Oppn bloc looks to dent NDA Dalit vote bank

AS the solarize sets beyond the dust-covered cityscape of Muzaffarpur, Raghunath ram down repairs a wheel around wheel outside his home in Pokhraira. Ahead of the Bihar assembly polls, the cluster of shanties, home to around 15 Dalit families, is politically divided between chief minister Nitish Kumar and the face of Opposition grand alliance, Tejashwi Yadav.While Raghunath vows his support and vote for Kumar, his friend says Dalits will support Yadav this time. The fragmented electoral choices of the Scheduled Caste voters echo across the poll-bound state.At Jhitkahiya road in another corner of Muzaffarpur, Jagat Ram, a labourer in Bhumihar-owned farms, praises Nitish Kumar for his development work and ensuring safety to the people while adding: “We have not decided anything. Our people will sit together a few days before the polling date and take a collective call.”Elections to the 243-member Bihar assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14.Manindra Thakur, professor at Centre for Political Studies, JNU, says, “The structure of the NDA appeals to more caste groups than that of the Grand Alliance. Nitish Kumar has positioned himself as a champion of Mahadalits (currently, all Dalit sub-castes enjoy similar privileges). HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi appeals to Manjhi votes while Chirag Paswan is the leader of the Paswan votes. In the Grand Alliance, all parties primarily bank of Muslim and Yadav votes.”In Dalit enclaves, or tola, people largely praise Kumar for good roads, electricity supply, schools and rule of law. In many Dalit enclaves, residents vow to vote for Kumar, again. “He has ensured safety. Earlier our women had to return home before sunset. Now, we are safe,” Dheeraj Paswan, a resident of Marwan, said.The grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan, however, is hoping that lack of jobs, better opportunities, crumbling rural health infrastructure and anti-incumbency may prompt a section of Dalits to consider other options.“Nitish Kumar worked for the development of Bihar. But in a democracy, there should be a change. He has ruled for [nearly] 20 years. If you keep on baking one side of roti, It will get burnt,” Sudam Majhi, a shopkeeper at Nalanda’s Bihar Sharif, said.A detailed survey by the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) — an apex body of SC and ST communities — shows that except for Mushahar, Valmiki and Pasi communities, other prominent Mahadalit sub-castes such as Rajwar, Dhobi, Dusadh (Paswan) and Chamar have not approved Kumar’s development works.In the survey, 56% of Rajwar, 50% Dhobis, 56% Chamars and 57% of other SC communities described CM Kumar’s work as unsatisfactory. “Overall, only 45.46% Dalits are satisfied with Kumar’s works while 48.4% remain unsatisfied. Remaining 6.1% Dalits have not given their opinion,” said the report, WHICH WAS RELEASED ON XXXX (WHEN?), reviewed by HT.The zone-wise survey also underlines a mixed choice among Bihar’s Dalit population. In the Kosi region, 72.3% Dalits have shown preference for the Grand Alliance and only 20.4% supported the NDA. In Mithilanchal, 43% Dalits supported the Opposition bloc while 38% favoured the NDA. In Simanchal, 43% Dalits backed Mahagathbandhan and 41% supported the ruling alliance. In the Bhojpur region, the Mahagathbandhan (54%) was ahead of NDA (24%). In Champaran and Magadh-Patliputra zone, too, the Opposition fared better than the ruling side in the survey.Ashok Bharti, chief of NACDAOR, said, “Our assessment and ground reports suggest that a significant section of Dalit voters might shift to the Mahagathbandhan. The government has withdrawn many schemes that benefitted the SCs, atrocities against Dalits have increased, educated Dalits face livelihood challenges and Development projects in Bihar have not benefitted Dalits.”The Congress, in an outreach to Dalits, elevated party MLA Rajesh Ram as the state party president. Rajesh blew the poll bugle on October 17 with a post on X, saying: “Dalits will not be suppressed - will not bow down. Now the revolution will happen. Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Constitution, Jai Congress.”But it might be easier said than done. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA had bagged five of the six reserved seats in Bihar. In the 2020 assembly polls, the NDA won 21 of the 38 SC reserved seats. NDA and INDIA bloc won one Scheduled Tribe seat each.Whichever coalition comes to power, Dalit upliftment remains an unfinished task. In the vast rural landscape of Bihar, manifestation of development can be seen in the pucca houses of villagers. However, in all Dalit enclaves this journalist travelled, a series of mud huts and thatched roofs, children playing in muddy courtyards and hard, manual labour of the village elders remain a poignant symbol of the aspirations and struggle of the Scheduled Castes.