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A unusual concern has developed for the Mahagathbandhan (’Grand Alliance’) astatine the Gaura-Bauram Assembly constituency successful Darbhanga district, wherever Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) campaigner Afzal Ali Khan secured the summons to contest, but successful a past infinitesimal seat-sharing deal, the spot went to the kitty of an ally, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Mr. Khan responded by refusing to comply with enactment main Lalu Prasad’s petition to instrumentality the enactment symbol, and insisted connected continuing arsenic the RJD’s campaigner for Gaura-Baram, against the candidates of the VIP arsenic good arsenic the Opposition BJP.
Follow Bihar Assembly predetermination LIVE updates connected October 25
Confusion reigned implicit the “bizarre concern for voters”, residents of the constituency told The Hindu.
“I americium contesting the predetermination connected the RJD ticket, and seeking votes arsenic a Mahagathbandhan candidate. I don’t cognize astir others. You spell and inquire the radical of the constituency,” Mr. Khan told this newsman implicit a telephone telephone connected October 23.
His societal media grip continues to station connected his run arsenic a campaigner supported by the Mahagathbandhan.
“I person not heard his name. I bash not cognize him,” Mr. Khan said, erstwhile asked astir the VIP’s candidate, Santosh Sahani, younger member of enactment laminitis Mukesh Sahani, from the aforesaid seat.
“Have you heard that speech betwixt us?” Mr. Khan said, erstwhile asked if helium hadn’t been called by the RJD enactment to retreat from the contention erstwhile the spot program was finalised. “No 1 has asked maine to instrumentality the ticket,” helium said.
“I americium the existent Mahagathbandhan candidate successful the field, and I cognize nary 1 else. The different parties’ candidates are besides successful the fray, isn’t it?” Mr. Khan said, erstwhile asked if voters would not beryllium confused portion choosing the Mahagathbandhan’s campaigner against the BJP’s Sujit Kumar.
The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), founded by erstwhile poll-strategist Prashant Kishor, has nominated Mohd Iftikhar Alam arsenic its campaigner for Gaura-Bauram, but voters this newsman spoke with said the contention was “only betwixt Afzal Ali Khan (RJD) and Sujit Kumar (BJP)”.
“The combat is lone betwixt the RJD campaigner and the BJP candidate. The VIP has made a mistake by fielding Mukesh Sahani’s member Santosh Sahani against some the candidates. He volition suffer successful this Brahmin and Muslim- dominated constituency,” Prabhakar Kumar, 38, who runs a photocopying store nether a makeshift operation by a broadside of the roadworthy other to the Gaura-Bauram Block Development Office said.
Mr. Kumar, who hails from an Extremely Backward Class (EBC) community, declined to beryllium photographed, and suggested a representation of the dilapidated Block Development Office could beryllium taken instead. The bureau had immoderate vehicles parked wrong the compound with a lone policeman connected work snoozing connected a stool astatine a distance.
“Even successful my Muslim community, helium doesn’t basal immoderate chance,” Julus Miyan, from the adjacent shop, said of Mr. Alam, the JSP candidate. “I don’t cognize wherefore helium is being fielded successful the contest. There indispensable beryllium immoderate larger governmental plan down his candidature,” Mr. Miyan said.
The VIP’s Mr. Sahani has stated his volition to determination the court, seeking enactment against section predetermination officials for not “dismissing the candidature of the RJD’s Afzal Ali Khan adjacent aft [his] enactment main Lalu Prasad requested him to withdraw”.
In the 2020 Assembly election, Mr. Khan was defeated by implicit 7,000 votes by the past VIP campaigner Swarna Singh who, successful May 2022, joined BJP, on with 2 different VIP MLAs. Ms. Singh has not secured a summons this time, with the BJP fielding Mr. Kumar arsenic its candidate.
The Gaura-Bauram Assembly constituency was won by the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) successful the 2010 and 2015 Assembly elections.
Gaura-Bauram is situated connected the situated connected Darbhanga-Saharsa territory border, astir 45 km from Darbhanga town. The constituency is dominated by precocious caste Brahmins, Muslim, Yadav, Mallah (Mr. Sahani hails from this community), and different EBC voters.
It falls nether the Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituency, with 3 blocks (Guara-Bauram, Kiratpur, and Biraul), and 12 colony panchayats. The Kamala stream flows done the constituency and supports its mostly agrarian economy.
“Distressed migration of section youths from the country is its biggest curse,” sexagenarian elector Baburam Shah said. Mr. Shah owns a cloth store connected the Gaura-Bauram-Saharsa highway. “The BJP has an borderline implicit different candidates successful this constituency,” helium said.
Sources successful the RJD said that erstwhile Mr. Khan did not instrumentality his party’s symbol, Mr. Prasad wrote to the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer to “not consider” his nomination. However, Mr. Khan had by that clip travelled to Gaura-Baram and filed his information papers connected October 17. Mr. Khan subsequently went incommunicado. The Election Commission of India authorities told the RJD enactment that they could not “remove Afzal Ali Khan’s information arsenic helium has already filed his information with due documentation”, sources said.
“It’s disorder and chaos wrong the Mahagathbandhan, which has led to the bizarre concern successful the constituency,” an RJD person said, adding, “How volition our enactment person and main ministerial look Tejashwi Yadav run against the campaigner contesting the predetermination connected his party’s symbol? Yes, this disorder volition decidedly interaction the effect from this constituency.”
“Afzal Ali Khan is simply a rebel campaigner now,” RJD MLC and nationalist wide caput of the party’s younker helping Qari Shohaib said, accusing Mr. Khan of “deceiving” the party, and adding, “We bash not see him the party’s candidate.”
Mr. Khan maintains otherwise. “I americium the RJD campaigner contesting the predetermination and this is precise clear,” helium said, campaigning successful a “far distant area”.
Similarly, the main Mahagathbandhan alliance parties, the RJD and the Congress, are contesting against each different connected 5 seats — Sikandra, Vaishali, Narkatiyaganj, Kahalgaon, and Sultanganj. The Congress is contesting against candidates of the Communist Party of India (CPI) connected 4 seats — Biharsharief, Rajapakar, Bacchhwara, and Kargahar.
Under the Mahagathbandhan alliance, the RJD is contesting successful 143 seats; the VIP successful 15 seats, including Gaura-Bauram; the Congress successful 61; and 33 seats are being contested by 3 Left parties — Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-M-L) successful 20, the Communist Party of India (CPI) successful nine; and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) successful four.
The Mahagathbandhan is fielding 252 candidates for 243-member State Assembly, with a “friendly contest” successful 9 seats.
Polling for the Gaura-Bauram constituency is scheduled connected November 6. The results for the Bihar Assembly predetermination volition beryllium declared connected November 14.
