The Silent Stakeholders

The Adivasi vote bank has always been crucial for political parties in Madhya Pradesh. This election, they want the contestants to address the many issues plaguing them and not just make poll promises

- Abhik Bhattacharya

A bucket of water kept inside the barely-lit, tiny kaccha house of Namsingh Singhar is the only 'emergency supply' for the four-member household. "The only source of water for us is the nearby hand pump. In summers, even that goes dry," says Singhar, who belongs to the Bhil Adivasi community of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh that is all set to go to the polls on November 17.

Showing a tap that was installed a couple of months ago but has been inoperative since, the father of three sons and two daughters says, "It does not matter who comes to power. Nothing is going to change. We will have to struggle for roti, kapda and makaan."

Singhar, who is in his mid-50s, has not received funds from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to make a pucca ghar. The Jal Jeevan Mission scheme-the central government initiative to supply tap water to every household-is yet to reach his house.

While two of his sons had to migrate to Gujarat as construction workers for better majdoori, one of them helps him in farming. With the decline in intergenerational wealth due to the increasing number of family members, they are now left with only one acre of land where they cultivate mostly corn and cotton. "Due to the lack of irrigation facilities, we can barely produce wheat. The corn produce is not sufficient for survival," says Singhar, a resident of Chhoti Kheiru village that falls in the Petlawad Assembly constituency. However, two of his daughters-in-law are now getting Rs 1,250 per month through Shivraj Singh Chouhan's Ladli Bahna Yojana-a scheme that a few consider could prove to be a game-changer for the BJP, which is reeling under the anti-incumbency factor.