People were still trickling into the maidan in front of the high school at Sehan village when chief minister Nitish Kumar's helicopter descended Friday afternoon. The crowd was so thin; Mahua RJD candidate and Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap Singh - for whom Kumar was campaigning - leaned over to the party leader next to him at one point and after pointing to a bunch a youngsters perched on a wall, rotated his index finger. The helicopter had thankfully brought in some. It was a pity: what followed would have been considered political fiction only a few months back. "He is not merely the RJD candidate, he is my candidate," the CM would tell his audience while introducing the older of Prasad's two sons in the fray this election. Later, Kumar would also travel to Raghopur to campaign for Tejashwi Prasad, the other son. The sight of three RJD workers crowding in front of the microphone, shouting, "Bihar ka mukhiyamantri kaisa ho?" and then answering with a name other than Prasad's or wife Rabri Devi's - who was on stage, that too - was another sight the absentees missed. They also missed Tej Pratap, holding on to the mic and whispering into it like a blues singer, say, "Chacha aur bhatija jeet kar aayenge," as new uncle Kumar smiled ear to ear in the background. Rabri Devi did not seem to be buying into this new-found camaraderie, exchanging only a few polite words with the CM. Yet, she declared she was firmly behind the Grand Alliance's leader: "Our party will be faithful to our allies..He (Kumar) is CM, he will remain CM." After the rally, RJD worker Dev Prasad Yadav would smile sheepishly when asked about the past 10 years when those of the Yadav caste would say the unprintable about Kumar. "What can we do? Our leaders stand together, we too, will." He also points out that the Yadavs and Kurmis were never enemies. "We are both backwards (sic.). The enemies have always been the forwards," he said. Yadav is steeped in Prasad's comment about this being a backward-forward war. He plays an audio clip on his mobile, in Bhojpuri, asking those of the backward castes to vote for Tej Pratap. "Remember the time when the babusahebs (Rajputs) used to come, you had to stand up," Chotu Chaliya, the popular singer who was at the rally too, sang. "People keep forgetting what Laluji did for them in the past. This will help," said Yadav. At Kathara village, Bachu Ray was insistent that Tej Pratap would win. He said that he had planned to be at the rally: "The announcement said two in the afternoon, so I assumed it would be an hour later. By the time I set out, I saw the helicopter arrive." Ray, a Yadav, was also busy in the fields since it's the time for the transplantation of the khaini plant. "If the BJP comes to power, I will starve. They say they will ban it because it causes cancer," he said. He figures that a government of the RJD-JDU alliance will not be able to act against the crop because its core voters are involved in the business. About one-third of electors in Mahua, within Vaishali district, are of the Yadav caste. However, Ravindra Ray - a Yadav - of the JDU won in 2010 despite voters of his caste staying away. RJD workers, annoyed with Jagdeshwar Ray's candidature, voted elsewhere. "He was just a businessman. Anyone who wants to meet him has to pay Rs. 20 at the gate of his school to enter the premises," said Dev Prasad Yadav. Ravindra Ray, overlooked by the people for Tej Pratap, is the Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM candidate; Jagdeshwar has been given a ticket by Pappu Yadav's JAP. The Yadavs of Mahua say they will vote for their leader, not Yadav candidates. "Lalu Yadav has sent his son, we will send him back a winner," said Randheer Kumar (22) of Kathara. Randheer admits that last year, he was singing a different tune. "I voted for Modi," he says, dropping the "ji" suffix. Mahua falls under the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, held by Ram Vilas Paswan. "We thought Modi will throw out all the Muslims and defeat Pakistan. He has not been able to do anything," he said. Randheer recounts being very angry during the Lok Sabha election: "I had not heard about this kamal chap party before, but I liked the idea of a Hindu nation." He said he will not be swayed by communal comments this time: "They just want my vote. They cannot do anything about these Muslims." When pointed out that he, as a Yadav, will be voting alongside Muslims for the RJD candidate this time, Randheer sighed: "They have come to our side this time. So I am not angry with them."
