Independent candidate for Bihar's Jahanabad seat rides on a donkey to show mainstream politicians who consider 'common people to be stupid like donkey,' invites trouble

He rode a donkey to file his nomination papers to contest the Lok Sabha election, only to be booked under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Mani Bhushan Sharma, a 44-year-old resident of Hulasnagar locality here, has a penchant for contesting polls and went to submit his nomination papers as an Independent candidate on Monday, the last day for doing so in Jehanabad seat.

Sharma said he rode the donkey as he wanted to show a mirror to mainstream politicians who consider the common people stupid like donkeys.

He grabbed some eyeballs, but the authorities were not amused by his unusual mode of transport. Circle Officer, Jehanabad Sadar, Sunil Kumar Sah lodged an FIR against him at the Town police station.

"It was a flagrant violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. An FIR has been lodged against him. The police will investigate and proceed accordingly," Sah said.

As if it was not enough, his nomination papers were rejected on technical grounds during scrutiny on Tuesday, officials said.

Local people said, Sharma has a habit of throwing his hat in the ring as an Independent candidate whenever elections are held for the Lok Sabha seat or the Jehanabad assembly segment.

Polling for the Jehanabad Lok Sabha seat will be held in the seventh and last phase on May 19. 

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While GPS-fitted vehicles are deployed to transport poll materials like EVMs in the State, such technology or vehicles do not always help; especially when it comes to hilly terrains of Tamil Nadu to send across election paraphernalia.

Particularly, where there are no roads to reach hamlets on hill tops -leave alone motorable ones- the challenge is more pronounced and carrying EVMs, and control units within the stipulated time frame is no mean task.

To surmount the challenge, poll officials loaded election materials -neatly packed in gunny bags- on donkeys and ponies and they carried some of the luggage on their heads to reach the designated polling stations during the second phase of Lok Sabha elections and the ardous journey was in the range of 9 to 11 kilometers on the hills. Vellakkevi and Pallathukadu in the Kodaikanal hill ranges (Dindigul), Kathiripatti (Erode) and Kedamalai (Namakkal) were among the hilly villages officials reached overcoming the challenges with the help of donkeys and ponies.

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