West Champaran (Bihar): As Bihar heads into the second phase of assembly elections on November 11, voters from the Tharu and Oraon communities in the Ramnagar constituency have made their stance clear: no basic facilities, no votes.

According to a resident named Deepak, ’’Three demands have been made, in which the first one is that if there is no road or bridge, then no vote. If there is no electricity, then no vote. If there is no (mobile) network, then no vote. These three main demands have been made by the people. We have repeatedly said that all the leaders should fulfil these three demands and get the votes.”

Spread across nearly 32 villages in the forests and hills of West Champaran district, members of the Tharu and Oraon tribes say they have been denied even the most fundamental amenities. Their frustration and anger are evident as they list a long trail of hardships, from unreliable power supply and non-existent roads to poor mobile network connectivity.

Villagers say that, without these essential services, they will boycott the upcoming election. Many cite dire consequences of this neglect — including delays in reaching hospitals during medical emergencies, sometimes with fatal outcomes.

“Here, we need roads, electricity, bridges, and networks; these are our main problems. Whenever a child is born, it becomes very difficult to travel to Ramnagar; sometimes, mothers even die on the way, and vehicles cannot pass during the rainy season. This is our demand from the government ”

Another resident, Sunandi Devi, said, “We have many problems; we don’t even get kerosene. We have to burn wood to light the stove and cook food. Those who have money here buy batteries to generate electricity. Fans don’t work at all; only those who can afford batteries can run them. Now, we don’t even get kerosene.”

Locals say they can hardly believe they are living in the 21st century when they still struggle for the most basic necessities.

“Our country has been independent for almost 78 years, but even now, the life we are living is like the old days,” said Ajay Kumar, another resident.

“Here, there are two panchayats with a population of around 30,000–32,000, and there are also 30-32 villages. Yet, we are living a life similar to 1965. On paper, the Bihar government has provided electricity here, ‘on paper’ meaning only on their records. Solar panels were installed here, and we used to get light from solar batteries, but that lasted only for a few years. I am talking about five years ago: for 1-2 months, there was electricity, and then it stopped. Even the contract ended. And after that, our old life came back again.”

Another villager, Anant Kumar Qazi, echoed the sentiment: “The main problem is that while today the entire Legislative Assembly and the whole of Bihar are discussing employment and the lack of employment in the state, and that is the focus of the discussion...yet even today, we are struggling with electricity, bad roads, bridges, and network issues. Two days ago, it rained here. Around 50-60 houses have solar panels, but due to three days without sunlight, the solar power completely ran out. At night, I had to eat dinner by lighting candles in my house. I am saying this in the 21st century, yet we are living in a world of darkness…”

Meanwhile, Ajay Bhatt, BJP MP from Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and in charge of the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha constituency (under which Ramnagar falls), acknowledged that there have been lapses but maintained that efforts are being made to address them.

“There are small misunderstandings. I have met the people there, and I held a meeting there. I myself went there, and in fact, there was no transformer there. I told the General Secretary, one Ajaya Rai Ji. I told him, ‘Please talk to them and take some time from the villagers.’ He said it will be installed within a week. The transformer, which had not been there for a year, was finally installed. Now he is being called there. There is a proper way to get the work done, so small issues keep happening along the way,” Bhatt said

As the election draws near, the Tharu community’s “votes-for-facilities” call could play a decisive role in Ramnagar’s political outcome.

For the Tharu people, development is essential to their everyday existence. And their demands for better living conditions are echoing loudly in this region bordering Nepal.