Campaign ends for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar

Campaigning for five Bihar Lok Sabha seats -- Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur and Saran -- concluded on Saturday for the fifth phase of the seven-phased elections on May 6.

Nearly three-week long canvassing saw intense campaigning by top leaders of the ruling NDA and opposition grand alliance as well as Left parties and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BJP). While the Janata Dal (United), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) are part of the NDA; the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, the RLSP, the HAM and the VIP have formed grand allaince.

Amid the political war of words creeped in some personal attacks by various leaders. For the NDA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with other star politicians, spearhead the campaign.

For the grand alliance, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi and the Leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav (both RJD), Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi kept the campaigning scene hot.

It's more or less direct contest between the NDA and the grand alliance, except in Madhubani where a rebel Congress candidate Shakeel Ahmad has made the contest triangular.

The prominent candidates in the fray are Chandrika Rai (RJD, Saran), father in law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav. He is taking on senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

In Muzaffarpur, sitting BJP MP Ajay Nishad is caught in a tough battle with Vikassheel Insaan Party's Raj Bhusan Choudhary. In Hajipur, Lok Janshakti Party candidate Pashupati Kumar Paras is being challenged by RJD's Shiv Chandra Ram. Paras is younger brother of LJP chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who has kept himself out of the election this time.

Besides economic development, quota in government jobs and eradication of corruption are among the main electoral issues. However, the BJP is also tom-tomming nationalism and action against Pakistan.

According to political pundits, caste equations will dominate the voting pattern. Thus, the NDA is banking on upper castes and economically backwards besides OBCs and dalits. The grand alliance is hoping to garner votes of OBCs, EBCs, Muslims and Dalits.

More than 87 lakh voters would decide the fate of 82 candidates on Monday. Tight security arrangements have been made and adequate para-military personnel have been deployed. Surveillance will also be conducted by drones, officials said.

--IANS

ik/rs/pcj