Away from the binary of the BJP vs the JMM coalition, Congress and RJD, a young communist is battling it out in Jharkhand’s Bagodar assembly seat. Vinod Kumar Singh, 43 years old, a two-time-MLA from Bagodar is again contesting in Assembly Elections 2019 on CPI(ML) Liberation ticket. He lost the last elections in 2014 to Nagendra Mahto of BJP by a mere margin of around 3000 votes. Before that, he won the Assembly Elections in 2005 and 2009.
His father, Mahendra Singh, people’s leader and a three-time-MLA from Bagodar was shot dead in 2005. Mahendra Singh was a strong voice who championed the issues and concerns of peasants, workers and oppressed sections inside the Jharkhand Assembly and on the streets. People in Jharkhand knew him as a strong voice of opposition who never compromised with his ideology and principled politics. The revolutionary legacy of Mahendra Singh is being carried forward by his successor and son Vinod Kumar Singh!
Singh, who studied sociology at Banaras Hindu University, joined politics at very young age with CPI(ML) Liberation after martyrdom of his father Mahendra Singh.
Vinod Singh is quite popular among the masses of Bagodar for the works he has done in the constituency, which is also popular as Bagodar Model. Even after the narrow defeat in last Assembly Elections, he is continuously working on ground, easily accessible and approachable to his people. He has raised the issues of plight of migrant workers at different platforms.
He has played a remarkable role in rescuing migrant workers who were stuck in foreign countries. He, over the past one decade, has helped hundreds and hundreds of migrant labourers return back to their home. The Migrated Labourers Association, a CPI-ML wing works in this area to help people out of exploitative, oppressive working conditions in foreign countries. Singh’s availability round the clock for his people makes him the people’s leader.
The construction of roads, polytechnic colleges, degree colleges, electrification of villages in his tenure is still recalled by people of his constituency. The polytechnic college and degree college are top priority for him, both of which are non-functional. He aims to start these two colleges so that new generation students don’t face difficulty in attaining higher education. This time with the slogan of “Vikas ki raah chune, shasak nahi sathi chune,” (Choose the path of progress, choose a companion for progress, not a ruler) Comrade Vinod Singh is appealing for votes!
With a net worth of around nine lakhs, he’s contesting against his counterpart BJP’s Nagendra Mahto whose income has increased by one crore thirty lakhs! Jharkhand’s politics is infamous for defection of elected representatives and in contrast to this corruption and opportunism, Vinod Kumar Singh all these years has stood loyal to his people and his party serving the interests of people of Bagodar.
Comrade Vinod Singh is one of the strongest voice of opposition who has stood for the rights of Dalits, Adivasis, women, and minorities. A fundraising campaign is also being carried out to financially support his election campaign. People of Bagodar will vote on December 16 and it will be interesting to watch out for Comrade Vinod Kumar Singh if he manages to get his third term as MLA!