Bigwigs Vie For Votes As Bihar Goes To Polls In First Phase

Patna: The fate of several heavyweights will be sealed in the EVMs during the first phase of polling for Bihar Assembly elections on Friday.

They include the Grand Alliance's Chief Minister candidate Tejashwi Yadav, both Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, along with several ministers, superstar Khesari Lal Yadav and folk singer Maithili Thakur.

"The first phase of elections will determine the future of the alliance. Many prominent leaders are in the fray. The political future of BJP's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Tejashwi Yadav, and Tej Pratap Yadav will be decided. The ball is now in the public's court. Caste equations and public opinion will determine the performance of the candidates" said Dr Sanjay Kumar, political analyst

Chaudhary is contesting from his home constituency of Tarapur. He is facing Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj Party's candidate Santosh Kumar Singh. In Tarapur, the BSP candidate has extended the support to Samrat. Sakaldev Bind of the Vikassheel Insaan Party has already withdrawn his candidature.

The second Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, is also in the fray and Congress has fielded Amresh Kumar Anish against him. The nation will watch the Raghopur Assembly seat as the state goes to vote in the first phase. Leader of the Opposition and the Grand Alliance's Chief Minister candidate is contesting for the third time from the Raghopur Assembly seat. He has represented this seat twice. This time too, he is facing Satish Singh Yadav, who defeated Rabri Devi in ​​the 2010 elections. The Jan Suraaj Party has fielded Chanchal Singh.

Tej Pratap Yadav at an election rally (ETV Bharat)

The Mahua Assembly seat has also become a hot seat as Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, is contesting from the constituency on his party's (Janshakti Janata Dal) ticket. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded sitting MLA Mukesh Roshan against him, while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has fielded Sanjay Singh.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav from the Chhapra Assembly seat. The BJP has nominated Chhoti Kumari. The Chhapra seat is currently held by the BJP.

The BJP has nominated singer-artist Maithili Thakur for the Ali Nagar Assembly seat. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded Vinod Mishra against her. The Bharatiya Janata Party has put all support behind Maithili.

The Danapur Assembly seat is also in limelight. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded strongman Ritlal Yadav from the constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded former Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav against him.

The Mokama Assembly constituency is in the headlines as strongman Anant Singh is once again in the people's court. Anant is currently in jail in the Dularchand Yadav murder case. Suraj Bhan Singh's wife Veena Devi is contesting against him on the RJD symbol. Piyush Priyadarshi has been nominated by the Jan Suraaj Party.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded Shahabuddin's son, Osama Shahab, from the Raghunathpur Assembly seat. Janata Dal United has fielded Vikas Singh against Osama. The Raghunathpur Assembly seat has a significant Muslim population and the RJD is confident of the minority vote bank. Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj Party has nominated Rahul Kirti Singh for the seat.

Siwan was once an impregnable fortress of Mohammad Shahabuddin. The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Health Minister Mangal Pandey for the Assembly seat. Mangal hails from Siwan and has also served as the state party president. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded former Assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary against Mangal.

Vijay Chaudhary, a powerful minister in the Bihar government, is contesting for the Sarai Ranjan seat. Vijay is considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. This time, he is facing Arvind Sahni of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Vijay has been a five-time MLA, first becoming a legislator in 1985. He is seeking his sixth term in the Assembly.

The Ujiarpur Assembly seat holds special significance for the Rashtriya Janata Dal. In the Kushwaha-dominated Ujiarpur seat, the Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded former minister Alok Mehta. On behalf of the NDA, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha has fielded Prashant Pankaj. Both candidates belong to the Kushwaha caste, making the contest there an interesting one. Alok is considered close to Tejashwi Yadav.

The battle in Buxar has also reached an interesting juncture. The BJP has fielded former IPS officer Anand Mishra against two-time MLA Munna Tiwari in the Assembly seat. Tathagat Harshvardhan, son of former Union Minister KK Tiwari, is contesting on Jan Suraaj Party ticket.

"The first phase of elections will determine who will form the government. Claims are being made from both sides, but the public will have to decide. Everyone's eyes are on the hot seats. Many prominent leaders are in the fray for the hot seats, and the public will have to decide which ones to send to the Assembly," said Kaushalendra Priyadarshi, senior journalist.

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