Auto driver candidate wishes to fight caste and religion-free polls in Gujarat

He is trying to change his name to one which doesn't reveal his caste or religion. But his endeavours have been stuck in bureaucracy

In a strong ideological stance, auto rickshaw driver from Ahmedabad and independent candidate in upcoming Gujarat polls, is trying to change his name from Rajveer to ‘RV155677820’, a name that doesn't represent any caste, community or religion, TOI reported.

All parties have based their campaign on community, caste or religion. But Rajveer, contesting from Gandhi Nagar South seat, believes his politics is different.

His resolve notwithstanding, the bureaucratic process has stopped his endeavour to change his name. Rajveer had filed pleas in the Ahmedabad district collectorate and the gazette office of Rajkot since May 2015. Both his pleas got rejected in 2017. He approached the Gujarat High Court with the plea in 2019, which is still pending.

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On November 17, Rajveer, a student of clinical psychology, filed his nomination from Gandhi Nagar South constituency, a seat currently held by BJP. This year, this seat is in focus as BJP leader Alpesh Thakor, formerly with Congress, is contesting from here. Congress has fielded Himanshu Patel, a doctor, from the seat.

Ironically, Rajveer is contesting without caste markers in a constituency dominated by Patels and Thakors. This is a seat where caste has been a strong campaign pitch for both Congress and BJP for decades.

38-year-old Rajveer is an atheist; he has not filled in his caste, community or religion details in his EC affidavit. He is determined to go to court if his candidature is declined because of this reason.

Rajveer thinks that Hindutva has been the core of Gujarat politics for decades and both the BJP and Congress have used it to get votes. He believes it is against the Constitutional values of the country and that candidates should be elected based on their qualifications.