Written by Drishti Bhatt and Jyoti Chauhan
Sumitra Devi stood on the railway platform in a shiny sari, carrying a steel box, waiting for her luggage for the train to Patna on Wednesday. The elections that took place in her home state do not interest her. “I don’t really vote. My husband handles his political duties,” she told The Indian Express.
Ahmedabad railway station, which was once bustling with migrants returning home to Bihar for Chhath Puja and general elections, seems to be returning to normal. In order to control crowds at train stations and prevent accidents, Western Railway authorities have suspended the sale of platform tickets at Ahmedabad and Sabarmati railway stations from October 16 to 27.
On Wednesday, as the Ahmedabad-Patna express reached the platform, there was a rush of people, tea vendors became active and announcements on the microphone mixed with the familiar sounds of the railway station.
The ticket examiner from Begusarai stood on the platform in his smart uniform with an expression bordering on fatigue, as he saw hundreds of passengers every day. When asked about people heading to Bihar to vote, he said: “You will not find many Biharis here as most of them have already returned home for Chhath Puja.” He adjusted his hat and added: “I’m also from Bihar, and frankly, it’s scary there these days. Just last week, two parties were holding a rally and there was a fight – one person was killed.”
He goes on to add how people in his home state did not “question the government enough.”
“If anyone was educated enough in Bihar, they would not go there for elections – they already know how rampant corruption is,” the TTE added.
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Then there are the likes of Ramesh Yadav from Darbhanga. He now lives in Morbi and was heading to Patna. His face was sunburnt, his hands rough from work, but his tone was calm when he spoke. When asked about the elections, he said: “Neither I nor my family vote. Politicians lie a lot and only care about their seat. They come and talk to us before the elections, but after that they don’t do much for us. So we don’t go (to vote),” he told The Indian Express.
The first phase of polling will be held on Thursday in Bihar, a state that sends thousands of migrants to Gujarat, to work in textile mills in Surat and as skilled workers in other areas. The second stage of voting will take place on November 11.
As the train bound for Patna arrived, the railway platform that had seemed sparse suddenly became crowded, and people carrying their suitcases rushed aboard and left to witness another election 1,660 kilometers away.
(Drishti Bhatt and Jyoti Chauhan are interns in the Ahmedabad bureau of The Indian Express)
(Tags for translation)Bihar Votes
