By The Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

 Bihar and Bihari’s have a special sort of charm that fascinates whole country, the lawlessness, the wild east that might or might not exist  in the real life is made popular by movies and tv. Bihar though rich in natural resources and talented people has a strange fact it shares with the country as a whole. Just like many Indians who go out and work towards a better future of other nations, Bihari’s work hard but they work hard for other states. This is as true for an IIT graduate, an IAS officer as a day labor who works in farms, factories, restaurants etc.

This election could have been a turning point in history but given the division on cast lines and dynastic politics of state it is unlikely it will be a momentous event for Bihar and its people. Nitish Kumar had a fairly decent record and might I add did a better job than other previous CMs but this time he did not choose the right people to be friends with. Lalu might be a butt of jokes or an amusing character for media but the chaos that ensued during his family’s reign dragged Bihar in a bottomless pit of violence, crime, abduction and murder. The proverbial Jungle Raj will return if Nitish choose to shake hands with the devil.

 BJP on the other hand has chosen to continue the tradition of throwing their lot behind prime minster Narendra Modi in state elections. They should consider opening a college or school for future chief ministers because it seems they always end up with a bad choice. Manohar Lal Khattar got caught up in beef remarks, no one still understands what’s the strong point about not so strong Devendra Fadnavis and believe me I am putting it mildly, who knows who they would crown as chief minster should the election turn out to be in their favor. RJD and LJP are trying to force their next generation on state’s public which would be curious to see once ballot boxes are tallied. Jitan Ram Manjhi might be able to steal some seats to boost his bargaining power but it’s yet to see how the power sharing will be worked out among three allies.

 In all the good and not so good list of candidates one party stands out in Bihar election, Shiv Sena. What in the world are they doing in Bihar, they are sworn enemies of Bihari’s and are quiet vocal about it. Who in the right mind would think that Bihari’s might choose Shiv Sena to represent them but may be that’s the beautiful side of democracy that Shiv Sena has always chosen to turn a blind eye to. I would say it’s the magnanimity of people of a state considered most backward in the country that they have shown tolerance towards a party which has so mercilessly persecuted them.

I have a hope that these elections might hold a better future for the people of Bihar because sometimes hope is all people have and that’s all what they need.