Home for Diwali, Chhath festivals, back after voting: Migrants in Manipur head to Bihar

Imphal: Several migrant workers and businessmen from Bihar, currently residing in Manipur, have left the northeastern state to attend the Diwali and Chhath festivals and planned to return only after casting their votes in the upcoming assembly elections there.

Others who are still in the northeastern state have expressed the desire to vote in the elections, but cited high travel costs as a deterrent.

"Many of our friends and colleagues have already gone to their respective homes in Bihar for Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath festivals and will return after casting their votes,” said Sunil Mahato, a native of Bihar's East Champaran, who runs a clothing store in Imphal.

Mahato, 53, who has been living in Manipur for 32 years, said, “Through social media, we stay updated on what’s happening back home. For us, we are voting for the BJP.”

Another businessman, Pariyat Prasad from Bihar's Arrah, told PTI, “My wife and children are currently at home. They will also return after the elections.”

However, Prasad said many members of the Bihari community living in Thangal and Paona Bazar — two of the largest markets in Imphal — have decided to skip voting due to high travel costs.

“We have to take connecting flights from Imphal to Kolkata or Guwahati and then continue by train. A round trip by air costs over Rs 30,000 per person, which is unaffordable for many daily wage workers,” he said.

Prasad added, “Travelling by road via national highways is also time-consuming and inconvenient. Given the economic burden, many of us have decided to skip the elections. Earning a living and saving for the future are more important.” He also said the Bihari community in Manipur is not organised, and decisions are made on individual levels.

While there are no official figures available, the population of Biharis and other non-Manipuri migrants in the state is believed to be more than 1.5 lakh. Migrants from other states are required to obtain Inner Line Permits (ILP) to enter Manipur.

Commenting on the upcoming Bihar elections, Deepak Prasad, a member of a Teli community-based organisation in Imphal’s Tellipati locality, claimed, “Unlike Hindus, who are generally not very politically active, Muslims usually go en masse to vote. They will go to Bihar, cast their votes, and return.”

Mehoob Alam, a native of Muzaffarpur, who currently stays at a rented place in Mantripukhri area in Imphal and works at a garment store, told PTI: "Some of my Bihari co-workers are planning to go home by train in the last week of October. I am not going as the journey is expensive for us."

Prasad added that many members of the Teli community have lived in Manipur for generations and are more integrated into the state’s cultural and political life than that of Bihar.

“We feel more at home in Manipur than in Bihar,” he said.