Synopsis: As the election to Bihar’s 243-member Assembly becomes one of the most closely watched in years, the battlelines are drawn—Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD leading the Mahagathbandhan, Nitish Kumar’s JDU steering the NDA. The parties have started campaigning among guest workers from Bihar in Kerala, encouraging them to go back to their state and vote.

In a KSRTC bus heading from Aluva to Perumbavoor, a conductor first asked for the ticket in Hindi before switching to Malayalam — a small but telling reminder of how deeply migrant workers have become part of Kerala’s daily rhythm.

Hindi signboards are now a common sight along this route, which winds through one of the state’s largest industrial belts, home to lakhs of workers from northern and eastern India. Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, often

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