Inside Bihar’s Violent Elections: When Strongmen Rule the Ballot Box
The murder of 75-year-old Dular Chand Yadav, a notorious strongman from Mokama, escalated local tensions just before the first phase of Bihar's elections. Yadav was campaigning for the Jan Suraaj Party candidate, Priyadarshi Piyush, against rival strongmen Anant Singh (JD-U) and Suraj Bhan (RJD).
Yadav's death on October 30 in the Khushal Chak area, under Bhadaur police jurisdiction, is alleged to have involved associates of Anant Singh, who was subsequently arrested amidst growing outrage in the region.
Crime and Politics: A Deep-Rooted Nexus
This tragic event underscores the persistent connection between crime and politics in Bihar, where violence frequently surfaces during election periods. The state’s history is marked by political bloodshed that forms an integral part of its electoral process.
Historical Context of Political Violence
Voting in Bihar is never without bloodshed.
The cycle of political violence is part of a broader historical pattern, linking today's conflicts to the violent power struggles of ancient rulers such as Ashok and Aurangzeb, and the political assassinations witnessed worldwide in modern times.
Significance of Dular Chand Yadav
- Dular Chand Yadav was a powerful local figure though never elected as an MLA.
- His influence and aura of fear matched that of elected politicians.
- His murder acted as a critical turning point, intensifying political tensions in Mokama and the surrounding areas.
The first phase of voting in Bihar concluded on November 6, with the backdrop of this violent incident altering the political landscape of the region dramatically.
The incident highlights Bihar’s long-standing nexus between crime and politics.
Author’s summary: Bihar’s elections reveal a grim cycle where political power is tightly intertwined with violence, as reflected in the recent murder of an influential local strongman during campaigning.