He is a former journalist who perhaps is aware of the importance of accountability in Indian politics. This time, he is fighting from Bermo assembly constituency of Jharkhand as an independent candidate.

Sporting a red tika, a bushy beard, and long untamed hair, 30-year-old Tirth Nath Akash has brought in a new swing in Jharkhand politics. Through an affidavit in Civil Court, Bokaro, he has declared that if he fails to deliver on the promises of his electoral manifesto within three years of being elected as an MLA, any resident of Jharkhand would be able to file a police complaint against him. The affidavit also says if he is charged in the cases by the people of the state, he would not even file an appeal in the higher courts.

Born in a Mahato family in Tupkadih village at Bokaro district, Tirth studied in the village school and very closely witnessed the shortcomings in the education system and other infrastructure. After completing his school, he went to St Xavier’s college, Ranchi to pursue a degree in mass communication and journalism.

He started an online channel, Loktantra 19, that currently has more than 100,000 followers on social media. “His popularity in social media might help him get some traction,” says a follower of the news website.

But Tirth decided to leave the journalism career and opted for politics. Referring to the leaders of the traditional parties that have dominated the seat for decades, Tirth says, “These people have made their own fiefdom here. Even after that, they are unable to understand the issues of the people.” Through the word ‘fiefdom’ he slams the local powerful families of Congress and BJP.

In 2019, Rajendra Prasad Singh from Congress won this assembly constituency defeating the former BJP MLA Yogeshwar Mahto. This time, Congress has fielded Singh’s son Kumar Jaimangalam or Anup Singh to fight former BJP MP from Giridih Ravindra Kumar Pandey. Historically, Bermo seat has been alternatively tossed between Congress and BJP.

Tirth’s entry is presented as a challenge to the politics of family and nepotism. In this seemingly bipolar fight, he knows his chances are thin. Still, optimism runs high. “But, if I am given a chance to fight both the money power and muscle power, I will set a new precedent. Electoral promises are not made to be broken,” he says.

Wiping off sweat with the blue gamccha that dangles reluctantly from his neck--maybe signifying his social media suffix ‘Bhumiputra’ (son of the soil)--he continues, “If I become MLA, I will give 90% of my salary to an MLA Care fund and would utilize it for the education of the students of my constituency.”

In his electoral manifesto, he has promised Damodar student scholarship scheme under which they would select 40 students from the district after their intermediate and would take care of their education until they get jobs. “Youths from Bermo would become government officials, IAS, IPS, DMs and so on. As it is a mining area, I will force the government to utilise the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) fund in this direction.” DMFT was set up as a non-profit body under Mines and Minerals Development Regulation Amendment Act, 2015 for the benefits of the people in the mining-affected area.

 Notably, in 2022, an audit report by Jharkhand’s Principal Auditor General (PAG) showed that there was misappropriation of fund in between 2015-2021. It also mentioned that they were not given proper access to the necessary primary records and it was a ‘red flag to presumptive fraud’. Tirth is all up for utilising the DMFT funds for the benefits of the students.

 In Bermo constituency, there is not a single college or university delivering high quality postgraduation level education, says Tirth. “So, the students need to travel 60-70 kms for pursuing higher studies. If I am elected, we will ensure that there is a government college in every block,” he adds. He has also promised a college for Tribal regional language so that the Adivasi students could study in their own mother tongue.

Recently, Bermo constituency has garnered attention due to one of the candidates, Jairam Mahto. Mahato is a young Kurmi leader who gained popularity among the youths in the last couple of years and stood third from the Giridih Loksabha constituency with 3.47 lakh votes. However, for Tirth who is fighting with the slogan that ‘Badlao ke liye teen saal kaafi hai’ (Three years is sufficient for change), Mahato is peddling fake promises. “He is not even a voter of Bermo. He is making no sense. The people of Bermo wouldn’t come under his trap,” he says.

But one of Tirth's close supporters and friends, Falak Shamim, thinks that Jairam would get good traction due to his Lok Sabha performance. Still, Tirth would get more than 25,000 votes, he notes. "People in this region know him very well. His father was a school teacher and had formidable influence. Though Kurmi votes are mostly consolidated behind Jairam, it would be wrong to say that he would not be able to attract them," he says. 

Tirth also belongs to Mahto community but doesn't use the surname. "He has been engaged in the language movement even before Jairam entered it. If the votes get divided between Singh and Mahto, it might be possible that Tirth benefits from it," adds Shamim who is also a regional journalist. 

 Will he be able to alter the political discourse or will it be considered just as a precedence of electoral integrity? A tired Tirth after a long haul of campaign, sighs, “I will continue fighting for the people. But the promises must not be broken.”