Lallai and Chandrika Prasad had filed their nominations for the June 28 by-election for the gram sabha’s post in Malasa village of district Kanpur dehat, but neither is now left in the fray. While Lallai’s nomination papers were rejected because he could not get a single person to propose his name, Chandrika withdrew today, reportedly under pressure from the Thakurs.

There was jubilation in the Thakur camp, whereas the Dalits have gone silent. Both Chandrika and Lallai have quietly left Malasa.

It was in 2005 that the seat was reserved for the Dalits, against the objections of the Thakurs. In August 2005, when the gram pradhan elections were held, not a single Dalit filed nomination. None from the community dared challenge Thakur supremacy in the by-elections that followed in February 2006 either.

This time, Lallai and Chandrika filed their papers, fighting the fear of the community as well as their own families. On nomination day, Lallai’s mother Leelawati had told The Indian Express: “Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will not permit my son to contest the elections... We want to live, and I do not want to risk the life of any of my family members.”

Interestingly, local legislator Raghunath Prasad Shankwar, who belongs to the BSP, believes it was wrong to have declared Malasa a reserved seat. While not denying Chief Minister Mayawati’s claims of a “bhaymukt samaj (fearless society)”, he says: “When Thakurs make up 98 per cent of the population of the village, how can declaring Malasa a reserved seat be justified?”

Malasa has a population of 3,033, of whom 1,400 are voters. The Thakurs have 1,250 votes and the Dalits barely 130. The Dalit population is about 300.

Shankwar also admits that the Thakurs have been calling the shots for the past several decades, adding: “It’s a complete mismatch, and Malasa should be declared a general seat at the earliest.”

SP, Kanpur dehat, N Ravinder brushes aside any suggestions of fear among the Dalits. “There is no law and order problem,” he says. “The required police and PAC force were provided for security, but none was interested.”