This story is from April 15, 2019

Triangular fight on the cards in Madhepura as 3 Yadavs in fray

Triangular fight on the cards in Madhepura as 3 Yadavs in fray
Representative image
PATNA/MADHEPURA: Marginalised “Pachpaniyan” votes are likely to play a key role in the ensuing Lok Sabha election in Madhepura which will go to the polls in the third phase on April 23. The high-profile constituency is poised to witness a triangular contest between three heavyweight contenders.
All the three — Sharad Yadav, who is contesting on an RJD ticket, sitting RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who was expelled from the RJD and is now seeking re-election as independent and Dinesh Chandra Yadav of the JD(U) — belong to the same caste and are locked in a stiff fight against each other.
A major chunk of the voters belonged to Yadav community.
“It is perhaps for the first time when three stalwarts of a single social fold (Yadav) have locked horns against each other in the Lok Sabha election from Madhepura in recent history,” said Mahesh Mandal (52), who claimed to be a close relative of former Madhepura MP and the then chairman of Mandal commission late Bindeshari Prasad Mandal, better known as B P Mandal.
The region had once been a bastion of socialist movement and the regional leaders of this fold fought the election against the ruling Congress. In 1967, B P Mandal was elected on the ticket of the Sanyukta Socialist Party. In 1968 byelection, he retained the seat but in 1971 he lost to Rajendra Prasad Yadav of the Congress. Again in 1977, B P Mandal was elected on the ticket of Bhartiya Lok Dal.
In 1980, Rajendra Prasad Yadav won the seat. However, Choudhary Mahavir Prasad Yadav emerged triumphant in 1984. In 1989, Ramendra Kumar Yadav Ravi got elected. In 1991 and 1996, Sharad Yadav won from here. An old adage, ‘Rome Pope ka aur Madhepura Gope ka’, had evoked rattling response from the people.
The scenario has now changed after rationalisation of Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency in 2008. A bigger part of Saharsa district had been added to the Madhepura constituency after delimitation.

Almost all the bigger political parties prefer to field the candidates from Yadav caste. Pappu Yadav is the sitting MP. He was expelled from the RJD after he made unsavoury remarks against some senior leaders of the party. He is contesting as independent this time.
Pappu reportedly tried his level best to be a part of the Mahagathbandhan, but in vain. The RJD not only denied him ticket but also fielded his (Pappu’s) arch rival Sharad Yadav. Pappu had won the election in 2014 after defeating Sharad by a margin of about 56,000 votes. Last time, Sharad had contested on the JD(U)’s ticket.
The JD(U) had contested the previous Lok Sabha election on its own. This time, the party has fielded Dinesh Chandra Yadav, also a former MP. Dinesh Chandra Yadav is currently a minister in the Nitish Kumar-led cabinet.
Altogether 13 candidates, including a few from the regional parties and independents, are in the fray. They have intensified their election campaign in the areas of their influence as only nine days are left for the D-Day. CM Nitish Kumar has also been camping in the region for the last couple of days.
Pappu Yadav introduces himself as “local” neta while campaigning in the constituency. “Jab khojvo ham tora samne hobo (Whenever you look for me, I will be available),” he tells the voters. According to Pappu, he is a ‘Kosi ka lal’ and this election in Madhepura is all about ‘sthaniye aur bahri (local versus outsider)’.
Sharad Yadav is mainly banking on RJD’s traditional voter bank (MY). At an election rally, Sharad recently said this election was all about saving democracy.
Factionalism has been common among this bigger social fold in the elections. Dinesh Chandra Yadav’s presence will lead to the division of Yadav votes. Under such circumstances, ‘Pachpaniya’ voters, who are mainly from other backward castes other than Yadavs, may play a decisive role in the election.
The candidates are trying their best to woo the ‘Pachpaniya’ voters, who still believe in leadership of CM Nitish Kumar. They voted for Nitish’s party even in 2014 parliamentary election, which led to the defeat of BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Singh.
Vijay had managed to secure third position in the 2014 general election. While Pappu had secured 3,68,937 votes, Sharad had polled 3,12,728 votes. Sharad had earlier defeated RJD chief Lalu Prasad in 1999. Lalu was elected in 1998 and 2004, but he later left the seat, leading to by-poll in which Pappu emerged triumphant.
In 2009, Sharad won on the ticket of the JD(U) but lost to Pappu in 2014 election. “Madhepura is my karma bhumi,” Sharad said, adding he was ready to face all odds but wouldn’t change his stand.
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