Polling begins in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar amid tight security

PATNA: Voting began for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar amid tight security on Saturday morning, an official from the office of the state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) said.

The polling began at 7 am in Valmikinagar, Pashchim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Siwan, Gopalganj, Maharajganj and Vaishali constituencies. It would continue till 6 pm, he said.
Over 1.49 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 86 candidates in this phase in the state, the official said.
There are 10 candidates in the fray in Valmikinagar, eight in Paschim Champaran, 12 each in Purvi Champaran and Sheohar, 15 in Vaishali, 11 in Gopalganj, 13 in Siwan and five in Maharajganj. Among the 1,49,32,165 electors in the eight constituencies, there are 78,23,793 men, 71,07,944 women and 428 third gender. Interestingly, there are 3,014 electorate in 100+ age group in this phase.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) is contesting four seats, including Sheohar, which was won by the BJP in 2019 general elections. Other NDA partners – BJP is contesting three seats and LJP (Ram Vilas) – one seat in this round of elections. On the other hand, RJD has fielded four, Congress two and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) two candidates from the opposition INDIA bloc in the sixth phase.
Prominent among those whose fate will be sealed in the penultimate phase of

Lok Sabha elections are former Union minister Radha Mohan Singh, former Bihar speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, former state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal, Janardan Singh Sigriwal, Hena Shahab, Lovely Anand, and LJP (RV) candidate Veena Devi.
While seven of the eight seats going to polls on Saturday is likely to see direct contests between NDA and INDIA bloc nominees, there would be a triangular fight in Siwan where late Shahabuddin’s wife Hena Shahab has entered the poll fray as an Independent. She will be up against JD(U)’s Vijaylaxmi Kushwaha and RJD’s Awadh Bihari Choudhary.
While experts cited multiple factors such as urban voter apathy, heatwave, anti-incumbency, migration, and lengthy voting process for low turnouts in the first five phases of elections in Bihar, political parties are hopeful that the scene is likely to change for the better on Saturday with the improvement in weather conditions and massive electors’ awareness drive launched by the respective district administration.
BJP’s Radha Mohan Singh, 74, is eyeing his seventh win from Purvi Champaran. He is pitted against VIP’s Rajesh Kumar, a former MLA, this time. Though overcoming anti-incumbency is a major challenge for Singh, many in the constituency would still vote for him just to ensure the return of Narendra Modi as PM. Govt’s failure to revive the closed sugar mill and open a medical college in the constituency has not gone down well with the many voters. INDIA bloc’s Rajesh Kumar, on the other hand, is banking on Muslim, Yadav, Kushwaha and Mallah votes.
In Maharajganj, Sigriwal is pitted against Congress’s Akash Kumar Singh, son of state Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh. While Sigriwal is eyeing to score a hat-trick this time, Singh, then an RLSP candidate, had lost to BJP’s Radha Mohan Singh in Purvi Champaran constituency in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This time, there is a direct contest between Sigriwal and Singh in Maharajganj.
In Gopalganj, JD(U)’s Alok Kumar Suman will fight it out with VIP’s Premnath Chanchal. While Suman made his successful electoral debut in the 2019 polls, Chanchal is a rookie. Interestingly, his father is the district chairman of BJP’s SC/ST cell.
In Vaishali, Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas) has retained Veena Devi. She is up against RJD strongman Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla. A close fight is expected between these two candidates in Vaishali, considered as the birthplace of democracy.
In Sheohar, RJD has given the ticket to Ritu Jaiswal while JD(U) has fielded strongman Anand Mohan’s wife Lovely Anand, a former MP. Jaiswal is largely dependent on Vaishya and M-Y votes. In the last three Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Rama Devi, a prominent Vaishya leader, had emerged victorious from the seat.
In Paschim Champaran, former state president of BJP Sanjay Jaiswal is eyeing a fourth consecutive win. He slugged it out with Madan Mohan Tiwari of the Congress, a former MLA from Bettiah.
In Valmikinagar, JD(U) has reposed faith on Sunil Kumar while RJD has fielded Deepak Yadav. Sunil had won the 2020 Lok Sabha byelection in Valmikinagar, necessitated by the death of his father Baidyanath Mahto, a tall leader of the region.