The entry of heavyweight Independent candidate Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has created a buzz among the youth in Purnea Lok Sabha seat of Seemanchal region in Bihar, while anti-incumbency factor surrounds NDA candidate Santosh Kushwaha.
Besides, Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) candidate and RJD leader Bima Bharti is relying heavily on the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) to bolster her chances of defeating the other two candidates in the constituency in northeast Bihar.
Ms. Bharti also belongs to the EBC community, which accounts for over five lakh people out of a total 19 lakh voters in the constituency. Notably, Purnea has a large Muslim population as well.
On Wednesday, she reached the local Congress office in Subhas Nagar from a local hotel where she is staying to kick off her poll campaign. “We are going to Kasba area for campaigning and to meet a Congress leader there,” she said as her white SUV adorned with oversized flags of RJD, Congress and Communist Party of India zoomed out of the town.
Four-time Congress MLA from Kasba Assembly constituency Afaque Alam is said to be an influential leader of his area and Ms. Bharti has sought his support in ensuring victory for the Opposition bloc.
The talk of the town in the electoral arena appeared to be Mr. Yadav, who was recently seen weeping in a public meeting asking what was his fault that RJD chief Lalu Prasad did not agree to support him.
“We’ll vote for Pappu Yadav who has returned to Purnea after about 20 years. He has been with us in both good times and bad,” said Madan Yadav and his friends, two of them from the upper caste Rajput community, at Purnea Line Bazaar area.
The Lok Sabha seat has six Assembly constituencies — Kodha, Kasba, Banmankhi, Dhamdaha, Rupauli and Purnea. Out of these, Muslim, EBC, OBC, SC, ST and Yadav voters are the highest in Kasba, Kodha, Rupauli and Banmankhi constituencies while the upper caste Rajput and Brahmin voters are in higher number in Purnea and Dhamdaha constituencies.
“Youth belonging to all castes and religions are crazy about Pappu Yadav, especially in rural areas. In the towns, the businessmen and doctors still fear his name,” said Rajesh Sharma, a senior journalist based out of Purnea.
Earlier in his life, Pappu Yadav’s prescription for doctors to take fixed fees from people and alleged extortion from businessmen of the district were dreaded by everyone. “Yes, in the past, Mr. Yadav was a don of Purnea and the people used to fear him a lot,” the scribe recalled.
Mr. Yadav was also an accused in the murder of veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and four-time legislator Ajit Sarkar in June 1998. However, he was acquitted in the case by Patna High Court in May 2013. Mr. Yadav was a three-time MP from Purnea and won two times in Madhepura seat. But the “easy and fast accessibility” of Pappu Yadav to the citizens of the constituency on any occasion has appeared to be his biggest catch point in the fray in Purnea.
The third candidate from Purnea seat, Santosh Kushwaha, though faces heavy anti-incumbency.
Mr Kushwaha has won the seat two consecutive times and local people are said to be resenting him for doing “no development work” in the constituency. “Though Kushwaha has no tainted past, he is a good-for-nothing candidate and this sentiment is seen among voters this time,” the senior journalist said.
Purnea goes to the polls in the second phase on April 26.
