Discontent runs deep in Danapur as RJD & BJP head for tight contest

Patna: Danapur, a key constituency in Patna, is likely to witness a bipolar contest between sitting RJD MLA Ritlal Ray and BJP candidate Ram Kripal Yadav.Danapur, a sub-divisional town, and part of the Patna metropolitan region, situated on the banks of the Ganga and Sone rivers, is historically significant.The BJP held the seat for four straight terms between 2005 and 2015, before the RJD wrested it back with its victory in 2020.The town is famous for its cantonment area, established by the British in 1765 as India’s second oldest, and for the important role its sepoys played in the 1857 revolt.Despite its rich legacy, residents expressed disappointment over lack of tangible development during the last five years. Ongoing metro work has exacerbated civic issues, with broken roads symbolising unfulfilled promises.

The primary concerns across the constituency are poor drainage, bad roads, erratic power supply, lack of public parks and persistent fear of ‘jungle raj’.Varun Kumar Gupta, 62, a businessman and resident of Bibiganj, said: “Waterlogging is a perennial issue. No matter who comes, no one has been able to fix this problem. A spell of rain turns the area hellish for over a week.” Disappointed with the sitting MLA, he added: “We gave RJD a chance last year but only disappointment came in our way.

At least under BJP’s rule businessmen like us can feel secure.”Ratan Ray, from Sadar Bazar, stressed the need for job creation. “The next govt must take initiative for restarting the old mills so that employment is generated and migration is stopped.” He criticised poor execution of infrastructure work: “Road construction and reconstruction leads to bad roads as the quality of work is not good.”Commenting on the performance of sitting RJD MLA, Ray said: “Even though I voted for RJD, it was of no use.

I did not see any work for our benefit. Candidates stop visiting once they have secured their win, and the people continue to suffer.”For some, the RJD’s tenure is linked to poor law and order.Arun Kumar Jaiswal, 58, from Khagaul, hopes Ram Kripal Yadav will bring change. “Jungle raj is still prevalent in some areas under the RJD; they still do ‘rangbaazi’ even now,” he said. He also raised concerns about education, stating, “The schools here do not have good meals for children, and this demotivate children from studying there.”Anjani Kumar of Priyadarshi Nagar, who had opted for Ritlal after finding the previous BJP MLA Asha Devi’s 15-year tenure “mediocre”, now wants to reverse his decision. He said, “Looking at the last five years, we want to rid ourselves of the ‘jungle raj’ in this area. We don’t expect any momentous change overnight; we just want to feel safe and secure.”People in the rapidly expanding residential areas also feel ignored.Ashutosh Kumar, 50, a resident of Gola Road, said in the last five years no public representative has visited his area. Highlighting lack of basic amenities: “In monsoon there is massive waterlogging in the area. The power supply has also deteriorated and in summer we barely get electricity for 18 hours. This place has expanded as one of the biggest residential areas of Patna yet there are no parks and no govt hospitals.

”However, Mohammed Arif, 73, has a different view. “I never vote for anyone except RJD or Congress because BJP promotes riots amongst communities,” he said.