Danapur, Feb. 20: The British were right in their assessment of Danapur?s potential, just like the Yadavs of modern Bihar.

Home to a military base and a railway division ? set up by the British ? Danapur is a Yadav stronghold where crime has been a way of life for years.

With the constituency set to go to polls on February 23, the Yadav candidates are busy oiling their election ?machinery? to emerge on top in the battle of caste equations and musclepower.

The three main contestants ? Ramanand of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Suresh of Lok Janshakti Party and Asha Devi of the BJP ? are all Yadavs.

?The anti-incumbency factor is strong among all sections. But with the backing of the ruling party, sitting MLA Ramanand Yadav stands to gain,? says an observer.

Ramanand, a veteran politician-cum-professor of Patna, had defected to the RJD from the BJP before the last Assembly elections in the state.

Taking on the formidable RJD nominee is the LJP?s Suresh Yadav, known as the biggest criminal of the Sone-Ganga diara. Almost half the population of Danapur constituency could be found in the diara. With the exception of the Rajput-dominated Gangara village and a few Dalit households, the entire area is under the control of Yadavs.

Asha Devi, wife of slain BJP leader Satya Narayan Sinha, is the third serious contender here. She has the backing of all the ?pillars? of Sinha, considered the ?terror of Sarari village?, before he was killed allegedly by RJD supporters a couple of years ago.

?My husband was murdered by Laloo Prasad?s goons. I want to do justice to my suhag and the people by eliminating crime and developing the area,? says Asha Devi, who is sure of getting sympathy votes.

Besides the support of local strongmen and ?sympathetic? Yadav voters, Asha also seems to have the backing of railway officers and Kurmis of Khagaul as well as a section of local traders.

Not to be left behind in the race for ?supremacy?, Suresh and Ramanand too have arranged for proper ?booth management? on polling day.

Questions have been raised and many voters, seemingly tired of the RJD rule, are looking for options.

?What has Laloo Prasad done for us in 15 years? Why should we be fooled again?? asks a resident of Lakhani Bigha village.

?The Musahars have raised their voice against Laloo Prasad for the first time. Dalits are getting politically-conscious. But it is not clear how it will affect the outcome of the elections,? says P. Manthara, an activist.

Sudha Varghese, a lawyer, says: ?Our people are politically-conscious to a great extent. But they can still be bought for a bottle of alcohol and some money. Force can also be used to keep them away from polling stations.?