SHE CHANGE

Congress places its hopes on women. Will the gambit work?

- SONI MISHRA

IT IS AROUND NOON. Asha Singh, 55, is getting ready to hit the campaign trail. Her daughters preen her and give her some last-minute advice as she steps out of her rented home in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The pallu of her sari covers her head, a Congress scarf sits on her shoulders. She says little, but is clear about why she is contesting. Her fight, she says, is for justice.

In 2017, Singh’s daughter was raped. The crime raised nationwide furore and, two years later, then BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was given the life sentence. However, Singh’s family has lost much. In 2018, her husband was allegedly beaten to death in police custody. Her daughter spent a year in hospital after a road accident in 2019. The family alleged that Sengar had a hand in the incident, but a Delhi court discharged him for want of evidence. Singh’s brother-in-law was sent to jail for attempt to murder in a 19-year-old case in 2019; the family claims he was framed.

“I had to flee my village to protect us from Sengar’s goons,” she said. “The only way I can secure justice for my family is by joining politics.”

Singh is contesting from the Unnao Sadar constituency—a two-hour drive from Lucknow. She now lives in Delhi with her four daughters and son, and only recently returned to Unnao. The response there, though, has been lukewarm. Not only is her traditionally patriarchal Thakur community displeased with her boldness, but many in the region also see Sengar as a victim.

Singh, however, is undeterred.