Updated: November 4, 2020 8:19:51 pm
The RJD candidate CM Tejashwi Yadav in Baisi de Purnea. (Express photo: Wali Ahmad)
With plenty of gutkha and mouth fresheners, 9-year-old Raja approaches potential clients to earn some money at a rally site in Baisi de Purnea, where RJD chief and Mahagatbandhan chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav , will address the crowd. Raja says she lost her father six months ago and wants to supplement the income of her mother, who has the burden of raising a family of four. “My mother sells bracelets in nearby towns,” she says.
Even as the announcer onstage reports that Tejashwi is being delayed, party supporters, throwing Covid-19 precautions to the wind, constantly seep onto the ground behind Baisi High School. Sitting among a small group of supporters, Mohammad Naushad, 50, says that it is a fact that no (political) party works for the poor, but that the least they should do is maintain social harmony. “Like his father Lalu, Tejashwi will maintain that social bond.” Follow the LIVE update of the Bihar surveys
Naushad says the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Citizen Registry (NRC) are divisive and hopes that Tejashwi “will save them from such draconian acts.”
Like everywhere else, RJD’s promise of “10 lakh jobs” has also drawn large crowds in Bassi. Under the marquee next to the stage, Mantu Kumar Yadav says that he will vote for Tejashwi not only because he is a fellow Yadav but also because “he is talking about jobs for young people as well. He has promised 10 lakh jobs. But we are sure that it will employ at least 5 lakh people. “
The packed crowd at the Baisi rally, throwing Covid precautions to the wind. (Express photo: Wali Ahmad)
Haji Abdus Subhan, an RJD veteran who has represented the Baisi Vidhan Sabha constituency for six terms, makes a passionate plea to elect the RJD. The crowd erupts in cheers when he says, “The 10 lakh job promise is not like the one Narendra Modi made. Tejashwi will comply with this. “
Tejashwi is delayed even further, but the crowd continues to grow on the ground, which is 10 feet down National Highway 31 and floods during flooding.
Baisi is one of the migration hotspots where hundreds of unskilled workers move in search of employment in urban areas across the country each year. From the stage, local leaders say that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar prevented these workers from returning to their homes during the lockdown.
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A helicopter flies by, causing a commotion in the meeting. But it was not Tejashwi. People go back to their positions.
Baisi’s candidate is Haji Abdus Subhan, a veteran of the RJD who has represented this constituency for six terms. (Express photo: Wali Ahmad)
As the wait lengthens, Subhan, who by then shows signs of nervousness, breaks the news that the CM candidate has arrived at a different electoral rally. Ask the crowd to wait a little longer. The crowd hears his call.
When the Tejashwi helicopter finally lands at 3 pm, after a four-hour delay, the ground erupts in chants of Tej raftar, Tejashwi sarkar. And living up to the slogan, the young leader runs from the helipad to the stage while greeting the crowd.
In a barely four-minute speech, he attacked Nitish, “warned people not to vote for outsiders,” a reference to AIMIM, and said “ladaai ab mere aur Modi ji ke beech mein hai (the fight is between Modiji and I)”.
AIMIM is competing for 20 seats in the Seemanchal region and its Baisi candidate is Syed Ruknuddin Ahmad. The BJP nominee from the seat is Vinod Kumar.
Without naming CAA-NRC, Tejashwi said the central government “harassed you by bringing different laws. I was with you during that time and you shouldn’t worry anymore. “
He reiterated his promise of 10 lakh jobs and assured the crowd that Subhan will become a minister if RJD comes to power. With strong approval and cheers from the crowd, Tejashwi rushes into his helicopter to reach the next rally venue.
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