Lok Sabha Election 2019: Begusarai heats up for Bihar's big-ticket battle

With 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, Bihar is an important state when it comes to deciding who will hold power at the Centre. While it will be a largely straight contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Grand Alliance (GA) or Mahagathbandhan at majority of these seats, some of the constituencies will also witness a triangular battle, owing to the Left parties or rebel leaders.

IN 2019, THE CONSTITUENCIES TO WATCH OUT ARE

BEGUSARAI

This will be perhaps the most closely watched constituency in Bihar, with Union minister and firebrand BJP leader Giriraj Singh locking horns with ex-JNUSU president and CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, a son of the soil. The contest will be made triangular by RJD's Tanveer Hassan, the runner-up in the 2014 polls who had lost to late BJP MP Bhola Singh by around 55,000 votes.

Once known as the Leningrad of Bihar, Begusarai constituency has around 19.42 lakh voters from almost all religions and castes. In 2014, BJP-combine had polled around 39% votes, while RJD polled around 34% and CPI around 17% in Begusarai.

Giriraj, who had initial reservations against contesting from Begusarai, gave in after a word with party president Amit Shah, said he had come to Begusarai to defeat the traitor. "Anti-nationals will be given a befitting reply by the people," he said. Kanhaiya has termed Giriraj as the "Visa minister of Pakistan" and said, "I have been campaigning in the constituency for months, while he was not even ready to contest the polls. People notice these things."

The RJD had initially agreed to support Kanhaiya's candidature but backed out at the last moment saying the controversies surrounding him may not fetch him votes in the region. Their candidate Hassan is vocally campaigning against both Giriraj and Kanhaiya and is backing on the Muslim-Yadav support in the region.

Poll date: April 29 (fourth phase)

Voters: 1942769 (Male - 1034260, female - 908446, transgenders - 63)

Key candidates: Giriraj Singh (BJP), Tanveer Hassan (RJD), Kanhaiya Kumar (CPI)

LS 2014 polls: Won - Dr. Bhola Singh (BJP) 4,28,227 votes (39.72%), Lost - Tanveer Hassan (RJD) 3,69,892 votes (34.31%)

PATNA SAHIB

Ever since actor-turned-BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha started singing a different tune than that of the party, it was evident that he will no longer have a re-run from the Patna Sahib constituency as a saffron party candidate. The constituency came into existence after delimitation in 2008 and Sinha represented it in 2009 and 2014. It will be interesting to see how he fares from the same seat on a Congress ticket against Union minister and BJP candidate Ravi Shankar Prasad, who source say, was a front-runner for the BJP ticket from the seat even in 2014.

With an electorate of over 21.36 lakh, the Patna Sahib constituency, which comprises the urban parts of the state capital, is the largest in the state and has a sizeable section of Kayastha votes on which both Ravi Shankar and Shatrughan are banking. The latter is also banking on the Muslim-Yadav votes of the RJD, while the BJP is pretty sure that they have unwavering support from the Kayastha community.

Why the BJP considers Patna Sahib its stronghold is evident from the 55% plus votes that Shatrughan polled as their candidate in 2014 while Congress party's Kunal Singh could only manage about 25% votes. Add to fact that a good number of voters believe that Shatrughan has done "nothing" for the constituency, it is going to be an uphill task for him.

Poll date: May 19 (seventh phase)

Voters: 2136800 (Male - 1127718, female - 1008966, transgenders - 116)

Key candidates: Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP), Shatrughan Sinha (Congress - but not formally announced)

LS 2014 polls: Won Shatrughan Sinha (BJP) 485,905 votes (55.04%), Lost - Kunal Singh (Congress) 220,100 votes (24.93%)

PATALIPUTRA

The second constituency of state capital Patna, Pataliputra, is set to witness a replay of 2014 "chacha-bhatiji" fight. RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav's eldest daughter and MP Misa Bharti is locked in a direct contest against party turncoat and now Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav, who had defeated Misa by over 40,000 votes in the last election.

Ram Kripal's was one of the most surprising switch in 2014, after the Lalu loyalist lost the party ticket to Misa in a constituency where he claimed to have toiled day and night for the RJD.

Of the 19.09 lakh voters of Pataliputra constituency, which is mostly the outer and rural Patna, a sizeable number comprises the Yadavs. However, with the BJP candidate also being a Yadav, the community votes are likely to split between both, making the contest an interesting one. In Misa's favour, is also the support of CPI (ML-L), which has decided not to field any candidate from Pataliputra as a return goodwill gesture of the RJD for leaving the Ara seat.

"The Left candidate had polled over 50,000 votes in 2014 and that may make all the difference," an RJD source said.

Poll date: May 19 (seventh phase)

Voters: 1909112 (Male - 999021, female - 910035, transgenders - 56)

Key candidates: Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP), Misa Bharti (RJD)

LS 2014 polls: won Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP) 3,83,262 votes (39.16%), Lost - Misa Bharti (RJD) 3,42,940 votes (35.04%)

SARAN

Saran is the home constituency of two ex-chief ministers of Bihar - Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, and is believed to be a stronghold of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Former Union minister and MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who defeated Rabri from the seat in 2014 by over 40,000 votes, is for a re-run from the seat as the BJP nominee. However, the makes the contest curious is the "sasur-damad" fight between RJD candidate Chandrika Rai and "Independent" Tej Pratap Yadav.

After RJD declared Chandrika as their candidate, despite Tej Pratap's opposition owing to his troubled marriage with his daughter Aishwarya Rai, Tej Pratap announced his candidature as an independent from the "family seat." "The Saran seat has remained in the family, how can others be fielded from there," said Tej Pratap, the elder son of Lalu and Rabri who has also launched Lalu-Rabri Morcha separate from the RJD.

There are over 16.55 lakh voters in Saran, dominated by the Yadav caste. The constituency which came into existence in 2008 has seen close fights between the RJD and BJP. In 2009, Lalu won the seat, defeating Rudy by over 51,000 votes but Rabri lost it in 2014. Now Tej Pratap's entry into the scene is likely to make it a triangular contest with the RJD loyalists already confused about supporting the party candidate or the chief's son.

Chandrika himself was a minister in the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar and is the son of ex-Bihar CM Daroga Rai.

Poll date: May 6 (fifth phase)

Voters: 1655736 (Male - 888612, female - 767089, transgenders - 35)

Key candidates: Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP), Chandrika Rai (RJD), Tej Pratap Yadav (Independent)

LS 2014 polls: Won - Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP) 3,55,120 votes (41.12%), Lost - Rabri Devi (RJD) 3,14,172 votes (36.38%)