Known for its forests, the Ajodhya Pahar, Chhau dance, and the blooming of the Palash tree that heralds the start of spring, Purulia is one of the key political battlegrounds in West Bengal, where shifting voter loyalties and identity politics are shaping contests across constituencies in the district.Joypur, a block-level town in the Jhalda subdivision and an unreserved Assembly constituency, reflects this churn. Once a Congress bastion, it has seen three different parties win the last three Assembly elections.Located in the Chotanagpur region, Joypur’s economy is primarily agrarian, supported by small-scale units such as factories making puffed rice. About 60 km away in Chirugara village, basic amenities remain scarce.The Kangshaboti River remains the main water source, with households still lacking access to piped water. Several villagers depend primarily on ponds and the river, and point to gaps in governance. While a bridge over the river has improved connectivity, locals say joblessness and a lack of access to water and infrastructure remain pressing concerns.The Kudmi agitationThere is a strong undercurrent of the Kudmi agitation of the past few years. The community has hit the streets several times since 2022 over its demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and inclusion of the Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule, organising blockades that have drawn attention.With an estimated population of about 50 lakh, Kudmis, classified as OBC, claim to hold sway in about 30 Assembly seats in Purulia, Jhargram, and Bankura. The demand stems from historical exclusion — the Kudmis were listed as a tribal community in the 1931 Census but left out of the ST list in 1950 — and continues to influence voting behaviour.An analysis of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls shows that of the 40 Assembly seats in Jhargram, Banukra, Paschim Medinipur, and Purulia districts, there was a bipolar contest between the TMC and the BJP. The TMC won 24 seats and the BJP 16. While the TMC is the dominant force in south Bengal, in the southwest, battles in the past have been close affairs because of a variety of local factors and this time, Kudmis hope to be one.Story continues below this adSeveral voters mention the Kudmi demand for “recognition”. “The mistake we make in Bengal is allowing one government to stay too long, like the Left for 34 years and now the TMC for 15,” says Sudhir Chandra Mahato, a farmer. “Governments should change every five years for development. We Kudmis are fighting for recognition and will support those who promise it.”BJP’s conundrumTo help it retain the constituency, the BJP has fielded Biswajit Mahato, the son of Kudmi leader Ajit Mahato, who has led recent protests, underscoring the centrality of identity politics in the region. “The TMC government did not accept our proposal. Last September, the state police mercilessly beat not only men, but did not spare even women and children. It was decided then that we would not vote for the TMC. The BJP has asked us for five years, so we will give them our support. If they renege on their promise, we will withdraw our support,” Ajit Mahato tells The Indian Express.For the BJP, however, supporting the Kudmi demand means alienating other ST groups that don’t want their share in the reservation pie to get diluted. “Wherever there is a Kudmi majority, we have fielded candidates from the community and wherever Adivasi groups outnumber them, we have ST candidates. If the party comes to power, we will look into the demands of Kudmis. But whether they will be granted ST status will depend on the leadership,” said a senior party leader.The dynamics shift in the Manbazar (ST-reserved) seat in eastern Purulia, where the BJP is hoping to defeat three-time MLA Sandhya Rani Tudu, who has been winning since 2011. But that cannot happen if it appears to be too aligned with Kudmi interests.‘No jobs, piped water, hospitals’Story continues below this adMany in Joypur articulate the demand for quota and representation by pointing to the lack of jobs and education opportunities. And then there are the more tangible demands: water, electricity, and hospitals.“We want clean water flowing from taps in our homes. There are no jobs. My family survives on a little farmland where we grow vegetables such as bitter gourd and brinjal that we sell in the local market, along with income from cattle,” says Bhadu Mahato, a farmer.Electricity has reached the village, but quarterly billing is seen as burdensome. Water tanks lie unused, solar lighting is limited, and education and healthcare deficits are stark. “There are no proper schools or healthcare facilities. The government school has no teachers. Children go mainly for the mid-day meal and return home,” says Moloy Mahato, also a farmer. “We want to know why the Kudmi community is not recognised as ST. Do our children not deserve education?”For medical needs, residents often travel to neighbouring Jharkhand, citing poor facilities in local hospitals. “The government claims to give free treatment, but hospitals have nothing. Patients are referred to Kolkata. For emergencies, we go to Jharkhand as it is closer and has facilities,” says farmer Sudhir Chandra Mahato.Story continues below this adTMC’s Joypur candidate Arjun Mahato admits to the problems that the locals speak of. “In some places, there are drinking water issues, but we are working on them. We will look into complaints,” he says.Similar complaints of water scarcity come up in villages in Manbazar, too. “There is no water. We have a water tank for the entire village that is filled up once daily, but it is not fit for drinking,” says Reba Hansda, a resident of Gobindopur.