Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates for 2019 LS poll, past results, all updates

Muzaffarpur, one of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, goes to polls in the fifth phase of general elections on May 6. The sitting MP of Madhubani is BJP's Ajay Nishad who won from the seat for the first time in 2014. This was the first time in the history of the constituency that a BJP candidate won from here. 

The parliamentary constituency is known for sending political heavyweight George Fernandes to Lok Sabha for five terms. Another socialist leader, Jai Narain Prasad Nishad, won from here for four terms - once each as undivided Janata Dal candidate and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate and twice as Janata Dal (United) candidate - and also served as Union Minister.  

Sitting BJP MP Ajay Nishad is the son of Jai Narain Prasad Nishad.

This time, both the BJP and the grand alliance have fielded candidates from the Nishad community.

Ajay Nishad, seeking re-election from the seat, faces Raj Bhushan Chaudhary fielded by the Mukesh Sahni-led Vikassheel Insaan Party, which is seeking to assume leadership of the community. There are a total of 22 candidates trying their luck in Muzaffarpur.

The parliamentary constituency comprises six Vidhan Sabha segments: Gaighat, Aurai, Bochahan, Sakra, Kurhani and Muzaffarpur.

Prashant Gautam, a first-time voter and a student of Muzaffarpur's prestigious L S College, however, said he won't vote on the basis of caste and claimed that the opposition "has no face".

In 2014, Ajay Nishad had defeated Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress by more than two lakh votes. Muzaffarpur is one of the three seats allotted to the VIP as part of the seat-sharing arrangement of the grand alliance comprising the RJD, Congress, RLSP, HAM and VIP.

The contest in Bihar is two-way in most seats with NDA pitted against Mahagathbandhan. While Janata Dal (United) is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which comprises of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the Bihar Mahagathbandhan comprises Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikasshil Insan Party (VIP).

The Congress got nine constituencies as per the seat-sharing arrangements, while the RJD has 20 out of which it has forgone Ara in favour of the CPI(ML), which has returned the favour by announcing that the ultra-Left outfit would not field its candidate from Pataliputra, which would be contested by Lalu Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti. 

Besides, Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP is contesting five seats and Jitan Ram Manjhis HAM is fighting three. The VIP, founded and headed by Bollywood set designer-turned-politician Mukesh Sahni, has got three seats out of the 40 in Bihar.

The polling on this seat will be held in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 6. Five constituencies of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats - Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Hajipur and Sitamarhi - will go to polls in the third phase. A total of 82 candidates are in fray in the five constituencies that would go to polls.

The results of the  Lok Sabha election 2019 will be declared on May 23.