PATNA: Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai could not have asked for more when his senior colleague Union Home Minister Amit Shah called him his jigri (favourite) and promised to make him a bada aadmi (big man) after the Lok Sabha polls. Shah’s remarks came at an election rally in Bihar’s Ujiarpur, from where Rai is trying to hit a hat-trick.
Shah’s words carry weight, but Rai needs to surmount anti-incumbency and get the caste equation right. His opponent is ex-state minister and RJD leader Alok Kumar Mehta, who is seeking to avenge his 2014 defeat at the hands of Rai.
The fight is keenly watched for the contrasting electoral strategies. While the BJP is focusing on national issues, the RJD is raising unresolved local problems. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is largely focusing on national issues, the RJD is raising unresolved local problems to dent the prospects of the NDA candidate.
Rai hopes Shah’s blessings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image can help him, but Mehta is relentlessly raking up the issues of unemployment and inflation in essential goods, asking voters not to give the BJP candidate a third term.
Unemployment has an immediate resonance with voters. “There is no industry... people have to migrate to other places in search of livelihood,” rued Abhimanyu Kumar Singh, a resident of Mohiuddin Nagar.
Girindra Mohan Mishra, a resident of Bibhutipur, said: “Ujiarpur has no major industry. Many jute and sugar mills were closed years ago. Migration of youth in search of job is another problem.”
Ujiarpur Lok Sabha constituency comprises six assembly segments—Patepur (reserved) of Vaishali district, Ujiarpur, Sarairanjan, Morwa, Mohiuddin Nagar and Bibhutipur of Samastipur district. The voting in Ujiarpur will take place on three factors — caste, local issues, and Modi’s guarantee. But caste remains the swing factor in this north Bihar constituency, which has supported NDA candidates since its creation in 2008 after delimitation.
“Voters will vote for development, but caste factor can’t be ruled out,” said Rajan Kumar from Bibhutipur.
Pappu Tiwari of Vidyapatinagar said: “People mainly vote on the basis of caste, followed by local issues. People of Samastipur and Ujiarpur have been demanding a railway over bridge, roads, and other basic facilities for years but neither the state government nor Centre addressed these issues.”
Rai, a Yadav, won in 2014 and 2019. In 2019, Rai defeated Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief Upendra Kushwaha, who was then part of the grand alliance. He is now with the NDA. Yadavs and Kushawahas are strong enough to swing results in this constituency.
As for RJD, it claims Yadavs, Kushwahas, Muslims, Mallahs, OBCs and EBCs, besides those from the upper castes are solidly behind Mehta. But the emergence of a strong third candidate, RJD rebel Amresh Rai who is contesting as an Independent, may turn out to be the X factor in this election.