The ongoing conflict between the landlord-backed Ranveer Sena and the Naxalites in Bihar acquired a new dimension during the 1999 Lok Sabha election season with the Sena fielding a candidate and parading 'massacre widows' before the electorate. Given the background of massacres in the state widowing many more dalit women than upper caste ones, the campaign ploy has provoked a debate centered of class, caste and gender.
