Benefit transfers, scepticism over RJD job promises keep NDA afloat

Fatuha (Bihar): The village of Machhariawan lies just off the Patna-Ranchi road not far from the congested block headquarters where accumulated rain water has turned roads into pools of slush. The village though is easier to access with a central street that is higher than the surrounding farm lands. The meeting point in this village with a mixed population over various caste groups is the local bank and small knots of people offer a peek into an animated discussion on elections now less than a week away.

A conversation opener on the record of contending alliances – National Democratic Alliance and Mahagathbandan (Grand Alliance) – soon turns more specific with a young woman Gudiya Devi volunteering that her vote was for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. She has received a payment of Rs 10,000 under the Jeevika scheme and expresses satisfaction with other facilities like the school her children attend. The teachers show up, the mid-day meals are regular, text books are available and money for uniforms is transferred on time.

A couple of women in the group have not got the Jeevika sum as they have not registered as members of the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society but are recipients of other welfare benefits. Those eligible for pensions are pleased that the amount has been raised from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100, a decision taken in July this year. The timely interventions ahead of the state polls seem to have shored up goodwill for the chief minister and the NDA. While Sugita Devi is a Kurmi, the same caste group as the chief minister, others are not and their thumbs up for the ruling alliance cannot be attributed to caste alone.

The direct benefit transfers are widely seen as reliable and free of any graft associated with “middlemen” or unscrupulous local officials. While the benefit schemes pass the test, a group of young men are sceptical of Rashtriya Janata Party and Grand Alliance CM nominee Tejashwi Yadav’s promise of a job for every household. “There has to be some criteria, whether education or age. If someone cannot sign his name can he be given a government job? What is the calculation in terms of money needed? If the job is just that of a sweeper, so that education does not count, will it be attractive?” asks Manish Kumar.

Manish Kumar is a Bhumihar, a caste group that has been supportive of BJP. His  friend Anjit who nods in agreement is a Mahto, placed in the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) by the state government. Then there is Rohit Kumar, who works with a firm in Kolkata as a risk analyst, who did a degree in psychology from Magadh university and learnt how to search for jobs and post his profile on Linkedin. Back at his home to vote in the elections, he his voting choice is similar to the others at the bank.

The village is part of Bakhtiyarpur assembly seat and the tussle between RJD’s Anirudh Yadav, the current MLA, and the NDA which has allotted the seat to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party. An older man who runs four local shops points out that the constituency has a strong presence of Yadavs and Anirudh Yadav is very much in contention. This is borne out by support the RJD nominee seems to enjoy in other communities.