Jhargram (Bengal): Rina Shing, a landless marginal labourer and housewife from Shilda Rajar Bagan Colony in the Binpur assembly constituency of Bengal’s Jhargram district, says that she wants to live with dignity.“We want to be able to earn our daily bread without depending on anyone’s mercy. Here is a man who stood by us, at our protests, for days in front of the panchayat and block offices. He understands the suffering of the poor because he himself is a daily wage labourer,” said Rina.She was referring to Rabindranath Sardar, who has been fielded as the Communist Party of India (Marxist), candidate from the Binpur assembly constituency in Bengal’s Jangalmahal region of Jhargram district.“He is one of us, a man from a poor background,” Rina said, while campaigning alongside the Left Front candidate.A striking aspect of the campaign is that most of those accompanying the CPI(M) candidate in the Binpur constituency are poor, working-class supporters.Abundance, but no accessJhargram district, one of the prominent regions of Bengal’s Jangalmahal, continues to captivate people with its pristine natural beauty. Dense forests stretch across the region, interspersed with small and medium-sized hills from which streams cascade. The vast and quiet surroundings are home to various species of birds.The forests are home to elephants, hyenas, wild boars, several species of snakes, and other wildlife.The picturesque Belpahari area. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.A significant portion of the district’s population is tribal communities, including people from Santa, Mundas, Lodha-Shabar, Kora, and Bhumij groups. Locals here are connected to nature and depend on forest resources for their livelihoods.However, over the past decade, access to forest-based livelihoods, once supported through government assistance, has declined significantly. Employment opportunities under MGNREGA have also stopped for the past four years.In the assembly election, beyond all other issues, the central concern that has come to the forefront is survival.For the people of Binpur, one of the primary sources of income was the collection of kendu leaves, used in bidi production, from the forests. These were sold at fair prices to government-run LAMPS, or Large-Size Adivasi Multipurpose Societies. In addition, people cultivated babui grass in forest areas and collected sal leaves, sal seeds, and sal resin, which were also sold to LAMPS.During the Left Front regime, these LAMPS operated under the supervision of the state’s Backward Classes Welfare Department. “Although official records still indicate the existence of 12 such LAMPS in Jhargram district, in reality, most of them have ceased to function over the past decade,” said Gurupada Nandi, a high school teacher and resident of Jhargram.Rabindranath Sardar, the CPI(M) candidate from Binpur, stated that in his native village of Gidhighati, one LAMPS has somehow continued to function. However, in other parts of the constituency, including Belpahari and Jamboni, LAMPS have shut down.“As a result, forest-based livelihoods that once sustained a large section of the population have come to a halt, while the TMC-led state government remains silent on the issue,” Rabindranath said.Rabindranath Sardar on the campaign trail. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.A different candidateRabindranath, a 51-year-old member of the Bhumij Adivasi community, hails from Bhulabeda village under Belpahari police station in Binpur II block. His family consists of his parents, his wife, and himself.He owns a small piece of agricultural land, which is insufficient to sustain the family throughout the year. To make ends meet, Rabindranath works as an agricultural labourer. In addition, he shepherds cattle, both his own and those of his neighbours.“Farm work is not available here all year round. So I take the cattle out or take up any daily wage work I can find,” he said. “But even then, I hardly get time for such work now. The party has entrusted me with the responsibility of secretary of the Belpahari Area Committee.”He added that his political responsibilities require him to travel extensively to understand people’s problems and stand by them. “Because of this, I can barely run the household,” he said. “However, my family understands the situation. They endure the hardships and continue to support me fully. Without their support, I would not have been able to carry on,” he told The Wire with a smile.A few days ago, early in the morning, this reporter visited Rabindranath’s house in Gidhighati, under Bhulabeda gram panchayat, about 20 kilometres from Shilda. Rabindranath was setting out for the fields with his cattle at the start of the day. He said he would return by 7 am and then leave for Shilda, from where he would travel to various other villages.The Binpur assembly constituency comprises 20 gram panchayats spread across two blocks, Binpur II (Belpahari) and Jamboni. Rabindranath’s campaigning takes place across villages nestled among forests and hills, often on foot.“Unlike the BJP and TMC, the CPI(M) does not have the financial strength to spend large sums of money. Whenever we go for campaigning, we appeal to people to make red flags for us and to join us,” Rabindranath said.A farm labourer in the Amlashole village. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Politics at playMaoists had been active in the area. Between 2007 and 2010, as many as 60 poor villagers were killed by Maoist forces, creating an atmosphere of intense fear and insecurity.These observations were shared with The Wire by Adhir Pal, secretary of the CPI(M)’s Shilda Area Committee. He recalled that on January 15, 2010, Maoist armed cadres attacked the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in Shilda, killing 24 jawans. The memory of that day continues to haunt residents.“Rabindranath’s close relative, Atul Sardar, was killed by Maoists in the village itself. Rabindranath’s name had also figured on their hit list. Despite this, he continued his struggle alongside the people,” Pal added.Rabindranath said that nearly 40% of the electorate in this constituency belongs to the Santhal community, 20% to the Bhumij community, and around 30% to the Kurmi community. The rest belong to general and Scheduled Caste categories.He alleged that both the BJP and the TMC have, at different times, encouraged divisions between Adivasi and Kurmi communities along ethnic lines, diverting attention from issues such as employment, education, and public health.“The Left stands opposed to such politics,” he said. “We have been organising movements for the distribution of forest land titles under the 2006 Forest Rights Act, ensuring the functioning of LAMPS, reopening closed tribal hostels, providing drinking water in villages, stopping the plunder of forests, and above all, immediately implementing MGNREGA work.”Rabindranath shares a rapport with poorer supporters of the TMC and BJP too.Bhim Singh, a TMC worker from Shilda, and Sanjay Deshwali, a BJP worker, both said that he is a well-known figure in the area. They said he has been actively fighting for MGNREGA work and land pattas for poor people in forest areas, and that even those from economically weaker sections associated with other parties have benefited from his efforts.Santanu Majumdar, a resident of Shilda and a former home guard, said that Rabindranath works with courage and has earned the trust of the people.In the Binpur constituency, the Trinamool Congress has fielded Birbaha Hansda, the outgoing MLA from Jhargram and the state forest minister, while the BJP candidate is Pranat Tudu.People in the constituency have wondered why the TMC candidate has been shifted from Jhargram and some have questioned her track record as forest minister.The BJP candidate is also not a local resident. Several locals said that BJP party offices have been opened in Shilda and Binpur only after the announcement of elections.