This story is from May 18, 2019

Brand Nitish Kumar faces mahagathbandhan’s caste math in his Nalanda fortress

Brand Nitish Kumar faces mahagathbandhan’s caste math in his Nalanda fortress
Nitish Kumar
Key Highlights
  • Mahagathbandhan’s social engineering is posing the toughest challenge yet to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in his home turf Nalanda
  • Here 'Brand Nitish' overshadows all other factors, including dissatisfaction among a section of voters over sitting JD (U) MP Kaushlendra Kumar’s performance
NALANDA: Mahagathbandhan’s social engineering is posing the toughest challenge yet to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in his home turf Nalanda. Here 'Brand Nitish' overshadows all other factors, including dissatisfaction among a section of voters over sitting JD (U) MP Kaushlendra Kumar’s performance.
Nitish’s sway over Nalanda can be gauged from the fact JD(U) had won the seat even when Modi wave swept the state in 2014 general elections.
The only other seat JD(U) had won was Purnea.
However, the buzz in Nalanda is Kaushlendra would have faced a tough challenge had Mahagathbandhan fielded a strong candidate. Ashok Kumar Azad Chandervanshi, a nominee of Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM(S), was parachuted from Gaya by the RJD-led alliance. Locals feel a strong candidate would have shaken Nitish’s fortress as his sitting MP had won by a slim margin of only around 10,000 votes.
“Whatever has been done in Nalanda is only because of Nitish Kumar, the JD (U) candidate has hardly done anyone work on his own. Besides, as Kaushlendra has won from here twice, there was a feeling that a chance can be given to another person. But there is no other option as the candidate fielded by Mahagathbandhan is an outsider,” said Pawan Kumar (22), who runs a shop in Harnaut.
The majority of voters here believe Nalanda got its due because of Nitish. “Even though JD(U) workers have not come to this village to campaign nor too many people went gone to the recent public meeting of CM, but people will still vote for him. No one else will win from Nalanda, but he will win only in the name of Nitish Ji,” said Manoj Sinha, a farmer from Nandbigha, a village adjacent to Nitish’s ancestral village of Kalyan Bigha in Haranut block.

“While Koeri and Kurmi will be united in voting for JD (U), Paswans, EBCs and Mahadalits, including Paswans, will also be in favour of JD(U) owing to the NDA alliance,” the farmer added, elaborating on the caste equations.
As per rough estimates, the electorate in Nalanda parliamentary constituency is dominated by Kurmi (around 25 per cent) and EBCs (25 per cent), followed by Yadavs (20 per cent), Muslims (8 per cent), Kushwaha (10 per cent) and upper caste (9 per cent).
But Mahagathbandhan candidate Azad claimed he has the social equation is his favour. “I acknowledge that Kurmis form the highest proportion of voters here but the number of EBC voters are higher. EBC along with SCs, Dalits, minorities and Yadavs among several sections of voters are with us. These people have remained neglected by him (Nitish). He did development work only for his community (Kurmis),” Azad said.
The GA nominee also took a dig at Sushan Babu image of Nitish saying, the claims of development is “hollow” as law and order situation has deteriorated with murders happening frequently.
Kaushlendra, on the other hand, seemed confident of his victory. “I am fully assured of my victory as this time we are part of the NDA. In the last general elections, LJP candidate Satya Nanda Sharma secured around 3,09,000 votes, while I got around 3,19,000 votes. Now, those votes of LJP will also come to me. Besides, I had won the 2009 general elections with a margin of around 1,56,000 votes. Hence, I am sure this time I will be winning by over 4 lakh votes as I have the names of both Nitish and Modi with me,” the sitting JD(U) MP told TOI.
However, Brand Nitish may have taken a hit because of the CM’s alliance hopping. “Inka Koi Theek Nai Rehta Hai, Jidhar Ka Hawa Hota Hai, Udhar Ho Lete Hain,” said Umesh Ram, a resident of Majhi Tola in Nitish’s own village.
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