"After Kerala, Siwan district has the distinction of sending the maximum number of men to the Gulf," says Mohammad Ijaz-ul Haq, a former state minister who informs us that he was among the first ten men from Siwan to go abroad for work in 1972.
"From every home there are people working in the Gulf. Not only that, there have been 46 IAS/IPS officers from this district," he continues.
In a society dominated by agriculture or small private businesses, Nazmul Hasan Nazmi, a Congressman, points out that "the petro-dollar has been the mainstay of the town's economy."
The 2009 election in Bihar has also brought the state Congress party from exile. After spending years in oblivion as a sidekick of Laloo Yadav's dominant RJD for almost 15 years, the Congress has put up a candidate in Siwan this election.
"Although we were in an alliance with the RJD, they almost treated us as untouchables," says Kamlesh Pandey, the district Youth Congress President. "This split is the best thing that could happen to us. We were demoralised and at the margins; this has brought a renewed vigour."
Image: A glimpse of life in Siwan town.
Also see: 'After calling me a joker, they now call me professor' | India Votes 2009
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