Maur - the state's first chief minister Sri Krishna Sinha's birthplace 125km southeast of Patna - has not seen such activity in the last 30 years.
The buzz is around S.K. Sinha's great-grandson, Anil Shankar Singh. He is contesting from the Barbigha Assembly constituency in Sheikhpura district on an NCP ticket.
The last time someone from the family faced the ballot was when Anil's grandfather and Sri Krishna's son, Bandi Shankar Singh, contested from Warsaliganj in Nawada district on a Congress ticket in 1985. He even served as a minister later.
Warsaliganj is the constituency where some young men had recently waved slippers at chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Before Bandhi Shankar, Sri Krishna's other son, Shiv Shankar Singh, had contested from Barbigha in 1969, also on a Congress ticket.
Now, it is the turn of Anil (43), son of Hira Singh, who looks after Sri Krishna's paternal house. Spread over 1.5 acres, the house looks quite well maintained. Hira built this house over a mud and bamboo one that Sri Krishna had built earlier. Outside the house there is a bust
of Sri Krishna Sinha, who served as Bihar chief minister from 1946 to 1961.
Almost all candidates visit Maur to seek Sri Krishna's blessings. Two former Prime Ministers, Rajiv Gandhi and Chandra Shekhar, had visited this village in 1988 and 1991, respectively. "We are happy that after such a long time someone from the family is contesting the polls. However, I feel sad that people have forgotten my great-grandfather. They just carry around his photo to ask for votes," said Sri Krishna's great-granddaughter Nimisha (32), who has been campaigning from door to door for her brother. Her focus is on women in the constituency, she said.
Anil said: "I do not have any experience in politics. Whatever votes I will get would be because of my great-grandfather. I feel good that my sister is campaigning for me. Previous MLAs from this seat have not done any work."
The fight for Barbigha is going to be interesting. Sitting MLA Gajanand Sahi of the JDU was denied a ticket this time as the seat fell into ally Congress' kitty. The Congress has fielded Sudharshan, the grandson of late Rajo Singh, who began his career as a volunteer for Sri Krishna Sinha. He was a towering personality and a six-term MLA. His grandson Sudharshan is the most popular among the 10 candidates in the fray. Eight of the 10 candidates, including Sudharshan, are Bhumihars.
Of 2.32 lakh voters in the seat, 80,000 are Bhumihars, 40,000 Koeri-Kurmis and about 32,000 Yadavs. There are a good number of Dalit, Mahadalit and minority voters too.
Sudharshan seems to have the edge considering the caste factor and vote share. In 2010, he had contested the polls on an LJP ticket and secured third position with 20,144 votes. The winner secured 24,136 votes.
Barbigha became a general category seat only in 2010, before which it was a reserved constituency. Mahavir Choudhary, a Dalit and father of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Choudhary, represented this seat for four consecutive terms from 1980 to 1995. Ashok represented the seat for two terms, beginning 2000 and 2005. The RLSP's Shiv Kumar is the NDA candidate, while the BSP has fielded Pratima Kumari.
People seem to have made up their mind.
"We respect Shri Babu (read Sri Krishna Sinha) and would always do. But we would not vote for someone just because he is a great-grandson or relative of Sri Babu. We have not seen him active in politics. Till a few days ago, he was working in a private company and has suddenly jumped into the poll fray. We have seen Sudharshan. We think he is the best among all the candidates," said Subodh Kumar, a resident of Nasaradpur village in Barbigha panchayat.
There are only two Assembly seats in Sheikhpura district. Sitting JDU MLA Randhir Kumar Soni is contesting from Sheikhpura while the NDA has fielded Naresh Sho of the Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular (HAMS).
• Barbigha votes on Oct. 12
