This story is from October 23, 2020

Bihar elections: Nawada district's Rajauli, Hisua set to witness direct contest between RJD and BJP

Bihar elections: Nawada district's Rajauli, Hisua set to witness direct contest between RJD and BJP
PATNA: Famous for its Kakolat waterfalls and scenic beauty of Rajauli valley, Nawada district has altogether five assembly constituencies. Altogether 70 candidates are trying their luck from five constituencies namely Rajauli (SC), Hisua, Nawada, Gobindpur and Warisaliganj. All five constituencies are going to the polls in the first phase on October 28.
Of the total five constituencies, Rajauli and Hisua are all set to witness direct contest between the BJP and the RJD candidates, while Nawada, Gobindpur and Warisaliganj may have a triangular contest.

In the 2015 polls, the Grand Alliance comprising the RJD, JD(U) and Congress, had won altogether three seats -Rajauli, Nawada and Gobindpur; while the BJP rest two- Hisua and Warisaliganj.
In the current election, the BJP is contesting three seats—Rajauli, Hisua and Warisaliganj while the JD(U) has two seats Nawada and Gobindpur. In the Grand Alliance, the RJD is contesting from Rajauli, Nawada and Gobindpur, while ally Congress from Hisua and Warisaliganj.
Rajauli (SC): Famous for its stone quarries, Rajauli constituency has the highest number of candidates in the district. Altogether 22 candidates are trying their luck, but the main contest would be centered around the RJD’s sitting MLA Prakash Veer and the BJP’s former MLA Kanhaiya Rajwar. Caste-factor is likely to play a major role in deciding the fate of candidates. While upper castes voters seem to be polarised in favour of the BJP’s candidate Kanhaiya Rajwar, those hail from OBCs and Muslims are by and large in support of the RJD’s nominees.

Hisua: Having a dominant population of Bhumihar caste, Hisua constituency has altogether eight candidates. But the main contest would be centered around the BJP’s sitting MLA Anil Singh and Congress candidate Nitu Kumari, who is daughter-in-law of former minister Aditya Singh. The BJP candidate Anil Singh has been continuously winning the seat since November 2005 and he is once again working hard to register his victory for the fourth consecutive term. Prior to the November 2005 election, Aditya Singh had won the seat for six consecutive times since 1980. Now, Aditya’s bahu is giving a tough fight to the BJP nominee.
Nawada: Infamous for being represented by the rape convict Raj Ballabh Yadav, Nawada assembly constituency this time has a total of 15 candidates. But the main contest is likely to be held between the JD(U)’s sitting MLA Kaushal Yadav and the RJD candidate Vibha Devi, who is wife of Raj Ballabh Yadav. The BJP’s former district president Shashibhushan Kumar Babloo is contesting as the LJP candidate and trying his best to make the fight triangular. Whatever votes the LJP candidate would bag, it would be a loss to the JD(U) candidate. In 2015, Raj Ballabh won the seat as the RJD candidate. But months after his election, he had to go to jail on the charges of raping a minor girl. Later after getting convicted in the same rape case, Raj Ballabh had to quit the membership of the assembly and a by-election was held in 2019. JJD(U)’s Kaushal Yadav won the by-election defeating Raj Ballabh’s wife. Earlier, Raj Ballabh had won the seat in 1995 and 2000. After that, Kaushal’s wife Purnima Yadav won the seat for three consecutive times in February 2005, November 2005 and 2010 elections.
Gobindpur: Widely known as the traditional seat of Kaushal Yadav-Purnima Yadav’s family, Gobindpur constituency this year has altogether 15 candidates. But local people say the main contest most probably would be centered around the sitting MLA Purnima Yadav, RJD candidate Md Kamran and the BJP rebel-cum-LJP nominee Ranjit Yadav. In the 2015 election, Purnima had won the seat as Congress candidate. But she joined the ruling JD(U) weeks before the announcement of the 2020 election. The LJP candidate Ranjit Yadav’s wife Fula Devi, who had then contested as the BJP nominee, had secured the second position by begging more than 38,600 votes. Whatever votes the LJP candidate would secure in this election, it would be a dent in the vote of the JD(U) nominee. Earlier, this seat was won by the family members of Purnima most of the time. Purnima’s husband Kaushal Yadav who is this year contesting from Nawada seat as JD(U) candidate, won the Gobindpur seat for three consecutive times in February 2005, November 2005 and 2010 elections. Prior to that, Purnima’s mother-in-law Gayatri Devi won the seat four times in 1980, 1985, 1990 and 2000. Prior to Gayatri’s entry in politics, her husband Yugal Kishor Singh Yadav too won the seat in 1969.
Warisaliganj: This year, there are altogether 10 candidates in the constituency. But the main contest, people say, would be centered around the BJP’s sitting MLA Aruna Devi and former MLA Pradip Kumar’s wife Arti Sinha who entered politics this after quitting her job in the agriculture department. The Congress candidate Satish Kumar Mantan is trying his best to make the contest as triangular. Pradip Kumar won the seat in the November 2005 election as an independent and in the 2010 election as the JD(U) nominee. But he was disqualified from contesting the polls after his conviction in a criminal case. Aruna for the first time won the seat as an Independent in the 2000 election. She won the seat on the BJP ticket in 2015 polls.
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