For Nitish, a lot at stake as 5 seats vote

PATNA: With campaigning coming to an end for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday evening, a litmus test awaits Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in five constituencies — Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka — where polling will be held on April 26.

From NDA, JD(U) has fielded its candidates on all the five seats — three in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region and two in the eastern part of the state.

In an indication that plenty is at stake for him, the CM penned an emotional letter to voters on Tuesday, recounting the work he had done since 2005 to change the face of the state. In the 2019 elections, JD(U) had won four of the five constituencies, losing only Kishanganj to Congress.

Senior BJP leaders, including PM Modi, Union minister Rajnath Singh and party president J P Nadda, have campaigned in the region for JD(U) candidates. Since Seemanchal is a Muslim-dominated region, BJP took into account Nitish’s secular image and gave all the three seats to his party. The CM, in a marked departure from his style of campaigning, was seen holding roadshows in Bhagalpur on Tuesday.

From the opposition INDIA, Congress is contesting three — Kishanganj, Katihar and Bhagalpur — and RJD two seats — Purnia and Banka — in the second phase. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Rahul Gandhi have campaigned for the candidates, but the lead campaigner was former deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad, who criss-crossed the region to garner support for the nominees.

While Katihar, Bhagalpur and Banka are expected to see a direct fight between NDA and INDIA nominees, there will be triangular contests in Kishanganj and Purnia. While Pappu Yadav, whose repeated pleas to RJD to spare Purnia for him fell on deaf ears, has entered as an Independent, Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM has fielded Akhtarul Iman from Kishanganj.

JD(U)’s Mujahid Alam and Congress’s sitting MP Mohd Jawed are the other two contestants in Kishanganj. AIMIM’s entry is a setback for Congress as he might eat into Jawed’s vote bank. Nitish is banking on his secular image but many in the constituency have openly said that they would vote to dislodge BJP from the Centre, and Alam may have to face people’s ire. Kishanganj till now was considered a safe seat for Congress as despite the Modi wave, the party won in 2014 and 2019.

In Katihar, JD(U)’s Dulal Chandra Goswami is locked in a direct contest with Congress veteran and five-time MP Tariq Anwar. Senior BJP functionaries, including Amit Shah, campaigned for him. Though Goswami won in 2019 against Anwar by over 57,000 votes, overcoming antiincumbency would be a challenge.

In Purnia, where JD(U)’s Santosh Kushwaha — who won in 2014 and 2019 — is pitted against RJD’s Bima Bharti and Independent Pappu Yadav, people might vote for a change this time. Five-time MP Pappu is a popular figure in Purnia and has represented the seat in Lok Sabha thrice. As far as RJD is concerned, Tejashwi’s personal appeals to the people of the state to support Bharti might work wonders for her.
In Bhagalpur, JD(U)’s Ajay Kumar Mandal will slug it out with Congress’s Ajit Sharma. Voters may elect Mandal again with the sole motive of bolstering Modi’s chances. However, many feel that Mandal went “missing” after winning in 2019. Since Congress is contesting Bhagalpur after a gap of several years, taking on the might of NDA would be a challenge. In Banka, Girdhari Yadav of JD(U) and Jai Prakash Yadav of RJD are locked in a direct contest. Girdhari won in 2019 against the same opponent by over 2 lakh votes. But Jai Prakash should not be underestimated as he won the seat in 2014 despite the Modi wave.