Bihar Villagers in Gaya District Boycott Voting, Demand Bridge Over Mhorhar River

In the remote villages of Pathra, Herhanj, and Kewaldih, located 150 kilometres from Gaya in Bihar, over 8,000 residents have vowed to boycott the ongoing assembly elections unless a bridge is built over the Mhorhar River—a demand unfulfilled for 77 years since India’s independence. “Pul nahi to vote nahi” (No bridge, no vote), declared a woman voter, echoing the sentiment of generations who face life-threatening risks crossing the swollen river each monsoon. For four months annually, the villages are completely isolated, forcing residents to wade through chest-deep, often shoulder-high water that severs access to markets, schools, hospitals, and the outside world.

The absence of the bridge has turned the Mhorhar into what locals call a “river of helplessness”, claiming lives and crippling livelihoods. Sunil Vishwakarma from Pathra village died on the riverbank after falling ill; with no ambulance able to cross, villagers hired a private vehicle waiting on the opposite side, but help arrived too late. Pregnant women routinely perish en route to the nearest hospital 39 kilometres away, while farmers cannot sell produce and children miss months of schooling. “We lose at least two lives every monsoon,” a villager said, highlighting how the surrounding forests and river create a natural prison during the rainy season.

Despite decades of election promises, no political party has delivered the bridge, leaving women—who form the backbone of Bihar’s electorate—bearing the heaviest burden. With limited healthcare and constant danger, they lead the boycott call amid an election centred on development, women’s empowerment, and youth. Politicians visit during campaigns, make assurances, and disappear, residents say, fuelling deep distrust. The villages fall in the Imamganj assembly segment, where voting for the second phase is scheduled for November 11, with results due on November 14.

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As Bihar heads to the polls in two phases—the first concluded on November 6—these villagers’ protest underscores a stark development deficit in one of India’s most backward regions. Their single demand for a bridge is not just about connectivity but survival, exposing the gap between political manifestos and ground reality. Until concrete action replaces promises, the people of Pathra, Herhanj, and Kewaldih say they will continue risking their lives—or refuse to vote at all.

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