Godda, May 11: A BJP flag flutters atop the house of Rajendra Raut in Ranipur village, but he is not sure whether he will vote for party nominee Amit Mandal in the May 16 by-election that has 14 other candidates.
That's because Raut doesn't feel plight of farmer's like him has improved over the years.
"There are 14 parties - 15 candidates in all - here. I am not going to antagonise anyone. If they want to put up campaign materials in my house, so be it. But, I will be voting for the one as per my conscience," said the 65-year-old farmer whose sons are away in Delhi working as labourers.
Raut lamented that although his village was barely 3km from the district headquarters, his grandchildren did not get proper mid-day meals at the school he goes to. The family has not been receiving PDS supplies for the past three months, while lack of irrigation facilities and employment opportunities, had forced his two sons to move to Delhi.
At Chakeshwari village, about 5km from the district headquarters, Jaipal Mishra said that while the BJP's Amit may bag a sizeable number of votes in the area because his father, Raghunandan Mandal, "was a nice man", it did not mean that most people of the village were happy with the state of affairs in the BJP-ruled state.
"NTPC built two toilets behind the village community hall, which remains locked. Local residents aren't benefited by the pond because powerful contractors from other villages are grabbing fishing contracts," Jaipal said while playing chess with his nephew. He ridiculed the Centre's Swachh Bharat campaign, saying that most houses of Chakeshwari did not have toilets.
"Also, just see the plight of the Kajhia rivulet, which originates from Sunderpahari and joins Ganga in Rajmahal," he said to prove his point about the lack of irrigation facilities for farmers.
Jaipal, who used to work at a Delhi hotel for over 10 years, returned to his village home five months back to set up his own business,
"Initially, I wanted to export goat meat, but both bankers and the local administration refused to extend assistance arguing that I did not have the expertise and experience. Then I tried to run a departmental store, but could not afford the huge security deposit," he said.
Jaipal explained that since he had no work, he actively actively participated in the state government's Yojana Banao Abhiyan and even suggested construction of chekdams in the Kajhia rivulet.
"I hoped these projects would mean that we would get some work orders and be benefited. But, nothing like that happened. Now, I realising that returning home was a mistake," he rued.
Although there are 15 candidates in the fray in Godda, the battle is primarily among Amit of the BJP, Sanjeev Marik Yadav of the JMM and Sanjay Prasad Yadav of the RJD.
While Amit and Sanjeev are trying their luck for the first time, Sanjay won the Godda Assembly seat in 2000 and 2009.
Poll tours
Chief minister Raghubar Das will campaign in Godda on Thursday for BJP candidate Amit Mandal. He will also visit Panki on May 13 to campaign for party candidate Lal Suraj. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav will hold two rallies on May 13 and 14 in support of Congress candidate Devendra Kumar Singh in Panki and RJD's Sanjay Yadav in Godda.
