Punaichak/Patna, Oct. 25 -- Walking through narrow lanes littered with garbage and clogged drains, a young woman from the group announces over a loudspeaker, "Aapka button kahan dabega, teen taara jahan rahega."

It's 8 AM on a Wednesday. With a hint of October nip in the air, this group of women - with a few men scattered here and there - fan out through Punaichak, an urban neighbourhood in Digha, seeking votes for Divya Gautam for the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections.

Divya, 34, is the CPI(ML) Liberation candidate for the Digha seat in Patna, which will go to the polls on 6 November - the first of the two election phases. The second phase is scheduled on 11 November. The results will be declared on 14 November.

The poll symbol of the...