In the Imamganj battle, Manjhi’s prestige is at stake as votes target the Nitish government over the ban

His friend replied sarcastically: “This means that every house has electricity connected without any government work – just with a lantern, right?”

The two men then engaged in a debate on the performance of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government. However, both seem to be on the same page about one thing – the ‘unraveling’ of the ban policy imposed by the Nitish government.

“It is a ban only on paper,” Yadav said. His friend agreed: “Now the liquor is delivered to homes.”

The ban on alcohol was imposed by the Nitish government in April 2016. However, Imamganj district, which borders Jharkhand, does not seem to be a dry district. “Drinkers go to the neighboring city of Jharkhand, have a drink and come back. Everything is available there,” Yadav explained.

“There is no need to even go to Jharkhand. You can just make a few calls and liquor will be delivered to your doorstep. The ban has not curbed the consumption of alcohol, it costs more now,” his friend added.

These views are echoed by people from across castes and social groups in Imamganj, where the conflict is fought by Indian Liberation Army (HLA) member of the Hindustan Awam Morcha (secular), Deepa Kumari – daughter-in-law of party chief and former Prime Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, an ally of the NDA.

Imamganj is one of the six seats, mostly in Gaya district, bagged by Manjhi, who is currently Union minister, as part of the NDA’s seat-sharing deal.

Manjhi, who hails from Gaya, has been the Imamganj MLA for two terms since 2015. It is a crucial seat for him as he wrested it from five-term JD(U) MLA and former Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Chowdhury in the 2015 elections, months after he left the JD(U) and formed HAM(S).

After being elected as an MP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Manjhi fielded Deepa from Imamganj in the subsequent bypoll in a bid to retain his position.

While the MSP is vying for five other seats, the Imamganj election result could have an impact on Manjhi’s position. He is a key leader of the Misahar group – among the most deprived sects – which represents about 3% of the state’s population, and his party has influence in parts of Gaya and Jehanabad districts.

HAM(S) has fielded Deepa’s mother and party MLA Jyoti Devi from her Parashathi seat.

In the November 2024 poll, Deepa defeated her RJD rival Roshan Manjhi by 5,945 votes, with Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj, in his then electoral debut, playing spoilsport for the latter as his candidate Jitendra Paswan polled around 37,100 votes.

This time, like the RJD, Jan Suraj has also replaced its candidate, fielding a new face Ajit Kumar.

Voices from the ground indicate that Depa faces a tough battle in her bid to retain her seat.

Referring to the ban, Imamganj resident Satyendra Bharti asked, “If liquor is banned in Bihar, how is it still available here? Officials and police departments are making money. They don’t catch smugglers. They just arrest drinkers, jail them, and then impose a fine of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 to set them free. This must be stopped.”

One voter said the ban made public spaces safer for women, but added that it was not entirely effective. “Now people drink at home rather than in public places. You don’t see open selling of alcohol or drinking on the roadside because of fear of the police. But many drunken husbands who used to beat their wives still do it. Since alcohol is more expensive now, they spend more on it,” she said.

Many locals said the ban did not reduce crime, but rather led many men to resort to drugs or adulterated alcohol.

Deepak Kumar (24 years old) pointed out that unemployment is the root of the problem. “There are no jobs here. People survive on agriculture, daily wage labor, or small local businesses. Because of this, many remain unemployed, fall into bad company, and get into drugs.”

“Like the ban, many government initiatives exist only on paper in Imamganj,” said Ashraf Ali, 38. Nitish ji says his government has built cemetery boundary walls across the state. We had to crowdfund six months ago to build one in our village Dooar. Manjhi ji has been an MLA from here for 10 years, let him name one thing he did in this area. He couldn’t even enforce the ban properly.”

Some locals also pointed out that Imamganj does not have any major college or hospital and that people have to go to Gaya town, 70 km away, to avail these services.

The seat falls under the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency represented by RJD MP Abhay Kushwaha. “The MP is visiting the area, but since the RJD is not in power, his funds are limited. Nitish has built many things, but change is needed now,” said Prakash Rai, a resident of Imamganj.