The town of Samastipur, which goes to the polls on October 12, is a far cry from Patna. In the capital, the BJP is everywhere, from posters to loudspeakers to the discussions at malls, restaurants and down to the street.
Whereas here, a united Mahagathbandhan dominates the hoardings, which feature Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Rabri Devi, Sharad Yadav and the Gandhi mother-son duo.
People across caste and religious lines speak highly of Nitish and the development that he has brought about.
But a scratch beneath the surface reveals a totally different picture.
An Old Nitish Supporter is Now an RJD Man Without Conviction
We run into Dinesh Kumar Mahato, a Koeri (a caste traditionally loyal to Nitish), on the main road in Samastipur town. He is pedalling his cycle, heavily decorated with RJD campaign material back to the party office to replenish his supply of pamphlets. He is apologetic for not having the official campaign T-shirt, which tore after having being worn continuously since October 1.
Why is he working for the RJD campaign?
“I have been a Nitish Kumar supporter for the last 20 years. I have campaigned for him in every election,” says Mahato.
How then, does he campaign successfully for Laltaen? (oil lamp, symbol of RJD)
Mushkil hota hai, par hum toh Nitish ji ke sarkar ke baare mein baat karte hain. Ab itne saal se toh hum alag the…
— Dinesh Kumar Mahato, RJD worker
Shamshad, a young man on a motorcycle chimes in with praise of Nitish’s achievement especially when it comes to roads, schools and electricity.
Off camera, he tells us that it’s a tough fight between the NDA and Mahagathbandhan, but the latter has an edge because they can now pool in their vote bases, especially Muslims, many of whom had moved away from Lalu.
“This will be the second time I am voting for Nitish and the first time I am voting for Lalu,” chuckles Shamshad.
The Other Supporters of Lalu Yadav
Awadh Kishore Jha and Vinod Kumar Rai are both long-time supporters of Lalu Prasad Yadav and the RJD. They are confident that their candidate Akhtar ul Islam Shaheen will win and so will the Mahagathbandhan. The huge crowds, particularly the youth, at PM Narendra Modi’s rally do not worry them.
However, once the cameras are turned off, the people at the party office move beyond the rehearsed political rhetoric. Vinod Kumar Rai feels that Lalu has been forced into talking about Yadav identity by the success of the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.
“During the general elections, Narendra Modi talked about how the Yadavs of Dwarka have a much better life than those in Bihar. He also referred to himself as ‘backward’. Then the strong Yadav leaders in the BJP like Bhupendra Yadav, Ram Kirpal Yadav and Nand Kishore Yadav are trying to take away our base. It’s Modi and the BJP who brought up beef and Yadavs.”
But what about Nitish Kumar, their CM candidate? The RJD supporters pay lip service to his development efforts, but off the record maintain that Lalu Prasad is the real mass leader.
Shaheen [name changed], a government servant with the Bihar police, thinks that Nitish did a lot for law and order.
“Yesterday, I walked home at 9 pm. That couldn’t have happened 15 years ago. We have to give Nitish his due. More women would have voted for him if he had been without the RJD,” she says, despite being an ardent Lalu supporter.
Why does she still support Lalu? After some prodding, she says:
Lalu Prasad Yadav arrested Advani here during his infamous rath yatra in 1990.
For full coverage of Bihar Polls 2015, click here.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)