Yearning for ‘vikas’ in Danapur diara

PATNA: The diara (riverine) area under Danapur assembly constituency in Patna district, considered a stronghold of Yadavs, is likely to decide the fate of 13 candidates in the fray for this seat. The riverine area has more than 45,000 voters. The real fight appears to be between sitting BJP MLA Asha Sinha and RJD candidate Ram Kishore Yadav. Tinku Yadav, younger brother of notorious Ritlal Yadav, MLC, of Kothwa village under Khagaul police station area, is also contesting the election as an Independent.
Development was never a poll issue in the diara area of the constituency. Caste politics and electoral malpractices always played a major role. “However, this time development is a major issue for the voters. People, including women, will vote in the name of development. Since independence, the diara people remained neglected by all political parties and were used as vote bank,” said president of Diara Vikas Sangharsh Morcha, Om Prakash Rai.
Rai, a member of Danapur Zila Parishad, said electricity and safe drinking water continue to be a dream for the diara people. There is no hospital here where pregnant women could go for safe delivery. “We have decided this time to vote for development,” he said, adding the people’s demands include construction of a ‘pucca pul (concrete bridge over the Ganga)’ near pipa pul, availability of electricity and adequate schools and health centres in each panchayat.
Many women voters of the diara area complained they could not earlier exercise their franchise due to large-scale electoral malpractices. But now, most of women are familiar with electronic voting machine (EVM).
Manorama Devi (60) and Dulari Devi (65) of Panapur panchayat said they were facing much difficulty in the absence of health centre here. “There is no one to attend to maternity cases in emergency in this panchayat. A few pregnant women had died in the past as medical aid could not reach them in time,” they said.
Ram Awadhesh Singh, mukhiya of Nakta diara, lost his temper when asked about the development works carried out in his area. “Vikas ke nam par vote mangte hain aur jitney ke bad mooh bhi nahi dikhate hain (Leaders ask for votes in the name of development, but they do not turn up after the polls)”, he said.
Disgusted with lack of development work, people living in Manaspur and Pananpur panchayats said they had earlier decided to boycott polls this time. However, they would vote for development now, said Hira Rai of Panapur panchayat.