When, in 1973, Gaur entered the electoral arena for the first time, he was 43. In the 40 years since then, he has not only contested – and won – all the assembly elections but has also served in various capacities – Chief Minister, Minister and leader of the Opposition. And he is still going strong.

Born Babulal Yadav in June 1930 in Uttar Pradesh, the sobriquet ‘Gaur’ was conferred on him by his teachers as he used to listen to everything with ‘gaur’ (Hindi for attention). Or so he says. His father shifted base from UP to Bhopal and took up a job at a liquor shop. Babulal too was asked to start working at the shop but he refused and instead joined the RSS. Subsequently, he worked as labourer in a textile mill, formed a trade union there, did his degree in Law and started practicing in the district court. “At my table at the court, I used to ask the visitors whether they were facing any personal problem from government authorities. And I used to help them by writing applications and even sometimes visiting government offices. That was how I joined public life”, he says. He also took membership of the Janasangh.

Gaur’s chance came when in 1973 the Govindpura seat fell vacant due to the death of the sitting MLA, Congress’ Mohanlal Asthana. A by-election was called. Babulal Gaur was nominated as Janasangh candidate and he won.

And thereafter, as they say, he never looked back. In 1977, he contested from Bhopal (South) constituency, defeating Ladli Sharan Shukla. From 1980 onwards, he confined himself to Govindpura, defeating his rivals in 1985, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008. His highest margin of victory was in 2003, when he garnered 64,000 more votes than his nearest rival.

He entered the council of Ministers for the first time in the Sunderlal Patwa government (1989) and was the leader of opposition during Digvijay Singh regime. After BJP came to power in 2003, he was named the chief minister in August 2004, after the resignation of Uma Bharati. He had to resign in December 2005 following an unsavoury controversy involving women. Some say he became the victim of a conspiracy.

This time, the Congress has pitted Govind Goyal – who has never fought any election - against him. Goyal's only qualification is that he is a moneybag. And it is almost certain that Gaur will score his tenth victory.

Gaur’s feat is unparalleled in the sense that there is hardly any other leader in the state – besides Jyotiraditya Scindia – who has never lost an election. Digvijay Singh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Sunderlal Patwa, Kamalnath – all have tasted defeat at one time or the other. In fact, few in the country can match his record.

What is the secret of Gaur’s unusual durability? It can be described in three words, “Keeping in touch”. He ensures that every single day he visits some or the other area in his constituency or at least of Bhopal. He meets people and solves their problems. It was due to the goodwill he has earned over the years that his daughter-in-law Krishna Gaur was elected as the Mayor of Bhopal. He knows hundreds of party workers by their first names. And he stands by them in their hour of need. The doors of his house are always open for party workers and his admirers. He lifts his phone himself. One need not grapple with private secretaries and assistants to talk to him.

It is not that he does not have rivals in his own party. Uma Bharati tried to deny him ticket in 2003. But he managed to outmaneouvre him by appealing directly to Atal Behari Vajpayee. The chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has no particular liking for him. But in view of his seniority, he was forced to include him in his council of ministers.

And unlike most politicians in the evening of their life, an octogenarian Gaur does is not making the common-enough emotional pitch of this-is-my-last-election to garner votes. He is sure that he will be always be around. And his voters believe him. (IPA Service)