A few dogs appeared from nowhere near a line hotel at Rasalpur at the outskirts of Gaya and started barking and fighting. The eatery owner Nawlesh Kumar picked up a lathi to drive them away. What he shouted at them might be offending to politicians but some villagers sitting there agreed with him. “Yahan kutwa sab lad raha hai, wahan netwa……..” Kumar barked at the canines using four letter words frequently. “They fight and then become friends,” an elderly villager adds.
The image of the politicians in the eyes of common people has nosedived and particularly in this bitterly contested election in the backdrop of their offensive language and caustic remarks. A handful of people gathered at the line hotel were all critical of netas. They said caste polarisation was a political reality and it was going on.
At the fag end of the campaign, the candidates are busy counting the castes votes in Gaya and Jehanabad districts. In the most prestigious Makhdumpur seat, former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi is facing the heat as caste combination seems not going in his favour with Yadavs, EBCs and a dominant Mahadalit caste Chamar (cobbler) siding with RJD’s Subedar Das who belongs to cobbler caste.
In Ghosi constituency, the contest may not be as fierce as in other places because this seat has constantly been represented by one family for 38 years. Jagdish Sharma, a convict in fodder scam case won this seat in 1977 and continued wining till 2005 on different symbols. After his election to lok Sabha in 2009, a bypoll was held and his wife won as Independent. In 2010, his son Rahnul Sharma won it but he left Nitish Kumar camp and joined Manjhi’s. He is contesting on HAM ticket and there are clear indications that he would continue to rule his family fiefdom.
Time has certainly changed in these left extremist hit areas in Gaya and Jehanabad during the last one decade. Exactly a decade ago during election in November 2005, hundreds of Red extremists had attacked Jehanabad jail, broke gates, freed their comrades and left a dozen policemen and jail staff dead. But the election has brought no nightmare for the people. “Naxalism is a history here,” says a resident Abdul Wahab. After the dreaded jail break incident no major incident took place, he adds.
An interesting drama is unfolding in Gaya’s Barachatti constituency which is also like a family soap opera. Here Samata Devi, daughter of former RJD MP late Bhagwatia Devi, has crossed swords with Shobha Devi, who is daughter-in-law of Gaya BJP MP Hari Manjhi though she is contesting on lJP ticket. Samata, an RJD candidate, is caught in a family feud as her brother Vijay Manjhi, an ex MlA, had been trying ticket for himself from JD(U). But the seat in sharing process went to RJD and the party fielded his sister. Sitting JD(U) MlA Jyoti Devi, samdhan of Jitan Ram Manjhi, has been left high and dry as party did not entertain her.
Another bitter battle is going on in Imamganj constituency between Bihar Assembly Speaker and sitting MlA Uday Narayan Chaudhary and HAM founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is contesting seat apart from Makhdumpur.
Despite the presence of top leaders, caste seems to be playing crucial role to tilt the balance in favour of either candidate. “A caste polarisation is going in favour of Maha gathbandhan not only in Imamganj but all constituencies in Gaya, Jehanabad and other parts of Bihar,” said Saifganj mukhiya Ranjit Kumar. At a corner meeting addressed by Chaudhary, Shanti Manjhi sings in Magahi, “Najaria khola re didi, Apan Bihar chamacham chamke re.”