NEW DELHI: Unemployment is a major issue in Bihar, leading to the highest migration rate. People migrate to other states, including Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, to earn a living. When elections come, they express their anguish by voting.
However, this time, the elections in Bihar have been scheduled at a time when Chhath Puja, the most important festival for Hindus and Biharis, falls beforehand.
In such a situation, all parties are trying to woo them, because they will celebrate Chhath and return to their work only after voting in the elections, say migrant labourers themselves, whom we met at the New Delhi Railway Station, are saying this.
At New Delhi Railway Station, several migrant workers spoke about their struggles and hopes for change. When we asked Sunil (name changed), a train passenger traveling to Siwan, he explained that he couldn’t afford to travel with an AC ticket or book a two-month train ticket because he doesn’t get vacations where he works. If there were factories and employment in Bihar, he wouldn’t have to come to work in another state.
Raju Chaudhary (name changed), a passenger on the Darbhanga-bound train, said that he would vote for change in the elections after Chhath Puja because, while he has voted for all parties, no one has thought about the millions of migrant workers like him. We are often neglected, he said, so he’s considering a third option in the elections. These workers are returning home, where unemployment and development remain key election issues.
According to the 2011 census, migrants from Bihar constitute 7.2 per cent of the state’s population and now, becomes around 10 per cent as lack of employment remains the main reason for migration.
