Why this Bihar poll battle is not like the last three

Patna: Unlike in the past three elections, when there was an overwhelming central narrative in Bihar polls — to defeat Lalu Yadav and establish ‘sushashan’ in 2005 and 2010 and to defeat BJP in 2015 — no single issue seems to be dominating the current elections. Anti-incumbency, the return of ‘Jungle Raj’, economic hardships in corona times and widespread unemployment — there are many issues and the priorities vary from constituency to constituency and also depending on the voter’s historical inclination, often based on caste lines.

“Nitish Kumar built this road and I am earning from it, should I be forever grateful for this?” asks Prem Kumar, who has a little pan shop in Faridpur village on the four-year-old Son-Canal Road. This village is in Vikram constituency.

“What happened to his demand for special status for the state? More central funding might have helped the state,” adds Kumar, a Chandravanshi Kahar, an OBC caste group. “Recently the government planted trees on the government land adjoining this road which was earlier leased to farmers and there is widespread anger because of this. God knows why he is doing all this just before the election,” Kumar wonders while saying that he will vote for the Congress candidate. He adds that his voting preference is based on the candidate rather than any party inclination.

Kaushal Kumar Sharma, a Bhumihar farmer from the same village, disagrees and cites how nobody would venture on this road in the evening during the ‘Jungle raj’. “The present generation doesn’t understand our struggle when rule of law didn’t exist in state,” he says. Sharma says he is disgusted with Congress for not contesting alone (the seat was won by Congress in 2015) but concedes the party may have an edge this time. “They would all have voted for BJP if the party had given ticket to Anil Kumar. Wouldn’t you?” he asks Kumar.

“His first term established Nitish as Vikash Purush, but it has been 15 years now,” says Jaleshwar Paswan of Vaigwan village. “We will vote for change,” he adds. “This time, Paswans and Yadavs are together in Bikram,” adds Lal Babu Yadav of the same village.