Faith, change, and the Nitish factor: Bihar’s women weigh hope against fatigue this Chhath

On October 28 morning, as the first light of dawn shimmered across the Ganga, Patna’s Digha Ghat came alive with the sounds of conch shells, devotional songs, and the crackle of firecrackers. Men balanced bamboo daalis filled with offerings on their heads, trailed by women who had fasted for two days in honour of Bihar’s most sacred festival — Chhath.

Waist-deep in the cold river, they folded their hands to the rising sun, marking both the end of their fast and, in many ways, the beginning of Bihar’s political season.

Among them was Sarda Devi, 35, who has celebrated Chhath since her teens — almost as long as Nitish Kumar has been chief minister. “All these bridges, these roads — none of this was here before Nitish ji,” she said, pointing toward the newly built Atal Path and JP Ganga Path that now slice through Patna. “Earlier, we had to take a local train just to reach this ghat.”

Sarda credits the JEEViKA self-help group for changing her life. “Women like us could never dream of getting a bank loan before. Now we can borrow easily, at lower interest,” she said.

For Radha, 29, JEEViKA was a lifeline. “My husband is a daily wager. But through Didi ki Rasoi, I now earn ₹8,000 a month. We can finally pay school fees on time,” she said, her face lighting up.

Across the ghats, women spoke of Nitish’s 20 years in power in tones that mixed gratitude with restlessness. Putul Devi, who received ₹10,000 under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, said, “He’s done a lot for women. I used that money for farming — it’s helping us grow.”

But not all were content. A woman in her 50s, reluctant to share her name, summed up the unspoken question hovering over the celebrations: what next?

“Nitish ji built roads, but if someone falls seriously ill, we still have to go outside Bihar,” she said. “Things are better, yes — but not enough.”

At Bankipur Ghat, another NDA stronghold, Shweta Singh, 46, acknowledged how much had changed. “He’s right when he says women wouldn’t step out after dark earlier. Once, I was robbed at gunpoint. Today, my children roam freely at night.” Yet, she added, “My sons had to leave for Noida and Bengaluru for jobs. There are colleges here, but not enough opportunities.”

Despite her frustration, Shweta remains wary of the Opposition. “I don’t believe Tejashwi’s promises. Nitish ji may move slow, but he’s steady.”

That loyalty matters. In Digha and Bankipur, both NDA bastions, women form nearly half the electorate — 2.17 lakh in Digha, 1.78 lakh in Bankipur — and they’ve long been considered Nitish’s most steadfast supporters.

Still, among the crowds were voices of a generation that has grown up knowing no chief minister but Nitish — and now wonders what comes after him.

A 21-year-old student, voting for the first time, said she left Patna University for Delhi University last year. “In Delhi, you get better exposure — internships, training, everything. Bihar’s universities still lag behind,” she said.

She shrugged off the NDA’s frequent invocation of “jungle raj.” “I’ve never seen that era. For us, the present matters more,” she said, adding that Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj movement had caught her attention. “He talks about jobs and education. He’s new — maybe he won’t win now, but he feels like a fresh start.”

Back at Digha, Meena Devi, 65, reminded others not to forget Lalu Prasad’s legacy. “He gave voice to the poor and made it possible for all castes to worship together,” she said. But her own experience with welfare schemes has been limited. “Even to get my pension, I have to run from office to office,” she sighed.

Her sons work in factories in Delhi and Punjab. “Only the educated get government jobs here. The rest have to migrate,” she said, adding that more women in politics might change things. “If women can join the police, they should enter politics too. We can talk to them more openly.”

Perhaps sensing this undercurrent, the Mahagathbandhan has fielded two women candidates — Divya Gautam of CPI (ML) from Digha and Rekha Gupta of RJD from Bankipur — hoping that the tide of Chhath, and of women’s voices rising in unison, might carry change ashore.