Patna, Feb. 24: After ensuring the most peaceful elections in Bihar in the recent past, it was time for the men in uniform to put on their thinking caps on their journey back home this morning.

The venue: the Raxaul-Hajipur Passenger, which covers five districts. The topic: the elections and the role of Laloo Prasad Yadav ? the ?villain? ? and K.J. Rao ? the ?hero?. Also on the discussion menu were the strongmen who contested the elections and how the poll panel managed to keep them on a tight leash. ?K.J. Rao, the Election Commission?s consultant, has achieved what even T.N. Seshan could not,? said a jawan, adding that the future is not bright for the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

?For a change, people refused to be controlled by caste and religious considerations and voted freely and fearlessly, using their own sense,? said another jawan.

?Many even decided to rise above their party affiliations and vote for worthy candidates,? said a colleague.

The most important considerations for voters, the jawans felt, were development and honesty of the candidates. ?That is how it should be. I don?t mind if the polls bring a major change in Bihar and Laloo is thrown out. He does not want development in the state. Who will want to carry Laloo?s lanterns if Bihar sees development?? argued a homeguard, thoroughly enjoying the ?joyride?.

But not everyone in the group agreed with him. ?It is not true that all the people voted on these two grounds. Some still believe that the strongmen are the ones who deserve to rule. But of course, there are those who vote for them out of fear,? he said.

The discussion moved on to the Champaran districts, where criminals could not have a free run on polling day, thanks to the efforts of the Election Commission.

?Even the fatwa issued by the dacoit, Basudeo Yadav, in favour of his son Ramadhar Yadav (Samajwadi Party candidate from Dhanaha) failed to bring votes,? one observed.

Basudeo had threatened the mukhias of Dhandaha in West Champaran with dire consequences if they failed to ensure a sizeable number of votes for Ramadhar.

Expressing concern over the results, a jawan said, ?Everybody says it is going to be a hung Assembly. The elections were only the semi-finals. We will have to be ready for the finals sooner or later.?

As the train approached a station, a jawan ? ready to say goodbye ? patted a colleague on his back and said, ?Everything should be fine. Bihar should change this time.?