Madhepura

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Politics

Till 2019 April

Vishwa Mohan, April 22, 2019: The Times of India

“Rome Pope ka aur Madhepura Gope ka” is a popular saying here, the land of B P Mandal of Mandal Commission fame, but who will be that ‘Gope’ (Yadav) this time is a big question in this constituency, which is witnessing a triangular contest among three popular Yadavs.

Presenting a picture of sheer negligence in terms of roads and basic amenities and the perennial problem of floods in the rural belt, the constituency has, nevertheless, always been a politically coveted seat which was represented by stalwarts like B P Mandal, Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav.

Unfortunately, the political profile of its representatives was never translated into action on the ground to fulfil the needs of voters. Travelling through the region, it is clear that Madhepura got completely left behind while surrounding constituencies — Araria, Supaul, Jhanjharpur and Khagaria — appeared quite distinct in terms of good motarable roads. All five constituencies will go to polls on April 23.

“Roads were last built in 2010. We have now reached the stage where no one even dares to drive after sunset fearing those potholes,” said 55-year-old Chote Lal Chaurasia, a tea shop owner in Saharsa town, which falls in Madhepura constituency.

Saharsa, in fact, has the worst roads in the entire region, showing how local politics has ruined the district where leaders, as claimed by residents, turn up only during polls. The stretch connecting Saharsa to Madhepura seems to have missed out on road building during Nitish Kumar’s chief ministership. Madhepura town has better roads, but its the same story in rural areas. “We have to either suffer floods or face drought and whatever we produce is just enough to keep ourselves alive,” said Janak Yadav of Naya Nagar village in Madhepura. He had a good harvest of wheat this year but was not sure whether he would get the right price, saying procurement at MSP has never happened in these parts.

The upcoming poll, however, has generated interest among voters . Manoj Yadav of Alamnagar village sees it a tough contest, saying all three big contestants — Sharad Yadav (RJD), Dinesh Chandra Yadav (JD-U) and sitting MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav — have campaigned hard to win the seat which has nearly 40% Yadav voters. Many people in Saharsa said Muslim voters may opt for the RJD candidate, giving Sharad Yadav a definite edge.

Both RJD and JD(U) have made this a prestige seat while Pappu Yadav may turn out to be a spoilsport in this battle.