is an alumna of Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and the Delhi School of Economics, and holds a PhD in Sociology from Amity University. She currently serves as the director of Patna's Gyan Niketan School, where she oversees all responsibilities and actively participates in community service.
Shambhavi is set to be the youngest female Dalit candidate to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. Her grandfather, Mahavir Chaudhary, was a former minister from Congress in Bihar.
