Naya-Gaon mukhiya Sudhanshu works on his laptop in a litchi orchard in Samastipur. Telegraph picture

Patna, April 20: Delhi University masters graduates, corporate professionals, mother of an IAS officer and wards of top leaders — all are in the fray for Bihar’s resurgent local bodies, the 10-phase elections for which began in the state’s hinterland today.

Sudhanshu, a DU masters graduate, was one of the first persons to envision the prospect of working as the mukhiya of a panchayat and gaining administrative and financial powers after chief minister Nitish Kumar implemented the Bihar State Panchayat Raj Act in 2006.

Leaving his job as a Tata Tea garden manager at Munnar in Kerala, Sudhanshu became the mukhiya of his Naya-Gaon panchayat in north Bihar’s Samastipur district. His work earned him the title of “Kisan Bhushan” in 2008. Now, a recipient of many other awards for his services to the villagers, the net-savvy Sudhanshu, who still looks like a corporate executive, is in the fray for the same post again.

With Sudhanshu setting the trend, the 2011 panchayat poll has many others from high-profile political and administrative families jumping into the fray to win the seats of mukhiyas, pramukhs, district chairmen and councillors.

Among them is Manorama Devi, mother of IAS officer Dev Kumar Dev, now the district magistrate of Saharsa. Manorama is contesting for the block councillor’s position from Banmankhi in north Bihar.

Except Lalu Prasad who continues to be an MP, other members of his family, including wife Rabri Devi and her brothers Sadhu Yadav and Subhas Yadav, lost the 2009 Lok Sabha and the 2010 Assembly elections.

But about 12 members of the couple’s family or extended family are in the fray for various positions in their native Gopalganj district. Sources said they were interested to gain power at the grassroots level after losing it at the national and state level.

Savitri Devi and Kunti Devi — wives of Lalu’s two brothers, Mangru Yadav and Gulab Yadav — are locked in a fierce fight with each other for the block councillor’s post in Lalu Prasad’s home seat of Phulwaria. Suresh Choudhary, another relative of the former chief minister, is contesting for a mukhia’s position from a Gopalganj panchayat.

Out of what was described as “jealousy” for her popularity and clout, Awadhesh Mandal, an alleged criminal, had assaulted his wife and ruling party MLA from Banmankhi Beema Bharti on December 16. Beema, bruised and battered, had landed at the Patna Medical College Hospital.

Apparently to match the political clout of his wife, Mandal has decided to contest for the Banmankhi block pramukh’s post. Beema, in a perfect case of martial discord, is believed to be opposing him from behind the scene. Mandal is an accused in several cases of murder and robbery. Beema got a JD (U) ticket after Mandal, in jail then, had failed to clear the scrutiny of the election commission as an aspirant. He has, however, managed to obtain the ticket for contesting the pramukh’s seat.

Relatives of NDA leaders, too, are not far behind in the race for enjoying the fruits of power at the grassroots level.