Kavita Singh, 29
Janata Dal (United), Siwan
Sometime in 2011, Kavita Singh saw an online advertisement about Ajay Singh (in pic with Kavita), then a local politician with criminal cases, seeking a bride. Ajay’s mother, Jagmato Devi, the JD(U)’s Daraunda MLA, had died earlier that year and Ajay wanted to contest from the seat. But the party was uncomfortable because of his controversial image. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reportedly advised him to get married and field his wife.
Kavita Singh, then a BA student (now a postgraduate in home science), was one of the 16 prospective brides. According to Ajay, he picked Kavita as she was “bold”. She went on to marry Ajay and win the 2011 Daraunda bypoll, a seat she retained in the 2015 Assembly elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the JD(U) was allotted Siwan, a seat the BJP had won in 2014, Ajay again sought the ticket. But again Kavita emerged as the JD(U)’s choice against RJD nominee Heena Shahab, wife of four-time former Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin. Kavita portrayed herself as a housewife seeking to keep the legacy of Jagmato alive.
While Kavita, in her campaign, also spoke about PM Narendra Modi’s leadership and Nitish’s development plank, her husband seemed to play the Hindu card, wearing religious threads around his wrist.
In Parliament, Kavita promises to raise questions about the education system and employment situation in her constituency.
—Santosh Singh