Sasaram Residents Feel Betrayed After Woman MLA Denied Cabinet Position
The people of Sasaram are expressing deep disappointment and anger following the exclusion of their newly elected woman MLA Snehlata from the Nitish Kumar-led NDA cabinet. Residents describe the last-minute switch as a direct betrayal of voters who specifically supported her as a female candidate, believing she would finally give the constituency representation in the state government.
Local sentiment has turned sharply against political leader Kushwaha, who residents allege disregarded the democratic mandate of Sasaram by sidelining Snehlata and elevating his inexperienced son, Deepak Prakash, instead. Many voters have criticized this move as a clear example of dynastic politics overriding public will.
Historical Context and Broken Promises
The disappointment reached its peak on Thursday morning when Snehlata's name was conspicuously absent from the list of ministers taking oath in the Nitish Kumar cabinet. This setback felt particularly painful because Sasaram had, for the first time since the 1952 assembly election, elected both an outsider and a woman MLA.
This election marked a significant departure from tradition as it was the first since 1990 in which the BJP did not contest the Sasaram seat. Under the NDA's seat-sharing arrangement, Sasaram and Dinara were allocated to the RLM while Dehri and Chenari went to the LJP (RV).
Arun Sharma, a local trader, recalled how during the 2025 assembly campaign, NDA leaders including Kushwaha repeatedly appealed to voters to support Snehlata, explicitly assuring them she would be inducted into the cabinet and bring much-needed development to the region. "Thursday's developments have left us feeling cheated," he stated bluntly.
Sasaram's Political Legacy and Current Neglect
The constituency's political history adds weight to current frustrations. Sasaram has been without representation in the state cabinet since 1977, despite electing ruling-party MLAs at least six times in succession. This stands in stark contrast to the Sasaram parliamentary constituency's historical significance at the national level.
Until 2010, Meira Kumar, who represented Sasaram, served as the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha and earlier as a Union minister in 2005. Before her, Jagjivan Ram held the seat continuously from 1952 until his death in 1986, underscoring the constituency's longstanding political relevance.
Of the seven Assembly segments in Rohtas district, the NDA won six, with Snehlata emerging as the only woman MLA. Social worker Suraj Soni highlighted the dramatic decline in the district's political clout, noting that during the RJD's 15-year tenure, Rohtas district enjoyed substantial cabinet representation with three of its seven MLAs serving as ministers.
Under the NDA government, however, the district's presence has sharply diminished. In 2015, JD(U)'s Dinara MLA Jai Kumar Singh was the sole minister from the district, and after his defeat in 2020, the district has had zero representation - a situation that continues unchanged.
Neighboring District Gets Preference
The selection pattern has raised further questions about political priorities. In neighboring Kaimur district, where the NDA won three of four assembly seats, Mohammad Zama Khan, elected from Chainpur, secured a berth in the Nitish Kumar cabinet.
Dr Haridwar Pandey, a prominent figure from the JP Movement, contrasted this with Kaimur's experience under previous governments. "During the RJD government, Kaimur enjoyed strong representation through Jagadanand Singh of Ramgarh, who held key portfolios such as irrigation and forest," he noted. "But under the NDA, the district has repeatedly been deprived of this opportunity."
The situation in Sasaram represents more than just a political appointment - it symbolizes the struggle of a historically significant constituency seeking meaningful representation and development after decades of neglect, only to see those hopes dashed by what residents perceive as dynastic politics and broken promises.
