Gehlaur, home to a sizeable Mahadalit population (the poorest among Scheduled Castes), was where Manjhi, a landless labourer, once lived. When his wife fell critically ill, the nearest hospital was 70 km away, a distance that cost her life. Driven by grief, he picked up a hammer and a chisel in 1960 and began carving a road through the rocky hills to connect Gehlaur to the nearest Wazirganj town. For 22 years, villagers mocked him, but by 1982, he had single-handedly cut a 110-metre-long, 9-metre-wide path through the mountain.
Recognition came late, only after his death from cancer in 2007. Dubbed the "Mountain Man", his story inspired films and documentaries. Yet, for politicians, his legacy is merely electoral currency. Every election season, leaders flock to his son Bhagirath Manjhi’s home, seeking Mahadalit votes. The irony is that in 2014, Bhagirath’s wife died due to the same lack of healthcare that claimed his mother.
As the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls near, the same leaders, who forgot their promises to the Manjhi family, will return to Dasrath Nagar with folded hands, since the Manjhi family’s support could tilt the scale in their favour. Atri, though part of Gaya district, falls under the Jahanabad Lok Sabha seat.
Since its creation in 1951, Atri has seen 17 elections: Congress won six times (last in 1990), the RJD five, Independents twice, and the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (now BJP), Janata Party, Janata Dal, and JD(U) once each. The RJD holds the current streak, winning in 2015 and 2020.
This time, the contest will likely pit the RJD against the JD(U). The LJP, which earlier split anti-RJD votes, is now part of the BJP-led NDA. It is a relief for the JD(U), as the RJD led here in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Atri is entirely rural, with 31.03 per cent Scheduled Caste and 6.3 per cent Muslim voters. In 2020, it had 310,443 voters (55.42 per cent turnout), rising marginally to 314,696 in 2024.
Yet, despite Manjhi’s fame, Gehlaur and Atri remain neglected. Development pledges vanish after elections, and 2025 will be no different. The winner may not be decided by promises but by who secures the Mahadalit vote – the constituency’s kingmakers.
(Ajay Jha)
