Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s brother, Satish, recently left their home in this town and moved to Patna, but the ayurveda doctor is still available over telephone for his patients. But Nitish’s party, the Janata Dal (United) is not available to support their alliance with the BJP in Kumar’s hometown.
Shifting base from their ancestral village, Kalyan Bigha, Kumar’s father had bought a house on the main road of Bakhtiyarpur, 30 km from Patna. The two-storeyed building still has policemen spending lazy afternoons, while Kumar’s ailing mother and brother now stay with the CM. While Kalyan Bigha vows support for Kumar, this place is divided.
“Of around 200,000 voters, Kurmis (Kumar’s community) are almost 30,000. There are 65,000 Yadav and 50,000 upper caste votes,” explains Shivshankar Kumar, a veteran of the town. And, the local JD(U) leadership has rebelled against its BJP partner and fielded an independent candidate, with a ceiling fan symbol. The candidate, Pushpa Devi, is wife of Valmiki Prasad Singh, a JD(U) member of the state legislative council.
“We are not opposed to the alliance (with BJP). But most of the party workers are disappointed with the present MLA—BJP’s Vinod Yadav. He has not done anything for the constituency. On popular demand, my wife is contesting the election,” Valmiki Prasad tells Business Standard.
The buzz is that Kumar had almost persuaded the BJP leadership to change Yadav, sensing his unpopularity. But Yadav belongs to BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha’s camp and Sinha threw a fit. Finally, the BJP leadership stuck to Yadav.
At the office of Pushpa Devi, many top local JD(U) leaders are available. Avdhesh Kumar, JD(U) block president, explains, “No one knows if this alliance will survive in the next election or not. In that case, this vote gives us an opportunity to test our strength and stake claim for the ticket in the next election.”
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And, no disciplinary action has been taken against the JD(U) leaders promoting Pushpa Devi. She is a Kurmi but the rebels are expecting support from upper castes, too.
What will Pushpa Devi do if she wins? “Next day, she will support Nitish Kumar. So, even if the official candidate wins or my wife wins, finally Nitish Kumar will be the real winner,” says Valmiki Prasad Singh.