From Bollywood to ballot: Divya Gautam channels Sushant Singh Rajput’s legacy in Bihar contest

The 34-year-old theatre artist, academic, and former student leader of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) has been active in Left cultural and social initiatives for over a decade.

Divya Gautam, the cousin of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, is set to contest the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 from the Digha constituency in Patna.

Representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML Liberation), she filed her nomination on Wednesday, entering a high-stakes contest in one of Bihar’s most urban and politically charged constituencies.

The 34-year-old theatre artist, academic, and former student leader of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) has been active in Left cultural and social initiatives for over a decade. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Patna College, a master’s in Women’s Studies from TISS, Hyderabad, and is pursuing a PhD on “Caste, Class and Masculinity in Bhojpuri Stardom” at BITS Pilani.

During her campaign in Digha's Punaichak early this week, Divya had brought into the limelight pressing local issues, including overflowing drains, sanitation, health, education, and women’s rights. “Urban women face daily struggles and cannot be influenced with token cash schemes,” she told reporters during an interaction with reporters, referencing alleged attempts by the incumbent government to sway voters.

Divya’s connection with Sushant Singh Rajput, though not the central focus of her campaign, has drawn significant attention. She says the late actor’s dedication and self-made success continue to inspire her political and social work.

“We are proud of what he achieved through his own hard work. That’s the inspiration I carry forward in my own work,” she said, adding that his legacy motivates her commitment to civic issues and grassroots activism.

Digha, Bihar’s largest urban assembly constituency with around four lakh voters across 400 booths, has been an NDA stronghold for over a decade. BJP’s Sanjeev Chaurasiya has held the seat since 2015, winning successive elections with comfortable margins. This time, Divya faces a multi-cornered contest against Chaurasiya and Ritesh Ranjan Singh (Bittu Singh) from Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party.

The CPI-ML Liberation is part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance, which also includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress. The party has fielded 20 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls, retaining all 12 of its sitting MLAs.

The Digha seat will go to the polls in the first phase on 6 November, with results declared on 14 November.