Mayawati's magic of cornering the combined votes of Dalits and Brahmins on the lines of UP assembly elections did not click as the voters outrightly rejected the party.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's magic of cornering the combined votes of Dalits and Brahmins on the lines of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections did not click in Bihar as the voters outrightly rejected the party.
Of the 39 out of 40 lok sabha seats in the state which the BSP contested, its candidates forfeited their security deposits in every constituency except for two.
Controversial former MP Anwarul Haque, who left the LJP and contested the Sheohar Lok Sabha seat on the BSP ticket, polled 1,07,815 votes and remained first runner up. He was defeated by Rama Devi of the BJP who polled 2,33,499 votes.
Another party candidate, Shyam Lal Singh Kushwaha too managed to save his security deposits by polling 1,27,145 votes in Buxar and stood third.
The hopes of BSP performing better in constituencies like Gopalganj, Valmikinagar and Buxar bordering Uttar Pradesh on the basis of Dalit-Brahmin support base was dashed as the caste equation the party was banking on collapsed against the development plank of chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Gandhi Azad, BSP general secretary and in-charge Bihar affairs, considered close to Mayawati was humbled in Sasaram. Azad, a Rajya Sabha MP could manage only 96,616 votes and forfeited his security deposits. He was defeated by Meira Kumar of the Congress who polled 1,92,213 votes.
Like the BSP,the much talked about three party Left alliance of the CPI-ML (Liberation), CPI and CPI (M) which together contested 32 Lok Sabha seats drew a blank.
The hopes of leaders of the much fancied left alliance that deprived sections would vote for them en bloc proved wrong as the toiling masses did not identify with them and Left alliance candidates managed to save their security deposits in only two seats--Ara and Begusarai.
CPI nominee Shatrughna Prasad Singh was the first runner up with 1,64,843 votes at Begusarai, once known as 'Leningrad' of Bihar after the name of Communist citadel in then USSR. He was defeated by Monazir Hassan JD(U) who polled 2,05,680 votes.
The CPI-ML, which was hoping to wrest the Ara lok Sabha seat, was pushed to the third spot as its candidate Arun Singh could manage 1,15,966 votes as against 2,12,726 votes polled by Meena Singh of the JD (U).
The CPI-ML which has students and women's wing also, did not fare well in its stronghold Siwan as its candidate Amar Nath Yadav forefeited his securiity deposits as he polled only 72,988 votes as aginst 2,36,194 votes polled by Om Prakash Yadav, a JD (U) rebel who contested the seat as an independent.
Students from Jawaharlal Nehru University had come to Siwan to canvass for for CPI-ML nominee as slain JNU students Union president Chandrashekhar was a native of Siwan.
Subodh Roy of the CPI-M, who once represented the Bhagalpur constituency forfeited his security deposits and stood a poor sixth with only 17,087 votes. Syed Shahnawaz Hussain of the BJP etained the seat by polling 2,28,384 votes.
Similarly the former state unit secretary of the CPI-M Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi also forefeited his security deposits as he polled only 14,840 votes and was in ninth position at Nawada. Bhola Singh of BJP won the seat with 1,30,608 votes.
Of more than 300 independents only two, Digvijay Singh from Banka and Om Prakash Yadav from Siwan, emerged victorious. Both Singh and Yadav were denied tickets by the JD (U).
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