“Pucca Bridge, Pucca Vote”, the Poll Mantra in Diyara, Bihar

A thin strip of mud is all there is for people to cross the Ganga at Diyara village on the outskirts of Patna. (Photo: The Quint)

In Digha, on the outskirts of Patna, a relatively small stretch of the Ganga has the local population at its mercy. Across the river in the Diyara area, there are approximately fifty villages and around 50,000 people.

For half the year, there is no way to cross the river except a thin mud bridge or by a boat that charges Rs 10 per trip, a hefty amount for many of its passengers who often earn only Rs 100 a day.