Patna Sahib is drawing attention this election season as Congress candidate Shashant Shekhar steps into the political arena, leaving behind a high-paying career abroad. Educated at IIT Delhi and IIM Kolkata, Shashant had been offered a package of 1.5 lakh euros (around Rs 1.25 crore) by Siemens in Germany. However, he declined the offer, saying he wanted to stay in India and use his education for public service. (News18 Hindi)
Shashant, who hails from a family with a political background, his grandfather contested elections four times, believes that change in Bihar must begin from Patna Sahib. “I want to give Bihar a new direction, and it should start from here,” he said. (News18 Hindi)
After completing his engineering and management degrees, Shashant initially worked with a startup and later joined Samsung. But his interest in politics never faded. In 2022, he joined the Congress party and began working extensively in the Patna Sahib constituency. (News18 Hindi)
Over the last two years, he claims to have visited around 80,000 households through his campaign, “Aapka Beta Aapke Dwar” (Your Son at Your Door). As part of this initiative, he asked families two key questions: what their biggest problem is and whether they have a voter ID card. (News18 Hindi)
Based on this feedback, Shashant said that he has prepared a five-year development roadmap for the constituency. He also helped add nearly 6,500 new names to the voter list. (News18 Hindi)
To ensure financial stability before entering public life, Shashant set up a dairy farm in Khusrupur near Bakhtiyarpur. The farm, with around 80 cows, provides a steady income. “Our dairy supports the family and also helps the local community,” he said. (News18 Hindi)
Patna Sahib has long been influenced by caste-based voting patterns. But Shashant believes the 2025 election will be different. This time, people will vote on issues, not caste, he said. He added that the Congress is now focusing on merit and performance. (News18 Hindi)
