Bihar polls: Jitan Ram Manjhi hopes for sweet revenge in Imamganj

Imamganj (Bihar):  The second phase of polling in Bihar on 16 October is likely to witness an interesting contest in the Imamganj constituency, located 65 km from Gaya. It will be a battle of one-upmanship between the two contestants – former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary. Though Manjhi is also contesting from Makhdumpur in neighbouring Jehanabad district, winning the Imamganj seat is more important for him. For Manjhi it would be sweet revenge against Chaudhary, who had disqualified seven MLAs who had supported the former JD(U) minister ahead of a crucial vote of confidence. Manjhi is contesting on a Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) ticket — a new political entity floated by him that is in an alliance with the NDA. Chaudhary is a candidate of Mahagathbandhan— the grand alliance consisting of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. [caption id=“attachment_2383302” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of former Bihar CM Jitan Manjhi. PTI[/caption] Imamganj — a block headquarters in Gaya district and a part of the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency along the Jharkhand border - will also be the battleground where the strength of the Dalits and Mahadalits (OBC and Extremely Backward Caste) will be tested against the upper-caste Bhumihars and Yadavs. Apart from his loyal support base of Mahadalits, which includes the Mushahar sub-caste to which he belongs, Manjhi is likely to get support from a section of Muslim population of Imamganj. The Ansaris, who are also a backward caste amongst Muslims, are expected to back the former chief minister. Out of nearly 32,000 Muslim voters in Imamganj, 28,000 are from the community whose members are also known as Julhas or the weavers’ community. “The condition of Ansaris among Muslims is worse than backward caste Hindus. Over the years, the lower caste Hindus have got included in the mainstream, whereas it’s the opposite in the case of Muslims,” Mukim Ansari, a resident of Domaria in Imamganj, said. “We understand the neglect, oppression and deprivation being faced by Manjhi and his community, and the Ansaris have expressed their support to Jitan Ram Manjhi. He will win with a big margin due to Bhuiyan, Mushahar and other sub-castes in the EBC category,” Ansari, who is a construction worker, said. An issue that has been an irritant for locals here is related to a graveyard (Kabrasthan) at Banke Bazaar in Imamganj. Due to the absence of a boundary wall, the graveyard land is gradually getting encroached upon and has alienated Chaudhary from a considerable section of Muslim voters. “Despite a High Court decree and CM Nitish Kumar’s interventions, the issue hasn’t been resolved. This is due to Chaudhary, who doesn’t want to. It has severely hurt the sentiments of our community. Supporting Chaudhary is out of question,” Rafiq Ansari, a resident of the area, said. The Ansaris of Imamganj now want development for the community and their involvement in the Muslim mainstream. Mohammed Targheeb Alam Ansari, a businessman and social activist said, “The Ansari community constitutes 12 percent of the total Indian population. Despite having a strong presence in several states in the country, we’re nowhere. It’s the upper caste Muslims, who I would like to call ‘Brahminised Muslims’ to have occupied each and every institution in our society—be it the Waqf Board, educational society or religious institutions. ” “There’s no representation of Ansaris in the panchayats as ward members. This has to be broken. We were at the receiving end during the Lalu Prasad regime. Nitish Kumar’s joining hands with Lalu, virtually means doomsday for Bihar. The NDA should be given a chance in Bihar this time,” he said. Despite Chaudhary having some infrastructure works to list as achievements, many don’t want him back as their assembly representative. “We don’t want him as our MLA this time. He has been playing partisan role and created fear amongst people, especially amongst the weaker section. He’s also a key suspect in the murder of former Janata Dal MP from Gaya Rajesh Kumar Paswan. He even implicated those who opposed him in false cases,” Rajesh Kumar of Bara village said. Locals claim that Chaudhary once enjoyed the support of the Maoists. “Earlier, he openly claimed that he was a Naxal and got their support,” Kumar added. Anti-incumbency is another factor that will work against Chaudhary this time. Besides the Dangi and Kushwaha sub-castes of Koeri, which are quite sizeable in number, forward castes like Brahmin, Kayastha, Vaishya have also promised their support for the NDA.