Puja and Politics Go Together This Bihar Election

Why the Paswan votebank is crucial for the BJP to form the next government in Bihar.

60-year-old Sumitra made an early morning 80-kilometre-trip to Samastipur to cast her vote. (Photo: The Quint)

Sumitra Devi, 60, is putting the finishing touches on Mahishasur. She makes idols for a living, an art she learned from her husband who is out buying colours to paint the entire tableau. With less than a week to go for the Durga Puja celebrations, the couple has no time to lose, but still made time to travel from Patna to Samastipur to vote for Ram Vilas Paswan.

When Ram Vilas Paswan was Chief Minister, he gave us a licence to work here. He’s the one who’s looking out for the poor.
— Sumitra Devi, Artist

Paswan voters account for 6% of the 6.68 crore electorate in Bihar. Even if 2-3% vote for the Lok Janshakti Party, it could translate to a sizeable chunk of the Dalit vote for the BJP. Apart from the arithmetic, an alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan helps the BJP look good, considering he had quit the Vajpayee Cabinet in April 2002 in the wake of a censure motion on the Gujarat riots.

“I will also make idols”, shouts out one of the boys, only to be angrily told off by the grandmother to go study. (Photo: The Quint)

Unaware of how crucial her vote was for the BJP, Sumitra smiles shyly when asked about her expectations from the new government because “nobody solicited” her “political opinion before”.

I want jobs for my children. I’ve sent them to school so that’s the least I can expect from the government. For myself, I want land, so I can live in peace and not be bothered by the police time and again.
— Sumitra Devi, Artist

What will she do when Durga Puja ends? “I will start work on Lakshmi Puja”, says the grandmother of six.

For full coverage of Bihar Polls 2015, click here.