Siwan: “Kekro ke deyab vote per ab modiya ka na deyab (Will vote for anyone but not Modi),” retorts an angry Chandresh Ram in Bhojpuri as his wife Sunita angrily picks up a broom. She mumbles something and then asks how a poor family is supposed to survive with prices skyrocketing. She is also wary of Rashtriya Janata Dal coming to power as Lalu Prasad has joined hands with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. According to her Lalu symbolises lawlessness.
But price rise has certainly become a major election issue. In village after village, voter after voter the talks invariably comes around to the rising prices of pulses. No voter seems to be interested in the below-the-belt and acerbic war of words that some of the top campaigners have indulged in the last few weeks.
In most of the areas in Siwan and Ziradei constituencies of north Bihar where voting will take place on November 1 in the fourth phase, the major issue is how pulses have vanished from their plates. At a sweets shop in Surwal village in Ziardei, its 26-year-old Mangu is vocal about his choice. "Nitish Kumar ke jeetawe ke ba (We have to ensure Nitish Kumar wins)," he says.
His reason too is rising prices of pulses. With a family of seven to support which includes his old parents, wife, a younger mentally challenged sister and two sons, Mangu works from 6 AM till 11 PM. He blames the Centre for price rise and says there are only two issues in Bihar elections – one who should be the chief minister and second price rise.
On the first he says there is no leader comparable to Nitish Kumar in the state. "Just check the condition of roads. They are so well maintained and most of the villages in Ziradei are now connected. Before Nitish came to power, there was no road. All of it was only on paper. If used to be almost impossible to visit many villages during the rainy season. A distance of 20 kilometer used to take one hour. Now it is just a matter of a few minutes. Schools and hospitals function properly. There is now fear of goons. So he is the best choice," he adds.
A landless labourer in Narakatia village, who refuses to reveal his name saying he will get into trouble if the powerful men of his village come to know about his voting preference, says while no leader helps the poor like him, yet in his opinion Nitish Kumar is the best bet. "We are poor. I work in the field. There has been drought but there is no help from the local MLA (Asha Devi of the Bharatiya Janata Party). No one helps us even in the block office. We could have saved some crop if there was proper irrigation. She visits only the Rajput and pandit tolas of the area. She never comes to our tola. Why should we vote for her? She has spent her funds only in areas of her supporters. Now Nitish is the only option," he says.
He says the main contest in Ziradei is between Amarjit Kushwaha of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) and Janata Dal United's Ramesh Singh Kushwaha. The BJP candidate Asha Devi has lost the goodwill because of her partisan nature and aloofness, he adds.
But for Pinky Singh and Anamika Kumari, both school teachers in Repura village of Ziradei, security and safety are the biggest concern now as they say that during the rule of Lalu and his wife Rabri Devi, there was no law and order in the area. "There were so many murders. Several teachers of our school were robbed. Price rise is a big issue for us but so is security. This election is very confusing. We are yet to decide whom to vote for," they say in unison.
The same is heard near Siwan railway station. Two youngsters who will be voting for the first time say their parents have horrific tales to narrate about the period 10 years ago. Both are of the opinion that a BJP-led government in Bihar is the need of the hour. "We are doing a technical course and want to earn good money. But there is hardly any scope in Bihar. We don't want to leave our hometown but then what is the option? We will have to look for jobs outside the state unless something is done here," say Nikhil Dubey and Prakash Ranjan.
For Shabnam and her husband Yousuf Khan of Bhanta Pokhar in Siwan constituency, it is about who can provide better education and maintain law and order. Yousuf, a carpenter by profession, says his business will grow if anti-social elements are kept under check. "Siwan does not enjoy a good reputation. The most important issue here is law and order. Our children need good education. The standard of government schools must improve. Go to the market and find out the prices of food items. We are not rich people. We cannot spend all our earning on food items. We will back the party which can take care of our concerns," they say.
In Siwan the sitting BJP MLA Vyas Deo Prasad faces a tough challenge from Bablu Prasad alias Bablu Chauhan of the JDU and CPI (ML) (L) candidate Jamil Ahmad.
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