No caste-based politics; need jobs, education in Bihar: First-time voters in Patna

Patna: Twenty-three-year-old Bhavya Singh, who voted for the first time in the first phase of Bihar elections, said she felt more excited being part of a democratic exercise in pursuance of choosing the next government than seeing the indelible ink daubed on her finger.

Pursuing her master’s in commerce from an open university, she spelt out what a youngster like her expect from “whichever alliance comes to power”.

“If the party I voted for comes to power, it is good, but even if it doesn’t, and another one takes its place, I will be fine, as I have taken part in the democratic process that would result in it,” Bhavya told PTI.

She, her elder brother Shivam Pratap Singh, and mother Rekha Singh came out to vote in the afternoon in the key Kumhrar constituency, when not many voters had turned out to exercise their franchise.

“Now, there are more opportunities for women in sports and education in Bihar. But when comes to higher education or labour or skilled jobs, our resources and talent continue to get lost to other states due to migration in search of a better livelihood,” Bhavya said.

She underlined that this migration has to be curtailed by the government of Bihar, irrespective of who assumes its reins, and more jobs and quality higher education need to be provided in the state.

Bhavya also rued that even 70 years after independence, “caste-based politics” is still in vogue and “exploited by political leaders for immediate gains”.

Also, “paper leaks” when it comes to competitive or regular examinations, should be stopped, she demanded.

Her sibling, Shivam, 28, echoes her sentiments, and asserted that many voters make “wrong decision-making” due to lack of “proper education and awareness”.

“And, by education, I mean a holistic education, when a person makes a sound electoral choice driven by reason and thinking through, rather than getting swayed by others’ opinions or worse voting just in the name of caste,” he told PTI.

He also said media, especially TV media has a big role to play in shaping aware citizens who do not get “biased” before casting their vote, but weigh all options with a sound sense of judgement.

Many first-time voters in other important seats falling in the city limits of Patna — Bankipore, Patna Sahib, Digha — expressed similar views, but also professed different allegiances.

Some said they were “satisfied” with the existing dispensation but many others asserted, a “change was imminent”, and a few said, a “third option” has emerged with the Jan Suraaj Party in the fray as well.

For 19-year-old Shruti Mishra, who also cast her vote for the first time, said education and healthcare should be among top priorities.

A student of the philosophy department of Patna Women’s College, she pointed towards the heaps of garbage in the streets in her constituency Kumhrar, and hankered for an MLA who works for development, education, affordable healthcare, and cleanliness.

“I want the next MLA to be a sensitive person too, who can raise women-specific issues, and personally visit households, if need be, to ensure there is no domestic violence,” she said.

Shivam, a millennial, and Bhavya, a Gen Z member, argued that “law and order situation here is better” than “what we have heard about” from elders and “in media reports”, as it was 20 years ago.

Senior leaders of the BJP, key constituent of the ruling NDA in Bihar with JD(U), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their election speeches during the campaigns attacked the RJD, part of the opposition’s INDIA bloc, over the alleged “jungle raj” in Bihar in the 1990s.

RJD and INDIA bloc’s CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav, have countered the charges, saying the law and order situation has worsened under the Nitish Kumar government in the last two decades.

Shivam said any reasonable youth should “do one’s own research and reading from unbiased sources” to check, whenever an allegation is levelled against anyone by political leaders.

“To vote for someone just because, someone is raising a bogey of the past, will not be a wise step,” he said.

Both main contestants, the NDA and the INDIA bloc have made a slew of promises in their manifestos, from education to industry and healthcare to other sectors.

The ‘Mahagathbandhan’ has said that a law will be enacted to provide government jobs to one member of each family in state within 20 days of the formation of INDIA bloc government.

Tejashwi late October had told reporters in Patna that their coalition will bring a government of “padhai, dawai, kamai (education, healthcare and jobs)” and “sunwai and karwai (listening to grievances and taking actions)”.

Elections to the 121 seats of the 243-member assembly, was held Thursday while the remaining 122 constituencies will go to polls on November 11. The counting of votes will be held on November 14.