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Anuj Kumar was puffing on his cigarette outside a tea shop in Sitamarhi’s Coaching Mandi, a hub of tuition centres that draws students from nearby villages to this small town in North Bihar. The 28-year-old was not there to study, though. He spent the day running around the district court to get his paperwork in order so that he could apply for a sub-inspector position in Bihar police.

Kumar works as a salesman for a chemical manufacturer in Janakpur, Nepal. He had come home to his village of Chhotki Bhitha for Chhath Puja, Bihar’s biggest festival. However, the desire for a government job was keeping him busy even during his holidays.

The application process frustrated Kumar, reminding him of the so-called Gen-Z revolution in Nepal, which he witnessed up close. “There is no difference between the situation of the youth in Nepal and Bihar,” he argued. “Young people there were tired of corruption. It is the same here.”

Change was needed in Bihar, too, Kumar added.

Does that mean he and others like him will vote out the ruling government in Patna when the state goes to polls next month? Kumar was doubtful. In fact, he does not plan to stay around till November 11, the polling day...

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