6 months ago
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The predetermination to Dhamdaha, 1 of the 7 Assembly constituencies successful Purnia territory of Seemanchal region, is 1 of the keenly watched contests successful the Bihar polls.
Santosh Kushwaha, who discontinue the ruling Janata Dal (United) to articulation the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) weeks earlier the election, is contesting from the constituency against Lesi Singh, the JD(U) campaigner and Minister successful the Cabinet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Kushwaha, who was sitting MP, contested from Purnia connected the JD(U) summons and mislaid to Independent campaigner Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav.
A fewer days back, portion campaigning, Mr. Kushwaha was recovered riding pillion with Pappu Yadav connected a motorcycle during the Jan Sampark Yatra — erstwhile a rival present a friend.
Once precise adjacent to the Bihar CM, Mr. Kushwaha served successful the enactment for much than a decennary and near nary chromatic unturned to springiness a pugnacious combat to Ms. Lesi Singh, who is simply a beardown JD(U) person and five-term MLA from Dhamdaha. In 2020, she defeated RJD campaigner Dilip Kumar Yadav.
Tough combat ahead
Umesh Choudhary, a elector successful Kajha panchayat successful Dhamdaha, said that some are fashionable leaders successful their ain capableness and radical person seen their work.
“It is simply a precise pugnacious determination to take betwixt the 2 due to the fact that we person seen Santosh ji for 10 years and we person besides seen Lesi ji for the past 20 years. In the Lok Sabha election, helium was defeated due to the fact that radical were fed up with him,” Mr. Choudhary said.
Located 35 km from Purnia town, Dhamdaha constituency has a mixed population. According to residents, caste does not determine the destiny of a candidate; alternatively their representation does. It is evident from the information that contempt Muslims and Yadavs making up astir 30% of the colonisation successful the constituency, the RJD could triumph this spot conscionable once, successful 2005.
“People successful our constituency bash not ballot connected the ground of caste. What is much important is their nationalist representation and the bully enactment they person done successful the past. The JD(U) campaigner is simply a Rajput portion the RJD campaigner is simply a Koeri. Despite the debased fig of precocious caste radical successful the constituency, she [Ms. Singh of JD(U)] continues to triumph the spot for galore presumption now,” Mrinal Paswan, a nonmigratory of Dhanhara colony nether Gokulpur panchayat, said.
Dhamdaha has implicit 16% Scheduled Caste (SC) voters and astir 8% Scheduled Tribe (ST) voters.
People’s perception
There is simply a cognition among voters that Mr. Kushwaha is not easy disposable and seldom visited the constituency erstwhile helium was the MP. Whereas Ms. Singh is seen arsenic a grassroots-level person who makes predominant visits to her Assembly constituency.
“Dus hazar rupya diya; escaped bijli diya; pension badha diya; jiska khayenga usi ka na geet gayenge (Gave 10 1000 rupees; gave escaped electricity; accrued pension; [we] volition sing the praises of the 1 who has fed us),” said Manju Devi, a nonmigratory of Rangpura village.
Dhamdaha was erstwhile represented by the archetypal Dalit Chief Minister of Bihar – Bhola Paswan Shastri – successful 1957. He served arsenic the Bihar CM thrice for a little play betwixt 1968 to 1972.
Ms. Singh, a 51-year-old person and presently the Food and Consumer Protection Minister, is astir apt contesting her toughest conflict against her erstwhile colleague.
She was seeking votes, highlighting the enactment done by the Nitish Kumar government. She asserted that Mr. Kumar has done a batch of developmental work, with peculiar absorption connected women empowerment.
She besides claimed that Mr. Kushwaha was obscurity successful the contention and helium had betrayed Mr. Kumar by joining hands with the RJD.
“There is choler among the radical against my opponent. Party gave him a Lok Sabha summons for the 3rd clip but helium became opportunistic and betrayed the enactment and enactment for idiosyncratic interests,” Ms. Singh told The Hindu, connected the sidelines of gathering supporters astatine her residence successful Purnia.
She further said, “This is not the archetypal clip helium has done this; for the 4th time, helium has changed party. In democracy, specified betrayers are not accepted by people. I person afloat spot successful the radical of Dhamdaha that erstwhile again they volition springiness their emotion and affection to me. Once again radical volition ballot for development.”
‘People privation a change’
Mr. Kushwaha, 50, started his governmental travel from the BJP successful 2010, aboriginal joined the agreed Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), and successful 2013, helium joined the JD(U).
In the constituency, helium is speaking the connection of his caller person Tejashwi Yadav that radical are consenting for a alteration not lone successful Dhamdaha but successful full Bihar. He besides levelled charges of corruption against the sitting MLA.
“The voters of Dhamdaha are similar god, and they person made it wide that alteration volition travel to Dhamdaha; a large translation volition happen. The poor, the deprived, the backward, the minorities — the full assemblage — volition unite to guarantee the triumph of the lantern awesome and marque Tejashwi Yadav ji as the Chief Minister of Bihar,” Mr. Kushwaha said successful 1 of his nationalist meetings.
Jan Suraaj Party’s (JSP) Rakesh Yadav, a erstwhile councillor, is besides successful the fray, appealing to radical to ballot for a change. Similarly, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) campaigner Mohammad Istiyaque Alam is banking connected the Muslim voters and the popularity of his party’s head, Asaduddin Owaisi.
