PATNA: A keen contest between debutants and old warhorses is on the cards in Bihar as five of its seats go to the polls in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on May 7. Though there are 54 contestants in the fray, the fight is mainly between BJP-JD(U)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance, the latter being a part of Opposition ‘INDIA’ bloc.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, all the five seats—Madhepura, Supaul, Khagaria, Araria and Jhanjharpur—were won by the NDA. The moot question for the ruling alliance both at the centre and in the state is to retain the seats that it had clinched in the previous general elections when candidates had emerged victorious driving on the Modi wave.
The scene is a bit different now. It will not be a cake walk for the sitting MPs to retain their respective seats this time.
For example, NDA has fielded the JD(U) sitting MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav from Madhepura. He is pitted against Kumar Chandradeep, an English teacher, who is contesting the polls for the first time.
Similarly, in Supaul seat, JD(U) MP Dilkeshwar Kamait has been pitted against Chandrahas Chaupal, a debutant.
While NDA candidate Kamait, a retired Railway officer, is seeking his reelection from the seat, the grand alliance has fielded Chaupal.
Chaupal, an RJD MLA from Singheshwar Assembly constituency, is trying his luck for the first time to reach Parliament. In Khagaria, the NDA has nominated Rajesh Verma as its candidate while the CPM is fielding Sanjay Kumar. Both Verma and Kumar are trying their luck in in Lok Sabha polls for the first time.
In Jhanjharpur also, the NDA has fielded JD(U) sitting MP Ramprit Mandal. He is pitted against Suman Mahaseth, a debutant in the general elections. A former MLC, Mahaseth is a nominee of Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) which is a part of opposition Grand Alliance.
In Araria, BJP sitting MP Pradip Singh has been nominated as an NDA candidate while Mohammed Shahnawaz Alam is contesting as Grand Alliance candidate. Shahnawaz, an MLA from Jokihat, is fighting the Lok Sabha polls for the first time.
Shahnawaz had won the 2020 Assembly election on the ticket of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM but he later switched over to RJD. While JD(U) had won four seats, one had gone to BJP’s kitty in 2019 Lok Sabha lections. “Our top leaders are making all-out efforts to ensure victory of candidates on all the five seats in the third phase. We are convincing voters to vote in favour of NDA candidates to strengthen the hands of PM Narendra Modi,” a BJP leader of Araria said.
According to the state chief electoral officer’s office, JD(U) is contesting on three seats, BJP and LJP (Ram Vilas) on one seat each. On the other hand, the RJD is contesting three seats, CPM and VIP one seat each. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded five candidates. 19 Independent candidates are trying their luck.