3 km-long march as Kanhaiya files nomination from Begusarai

Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and student activists Shehla Rashid and Gurmehar Kaur accompanied the former JNUSU president. M I Khan reports

Ignoring the heavy rain, thousands of people came out to lend their support to Kanhaiya Kumar, the newest entrant into politics from the Communist Party of India, who filed his nomination papers on Tuesday from Begusarai. 

Begusarai witnessed a three-kilometre-long march as CPI supporters and others trailed the former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' union president as he made his way to the magistrate's office. The upbeat youth chanted various slogans in favour of Kanhaiya -- from 'Lal Salam Kanhaiya Kumar' to 'Kanhaiya Kumar Zindabad'. 

Kanhaiya was accompanied by missing JNU student Najeeb's mother, JNU student activist Shehla Rashid and other CPI leaders. 

According to locals in Begusarai, a rally of this magnitude hasn't been witnessed before. In fact, there were hardly 5,000 people when Union Minister Giriraj Singh filed his nominations from Begusarai on April 6. Similarly, there were only around 8 to 10,000 people with Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Tanweer Hasan when he filed his nomination papers on Monday.  

Kanhaiya has been repeatedly saying during his campaign that his direct fight will be with BJP candidate Giriraj Singh. "My fight is to defeat the communal and fascist forces in the country. I am confident and sure that people of Begusarai will support and vote for me."

Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani, who accompanied Kanhaiya to file his nominations, said that he and Hardik Patel would campaign for him. 

Moreover, Bollywood personalities Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Swara Bhasker are also going to visit Begusarai and campaign for Kanhaiya.