For pandits from Darbhanga settled for decades in Burrabazar, Kolkata, the discussion these days is about the polls. This morning, they gathered near Tara Sundari Park to dissect the choice of candidates, comment on speeches by leaders and set a schedule for their departure to vote. “Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad is a formidable combination but the wave this time is for the BJP,” they ruled. Jaiprakash, a driver from Motihari now settled in this ward for years, stood at a distance. “Bihar mein es bar Modiji ka halla (this time, Modiji is making the noise),” he said. What upsets the 100-plus community of pandits is the selection of NDA candidates. Girijesh Nand questions why the NDA chose Naushad Ali against three-term MLA Lalit Yadav in Darbhanga Rural. “The odds are against us with over 25 per cent of the voters being Yadavs, Kurmis, Mandals, Chamars, Telis and other lower castes. We Maithili Brahmins constitute only about 4 to 5 per cent,” said Nand. “Darbhanga Rural might bring a setback but we are happy that the NDA is poised for victory.” Bengal is home to countless people from virtually every district of Bihar; political parties estimate their number at 1.5 to 2 crore. Kolkata, Howrah and some other parts have at least 80 assembly seats where they constitute 20 to 25 per cent of the population. Brinda Prasad Rai, once a Congressman and for the last two decades the face of the RJD in Bengal, has been in Kolkata since 1956, when he arrived as a daily wager. He predicted a Nitish-Lalu win. He will travel to Chhapra with thousands of others. He recalls a survey he did in the 1980s. “We found 100 assembly seats in Bihar where the outcome was shaped by voters settled in Bengal. The number will have grown,” he said. Burrabazar-Posta, Kolkata’s central business district, is also the city’s Bihari heartland. A majority of the population are from there — mukhias, muthias, traders, truck operators, courier agents, vegetable and fruit vendors. Rosters are being made by the labourers according to the poll dates for their seats. “Puja is round the corner, which is good for business, so we will not have the luxury of staying in Bihar. Cast the vote and get back to business,” said Balak Lal Mukhia. Balanand Jha, a retired schoolteacher in Kolkata, is a BJP supporter who has formed a group of about 150 to leave for Darbhanga. “My son has got block booking and almost all half a dozen trains running from Kolkata to Bihar will be packed. Many will have to travel general class,” said Jha. Does his group comprise only upper castes? No, said Jha, as a retired teacher he has wide influence. “Nearly 45 to 50 in our group are from the lower castes; they too will vote for the BJP.” The BJP holds three municipal corporation wards in this central business district. Bejoy Kumar Ojha is trying to ensure the votes here don’t go waste. A popular local figure, he is out every morning exhorting people top go home and vote for the NDA. The Howrah-Hooghly jute mill belt has a large concentration of migrant labourers and workers, most of whom shuttle between the two states. The Nitish-Lalu combine seems to have an edge in these belts, where many are lower-caste Hindus or Muslims and support the Trinamool Congress locally. Mohammed Shahid, a TMC activist, sought out Mohd Ainul Haque at the Amrika Jute Mill labour lines. Haque, imam of Belur Jama Masjid, will vote in Champaran. He praised Nitish for “good work done.” Some Nitish supporters wish he had continued with the BJP or gone it alone. Naushad Khan said Nitish had brought real vikas while Narendra Modi makes promises that are yet to come true, he said. But he is unhappy that Nitish joined hands with Lalu, whose regime is still remembered for “jungle raj”. An officer at Liluah’s railway workshop, who didn’t want his name revealed, said that despite achievements Nitish’s 10-year rule had been marked by some scandals. He cited the Sikshamitra scheme under which, he alleged, undeserving people got into school teaching posts. “There has been judicial intervention but it has impacted the people, who believe there was dhandli,” he said. Krishna, a grocery shop owner hailing from Vaishali, felt the final phase would be crucial. “While the upper castes and the literate decide their votes in advance, the lower castes wait until the end,” he said.
