According to close family members, Bajoria, a resident of Bhagalpur, breathed his last at a hospital in Patna on Thursday following a prolonged illness. His body was brought to Bhagalpur, where his last rites were performed on Friday.
Bajoria, who hailed from western Punjab, now in Pakistan, was among the millions of refugees who fled their homes during the communal violence that accompanied Partition.
After settling in Bhagalpur, which was then known for its thriving textile industry, Bajoria decided to make his mark in the newly formed republic by becoming a perennial election candidate. His repeated electoral contests eventually earned him the epithet “dharti pakad”.
“He contested close to 300 elections, insisting every time that he wanted to raise public awareness that polls were about the people and not power,” said Gaurav, a grandson of Bajoria.
Gaurav recalled his grandfather contesting the 2005 Bihar Assembly polls, when the RJD was voted out of power. Bajoria campaigned wearing clothes printed with anti-corruption slogans, while an old wristwatch proudly claimed to date back to the times of Mahatma Gandhi.
“My grandfather never joined a political party and first contested a municipal election in 1960. Of course, he came to be known across the country nine years later when he filed nomination papers for the Presidential poll, which was won by VV Giri,” Gaurav said.
Over the course of his unusual electoral career, Bajoria challenged several prominent political leaders. Apart from former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi on their home turfs of Rae Bareli and Amethi, respectively, he also contested against former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his deputy Lal Krishna Advani and former president Pranab Mukherji.
Old residents recalled Bajoria making headlines by taking to the campaign trail with placards carrying the names of well-known politicians placed around the necks of donkeys. He was also known for distributing dry fruits among people.
His electoral journey continued for decades, but age eventually caught up with him. His last widely discussed electoral venture came when he filed nomination papers for the 2012 Presidential election.
“His refrain used to be — it is not I who loses elections, it is the people who are losing every time. He wanted to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from more than one seat, with Patna Sahib and Rae Bareli being his preferred constituencies. But failing health came in the way,” Gaurav said.
Bajoria’s death marks the end of the electoral journey of a perennial candidate who spent decades contesting elections independently, maintaining that polls should remain focused on the people rather than power.
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