HOT SEAT IMAMGANJ: Who will be the tallest Dalit leader of them all?

QUICK PILL

Phase - 2

• Date of polling: 16 October

• District: Gaya

• Jitan Ram Manjhi, former chief minister; HAM (S), NDA vs Uday Narayan Choudhary, speaker; JD(U), Grand Alliance

Key numbers

• Total number of voters (2014): 2,52,485

• Vote share in 2014 Lok Sabha elections- NDA: 39.09% , Congress + RJD: 24.8% , JD(U): 21.6%

• Put together, the Grand Alliance had a 7.3% lead over the NDA.

The political temperature is soaring in the land where Buddha attended nirvana. Gaya also happens to be the home district of Jitan Ram Manjhi. And after a decade the former Bihar chief minister has decided to contest election from there. Catch does a recce:

The seat:

Imamganj is at the southern edge of Bihar, bordering Jharkhand. Only Dalits can contest from the seat, which has large Mahadalit and tribal populations.

The constituency has been among the theatres of Maoist violence for long. In fact, on 26 September Manjhi said: "If protecting the land and the honour of daughters-in-law and daughters is Naxalism, then I too am a Naxalite." He was there to file his nomination when he made the comment.

The backward castes and Dalits may decide the fate of this key seat as most voters are either Musahars or Yadavs. Muslims are the third-largest in numbers.

Photo: Atul Chaurasia/ Catch News

Why is it hot?

Imamganj will decide Manjhi's claim to be the undisputed Dalit leader.

For the last decade and a half the electorate there has elected Uday Narayan Choudhary to represent them in the Bihar Legislative Assembly. The Janata Dal (United) candidate's stature has grown to the point that now he is the Speaker of the Assembly.

Manjhi was not originally allocated Imamganj by the National Democratic Alliance - he will anyway fight from Makhdumpur in the adjoining Jahanabad district. But Nitish Kumar's bete noire dug his heels about this seat.

What's at stake

Manjhi has been trying to place himself as the most important Dalit leader of Bihar, ahead of Ram Vilas Paswan. Losing Imamganj will be a dent to that claim, though Makhdumpur may still see him through.

The stakes are equally high for JD (U) as Choudhary is 'THE' Dalit face for the party after the exit of Manjhi. Surely, losing to his bete noire will not be too comforting for Nitish.

How is Manjhi placed?

The scales were tilted in the Grand Alliance's favour, but Manjhi's ouster from the CM's seat has had an effect.

"Gaya has a concentration of Musahars, the caste that is the largest component of Nitish's Mahadalit formulation. But he lost ground among the Musahars after the Manjhi episode," says senior journalist Sukant. "Musahars may or may not go along with the BJP, but their support for Manjhi is certain."

How is Choudhary placed?

Surely, it won't be a cakewalk for him this time. Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) is not leaving a stone unturned and there is a visible anti-incumbency wave on the streets of Imamganj.

Choudhary's own Pasi caste also seems to have second thoughts. "There is no hearing for people from lower castes. Most jobs have gone to forward caste candidates," says Kailash Pasi, a resident of Imamganj bazar. "Also, We face harassment from the police - anybody can come and label us Naxalites."

Despite the Nitish wave in 2010, Choudhary had a close shave - his victory margin was less than 2,000 votes. For that, too, Choudhary should thank the Congress for eating into the Rashtriya Janata Dal's vote, analysts say.

This time though, all the three parties are together in 'Grand Alliance'.

Catch-take

"A child is born after nine months. Manjhi has also taken a new birth after his nine-month stint as the CM. Earlier, he was just another MLA. Now he is the tallest leader among Musahars." says Vimal Kumar, an English teacher from Baluhar village.

Victory for Manjhi seems to the the writing on Imamganj's walls. As of now.