Caste factor to play key role in Darbhanga seat this time

DARBHANGA: Darbhanga, the heart of Mithilanchal, is set to send a new representative to the Lok Sabha this time. The two key contestants – BJP’s Gopaljee Thakur and RJD’s Abdul Bari Siddiqui – had never contested the parliamentary election earlier.
The two, however, are not new faces for the residents of the constituency as they had fought the state assembly polls earlier — Siddiqui for seven times and Gopaljee Thakur for two times.Sitting BJP MP Kirti Jha Azad has quit the saffron party and joined Congress, which has fielded him from Dhanbad in Jharkhand.
The Congress wanted to field Azad, the three-term MP, from the Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat but succumbed to the pressure of the RJD, which finally nominated former minister Siddiqui as its candidate instead of the party’s four-term MP from the seat M A A Fatmi.
Denial of ticket to Fatmi, who was the runner up in the previous election, has irked his supporters who are in a mood to teach the RJD a lesson. “We are very shocked and angry. The way Fatmi saheb was shown the door by the RJD is very humiliating for all of us. We will not tolerate it,” said Mohammad Shahbaz (35), a resident of Khajasarai in Darbhanga town. Notably, Fatmi, who wanted to contest from the Madhubani seat, is a native of Khajasarai.
Fatmi had represented the Darbhanga seat in Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004. To rub salt into the wound of Siddiqui, the BSP has fielded Mohammad Mokhtar from Darbhanga, who might eat into the vote bank of the Mahagathbandhan. In 2014 election, the JD(U) had fielded Sanjay Jha from the seat.
The significance of Darbhanga seat for the BJP can be gauged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to address an election rally here on April 25. “The PM’s rally has its impact not only on the Darbhanga seat but also on neighbouring constituencies like Madhubani, Samastipur and Ujiyarpur,” said Suraj Kant Jha (60), a resident of Laheriasarai.
Both the BJP and the RJD, which are the main constituents of the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan, respectively, are trying to keep their grip on this Lok Sabha seat. While the saffron party, which considers the seat as its stronghold, has deployed adequate resources, the RJD has not left any stone unturned to reclaim its traditional vote base in the Mithilanchal region.
Most residents lamented that the local issues had been ignored both by the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. “The nation’s security has suddenly become important for the political parties. The issue should not have been raised during elections,” said Nathuni Yadav (43), a resident of Baheri in Darbhanga.
The residents were hoping that the issues related to construction of AIIMS, airport, Maithili language, unemployment, migration, floods and drinking water and transport facilities would dominate the electoral scene. “It’s unfortunate that all these issues concerning the people are missing from the scene. Instead some are seeking voters’ favour on the issue of national security and others are trying to garner support by saying that the country’s constitution and democratic set up are in danger. Nobody is talking about people’s sufferings,” said Manish Kumar Jha (24), a resident of Alinagar under the same assembly segment in Darbhanga district.
Sushil Sahu (52), a local resident, said officials’ callousness has caused delay in construction of approach road to the bridge on the Kamla Balan river near Kanhauli. The bridge was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore, but has not been opened for public due to lack of approach road. As a result, residents of a dozen villages such as Tengarahi, Mahinam, Katwasa, Mahwa, Sajjanpur and Malalai had to cover a distance of about 18km to reach Benipatti, the block headquarters.
The Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituency comprises six assembly segments – Darbhanga, Darbhanga rural, Bahadurpur, Benipur, Alinagar and Gaura Bauram. The RJD and the BJP accounted for three seats each in the state assembly.
While the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan is banking on traditional Muslim-Yadav vote besides those of Mallahs, the BJP is hoping to sail through with the help of its own support base, upper castes, as well as voters loyal to the JD(U) and the LJP. However, the voters belonging to the OBCs will play a vital role in determining the poll outcome.
Brahmins accounted for about 10% of 14.95 lakh electorate in the constituency. According to a rough estimate, there are 3.5 lakh Muslims, 3 lakh each Yadavs and Brahmins in Darbhanga district. “OBCs and EBCs are in sizeable number. This is why political parties are focussing on them as per their internal equations and expectations,” said Vashishtha Narain Singh (68), a retired professor of L N Mithila University, Darbhanga.
He said the two main contenders were trying to woo the electorate on the basis of caste and religion. “The real issues concerning the common people are being completely ignored,” he said, adding mobilisation of Brahmin, Yadav and OBC votes would play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the eight candidates in the fray.
Darbhanga, Ujiyarpur, Samastipur, Munger and Begusarai will go to the polls in the fourth phase on April 29.