Last Wednesday, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary held a rally at Semariya in Revelganj block of the Chapra Assembly constituency in support of the BJP’s new face, Chhoti Kumari.

Around the same time, barely 2 km away, RJD candidate Shatrughan Yadav, popularly known as Khesari Lal Yadav, a Bhojpuri film star and singer, was holding his roadshow through narrow, serpentine lanes, drawing big crowds.

As his convoy of SUVs reached Jigna Tiwari Tola village, a boy shouted, “Khesari has come!” And within minutes, people spilled out of their homes to see him.

Dressed in a white shirt, Khesari, 39, leaned out of his vehicle’s sunroof, waved and bowed, pressing his hands together to greet people.

But once the convoy passed and the excitement faded, he looked at the village’s broken r

See Full Page