In Dhamdaha, the contest is between ‘loyalty’ and ‘betrayal’

The election to Dhamdaha, one of the seven Assembly constituencies in Purnia district of Seemanchal region, is one of the keenly watched contests in the Bihar polls.

Santosh Kushwaha, who quit the ruling Janata Dal (United) to join the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) weeks before the election, is contesting from the constituency against Lesi Singh, the JD(U) candidate and Minister in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Kushwaha, who was sitting MP, contested from Purnia on the JD(U) ticket and lost to Independent candidate Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav.

A few days back, while campaigning, Mr. Kushwaha was found riding pillion with Pappu Yadav on a bike during the Jan Sampark Yatra — once a rival now a friend.

Once very close to the Bihar CM, Mr. Kushwaha served in the party for more than a decade and left no stone unturned to give a tough fight to Ms. Lesi Singh, who is a strong JD(U) leader and five-term MLA from Dhamdaha. In 2020, she defeated RJD candidate Dilip Kumar Yadav.

Tough fight ahead

Umesh Choudhary, a voter in Kajha panchayat in Dhamdaha, said that both are popular leaders in their own capacity and people have seen their work.

“It is a very tough decision to choose between the two because we have seen Santosh ji for 10 years and we have also seen Lesi ji for the past 20 years. In the Lok Sabha election, he was defeated because people were fed up with him,” Mr. Choudhary said.

Located 35 km from Purnia town, Dhamdaha constituency has a mixed population. According to residents, caste does not decide the fate of a candidate; rather their image does. It is evident from the fact that despite Muslims and Yadavs making up about 30% of the population in the constituency, the RJD could win this seat just once, in 2005.

“People in our constituency do not vote on the basis of caste. What is more important is their public image and the good work they have done in the past. The JD(U) candidate is a Rajput while the RJD candidate is a Koeri. Despite the low number of upper caste people in the constituency, she [Ms. Singh of JD(U)] continues to win the seat for many terms now,” Mrinal Paswan, a resident of Dhanhara village under Gokulpur panchayat, said.

Dhamdaha has over 16% Scheduled Caste (SC) voters and nearly 8% Scheduled Tribe (ST) voters.

People’s perception

There is a perception among voters that Mr. Kushwaha is not easily available and seldom visited the constituency when he was the MP. Whereas Ms. Singh is seen as a grassroots-level leader who makes frequent visits to her Assembly constituency.

“Dus hazar rupya diya; free bijli diya; pension badha diya; jiska khayenga usi ka na geet gayenge (Gave ten thousand rupees; gave free electricity; increased pension; [we] will sing the praises of the one who has fed us),” said Manju Devi, a resident of Rangpura village.

Dhamdaha was once represented by the first Dalit Chief Minister of Bihar – Bhola Paswan Shastri – in 1957. He served as the Bihar CM thrice for a brief period between 1968 to 1972.

Ms. Singh, a 51-year-old leader and currently the Food and Consumer Protection Minister, is probably contesting her toughest battle against her former colleague.

She was seeking votes, highlighting the work done by the Nitish Kumar government. She asserted that Mr. Kumar has done a lot of developmental work, with special focus on women empowerment.

She also claimed that Mr. Kushwaha was nowhere in the race and he had betrayed Mr. Kumar by joining hands with the RJD.

“There is anger among the people against my opponent. Party gave him a Lok Sabha ticket for the third time but he became opportunistic and betrayed the party and leadership for personal interests,” Ms. Singh told The Hindu, on the sidelines of meeting supporters at her residence in Purnia.

She further said, “This is not the first time he has done this; for the fourth time, he has changed party. In democracy, such betrayers are not accepted by people. I have full trust in the people of Dhamdaha that once again they will give their love and affection to me. Once again people will vote for development.”

‘People want a change’

Mr. Kushwaha, 50, started his political journey from the BJP in 2010, later joined the united Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), and in 2013, he joined the JD(U).

In the constituency, he is speaking the language of his new leader Tejashwi Yadav that people are willing for a change not only in Dhamdaha but in entire Bihar. He also levelled charges of corruption against the sitting MLA.

“The voters of Dhamdaha are like god, and they have made it clear that change will come to Dhamdaha; a great transformation will happen. The poor, the deprived, the backward, the minorities — the entire community — will unite to ensure the victory of the lantern symbol and make Tejashwi Yadav ji as the Chief Minister of Bihar,” Mr. Kushwaha said in one of his public meetings.

Jan Suraaj Party’s (JSP) Rakesh Yadav, a former councillor, is also in the fray, appealing to people to vote for a change. Similarly, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Mohammad Istiyaque Alam is banking on the Muslim voters and the popularity of his party’s head, Asaduddin Owaisi.