Once Held By Freedom Fighters, This Bihar Seat Now A Bahubali Battleground

Bihar is a land of contradictions. Home to the ancient university of Nalanda, which now sits at the bottom of the country's literacy rate list, the land of Buddha, which has seen some of India's most gruesome crimes.

About 115 km from the capital Patna, Warisaliganj in Nawada district embodies the contradictions of Bihar in all its glory. The Warisaliganj Assembly seat, once represented by freedom fighters such as Chetu Ram and Ram Kishun Singh, is now a battleground for bahubalis.

The sparring strongmen, Ashok Mahato and Akhilesh Singh, have a long list of criminal cases against them. So, they back candidates -- family members or relatives -- to fight polls in their name. From campaign to polling, Warisaliganj witnesses a show of muscle every election as bahubalis go from door to door, alley to alley, for votes.

Warisaliganj's History

This town in Nawada gets its name from Waris Ali Khan, its founder and a brother of Kamgar Khan, a Muslim Rajput chieftain of the Mayi clan who plundered zamindars and also led revolts against the Mughals.

The district handbook during the 2011 Census described Warisaliganj as the "most prosperous town" in Nawada and its main trade centre. It was home to sugar and cotton mills, which are now shut. Once a Congress stronghold, Warisaliganj has also seen dominance by the Left in the late 1960s.

The Era Of Bahubalis

Since 2000, politics in Warisaliganj has been dominated by Bahubalis Akhilesh Singh and Ashok Mahto. In the 90s, the two strongmen fought for dominance in the region spanning Warisaliganj, Nalanda, and Sheikhpura. There was a caste angle to this clash: Singh, a Bhumihar, and Mahto from the SC community. This rivalry is learnt to have claimed nearly 200 lives, as over 100 villages lived in the grip of terror.

The two strongmen, who are referred to as 'sardar' by their supporters, have a long list of cases against them. Both Akhilesh Singh and Ashok Mahto have been accused of serious offences, including murder. Mahto's name also came up during the 2001 Nawada jailbreak.

As the new millennium dawned, this contest shifted to the political arena. The leaders, with a litany of cases against them, started fighting polls by proxy.

Akhilesh Singh with wife Aruna Devi, And Ashok Mahto with wife Anita Kumari

Battle Of Mrs Bahubalis This Time?

Starting in 2000, political functionaries of any party have had little role to play during elections in Warisaliganj. The rest of Bihar may have multi-cornered contests, but this seat has only two sides - Akhilesh Singh and Ashok Mahto.

In the 2000 polls, Akhilesh Singh backed his wife, Aruna Devi, and she won as an Independent. In the February 2005 election, she contested from the Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party and won again. When no party could form the government, another election was held in October 2005.

The Mahto camp had put up Pradeep Mahto, an aide of Ashok Mahto, as a candidate in the February polls, but he finished second. In the October election, however, he scored a win against Aruna Devi as an Independent.

In the 2010 election, Pradeep Mahto fought as a JDU candidate and won. The 2015 polls saw Aruna Devi fight and win as a BJP candidate. She repeated a victory in 2020.

This time, there is talk that Ashok Mahto may field his wife Anita Kumari against Aruna Devi. He is reportedly reaching out to voters and seeking their support for his wife, who is likely to contest on an RJD ticket.

Inputs by Ashok Priyadarshi