With a weather-beaten face and a faraway look in his eyes, 90-year-old Itwar Prasad is now in the evening his life, but an eventful at that, having contested nine elections, including six for assembly and two for Parliament, which has earned him the sobriquet of “Chunavi Baba” locally.

Prasad, admittedly a Gandhian, says it was just that he wanted to prove a point that politics is not a “dirty game” as many believe.

Born in 1929 in a businessman’s family at Govindpur in Areraj sub-division of East Champaran district, Prasad fought four assembly elections (between 1977 and 1990), two Lok Sabha elections, and some local body elections. In 1997, he wanted to fight the presidential election against K R Narayanan but had to retreat for want of 10 proposers in his support.

“People say politics is a dirty game, but I beg to differ. It has taken a turn for the worse only because of the fly-by-night politicians now calling the shots. They have scant respect for ideology. We must love politics. It was the deteriorating values that prompted me [to keep contesting in elections],” he says.

Prasad doesn’t regret he never won, but is quick to express his anger against Lalu Prasad’s RJD, which forced him to approach the Election Commission. “I had fought two of the four assembly elections on the lantern symbol, before it was allotted to RJD. Hence, I lodged my objection with the Election Commission,” he says.

Asked which party or group he supports, Prasad says he would favour a group that could ensure a stable government. “Every citizen has the right to cast his vote according to his choice. But then, we must support the installation of a government that can provide stability. The nation has experimented and seen how disastrous those political experiments would be when people went for a group or groups deserting strong shoulders.”

For his fellow villagers, the old man continues to be a source of inspiration. “We have seen him fighting for the cause of common people in his heyday. He is simply a respectable, adorable man and a true Gandhiwadi,” says Madan Prasad, a villager.

First Published: May 08, 2019 16:50 IST