Bihar Election: Tripartite fight in Phase 3 as 78 seats go to polls; Seemanchal in focus

Polling in the last phase of Bihar assembly elections will take place on 78 assembly constituencies on Saturday. They are, Valmiki Nagar, Ramnagar (SC), Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Sikta, Raxaul, Sugauli, Narkatia, Motihari, Chiraia, Dhaka, Riga, Bathnaha (SC), Parihar, Sursand, Bajpatti, Harlakhi, Benipatti, Khajauli, Babubarhi, Bisfi, Laukaha, Nirmali, Pipra, Supaul, Triveniganj (SC), Chhatapur, Narpatganj, Raniganj (SC), Forbesganj, Araria, Jokihat, Sikti, Bahadurganj, Thakurganj, Kishanganj, Kochadhaman, Amour, Baisi, Kasba, Banmankhi (SC), Rupauli, Dhamdaha, Purnia , Katihar, Kadwa, Balrampur, Pranpur, Manihari (ST), Barari, Korha (SC), Alamnagar, Bihariganj, Singheshwar (SC), Madhepura, Sonbarsha (SC), Saharsa, Simri Bakhtiarpur, Mahishi, Darbhanga, Hayaghat, Bahadurpur, Keoti, Jale, Gaighat, Aurai, Bochahan (SC), Sakra (SC), Kurhani, Muzaffarpur, Mahua, Patepur (SC), Kalyanpur (SC), Warisnagar, Samastipur, Morwa, Sarairanjan. Here are the key contests to look for among these constituencies: 

Madhepura

Stitching an alliance - Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) - with Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party, MK Faizi's Social Democratic Party and Bahujan Mukti Party - former Madhepura MP and Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) head Pappu Yadav has presented himself as the CM candidate in this year's election. He is contesting from Madhepura constituency against JDU's Nikhil Mandal and RJS's Chandrasekhar. Infamous for being accused in the 1998 CPI(M) leader Ajit Sarkar’s murder case, Pappu Yadav who has now been acquitted is looking to make a comeback in Bihar's political scenario and has been visible on the ground during Bihar floods. Previously, Yadav had also contested on RJD ticket from Madhepura.  In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he was third in position and his wife Ranjeet Ranjan who is in Congress lost Supaul seat from where she was a three-time MP.

Bihariganj

Sharad Yadav's daughter - Subhashini Raj Rao - who joined the Congress party just ahead of polls, is contesting from Bihariganj and is pitted against against two times JD(U) MLA Niranjan Mehta, Lok Janshakti Party candidate Vijay Kumar Singh and Prabhash Kumar of led Janadhikar Party (JAP). Though the seat is the tested turf of Madhepura, her father lost the two previous Lok Sabha polls from here. However, the Rao is banking on her father's popularity as the election posters in the constituency introduces her as Subhashini ‘Sharad Yadav’.

Saharsa

No party in this year's poll have shied away from fielding musclemen. From Saharsa, don-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh's wife is contesting on a RJD ticket. She is pitted against BJP's Alok Ranjan Jha who won the seat in 2010. In 2005, Sanjeev Kumar Jha from BJP had defeated RJD's Shankar Prasad Tekriwal. However, in 2015, RJD stalwart Arun Kumar Yadav won by a margin of over 39,000 votes. Prime Miniter Modi wrapped up his Bihar election rally in Saharsa and came down heavily on RJD and opposers of 'Bharat mata ki jai' and 'jai shri ram'.

Sarairanjan

Sitting MLA Vijay Kumar Choudhary - who is the current Speaker of the assembly and a close confidant of CM Nitish is contesting from the Sarairanjan seat in Samastipur district as a JDU candidate. Choudhary is pitted against Arvind Kumar Sahni of the RJD. Choudhary is a five-term MLA from Sarairanjan and it remains to be seen if the party will retain the seat after numerous camapign trails of RJD's Tejashwi Yadav in the district.

Sikti

RJD has fielded Shatrughan Mandal from Sikti assembly constituency, situated in Araria district, whereas sitting MLA Vijay Mandal will defend the seat for BJP. The seat is one of the 20 constituencies where BJP and RJD are in a direct contest. In 2015, Vijay Mandal had defeated Suman by 8,106 votes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Forbesganj (Araria district) on the last day of his election campaigning enlisted the works of Nitish led government. However, the seat has a large presence of Yadav and Muslim voters - vote bank of the RJD. 

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Keoti

Abdul Bari Siddiqui, a former MP and minister of finance during the Mahagathbandhan government, is contesting from the Keoti assembly seat as an RJD nominee. He has been challenged by the BJP’s Murari Mohan Jha. Abdul Bari became an MLA in 1977 for the first time from Bahera constituency.

Kishanganj

The constituency becomes crucial as it was the first seat where the AIMIM made an entry in Bihar after its candidate won the seat. As many as 20 candidates are in the fray but the fight is between AIMIM's Kamrul Hoda, Congress' Izrahul Hussain and BJP's Sweety Singh. A minority-dominated seat - in 2010 and 2015 Congress candidate Javed Azad had won in assembly polls  but his mother lost the seat in the Lok Sabha polls. 

Citizenship Amendment Act has been a poll campaign issue in the area with Muslim population. AIMIM chief Owaisi has spoken openly about it and addressing a rally in the Kochadhaman constituency on the last day of campaign,  Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sought to allay fears about the Citizenship Amendment Act. Taking a veiled dig at the opposition for spreading rumours in this regard, he asserted that no Indian will lose his citizenship. Kumar made it clear that no person shall be thrown out of the country as it is being alleged.

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Amour

The Muslim-dominated Amour that falls in the Kishanganj Lok Sabha seat will witness a fight between AIMIM, JDU and Congress. Congress has fielded sitting MLA Abdul Jalil Mastan as its candidate - who had won the seat six times. BJP has fielded Saba Zafar who defeated him in 2010. In 2015, Mastan won by a huge margin of 51,997 votes against Zafar. The contest becomes tripartite as AIMIM's state chief Akhtarul Iman is also in the fray. Iman was a two-time RJD MLA and has also been a part of  JDU) in the past, till he joined AIMIM in 2015. 

Bihar Elections 2020

Polling in 71 seats in the first phase and 94 seats in the second phase of Bihar assembly elections has been completed with voter turnout at 54.26 percent and 54.05 percent respectively. The third phase is on November 7, and the results will be announced on November 10. 

Incumbent Nitish Kumar is seeking reelection and is the CM face for the NDA. Mahagathbandhan has chosen Tejashwi Yadav as their CM face. The BJP is contesting on a seat-sharing formula of 121-122 seats with the JDU and Mukesh Sahni of Vikasheel Insaan party and Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM(S), while LJP will contest solo. Mahagathbandhan comprising of Congress and three left parties have are contesting on seat-sharing formula of 144-70-29 seats respectively. 

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There are two other alliances in the fray - Owaisi's AIMIM has stitched an alliance with Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP, Mayawati's BSP, Devendra Yadav's SJDD, and SBSP called 'Grand Democratic Secular Front'. The alliance has fielded Kushwaha as the chief ministerial face. Another alliance named 'Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA)', consist of Pappu Yadav's Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party, MK Faizi's Social Democratic Party and Bahujan Mukti Party. They have made Pappu Yadav their CM face.

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