Arrah (Bihar): CPI (ML) (Liberation) candidate Sudama Prasad won from the Arrah Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar by a margin of 59808 votes. Prasad, who is contesting for the first time, emerged as giant killer as he defeated sitting BJP MP and Union Minister of Power, Raj Kumar Singh.
While Prasad polled 529382 votes, RK Sharma managed to poll 469574 votes. A section of voters in the Arrah (also spelt as Ara) Lok Sabha seat in Bihar were nursing a hope that after the elections efforts will be made by the new dispensation to include the Bhojpuri language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Bhojpuri is spoken in several parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Ara, the headquarters of the Bhojpur district, is a historic city and culturally rich region, and Bhojpuri is the dominant language of this region earlier known as Shahabad, which includes current districts of Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur and neighbouring areas.
The seat saw a voting turnout of 49.46%, according to the Election Commission’s data. The seat went to polls in phase 7 on June 1, 2024.
In the 2019 LS Polls, RK Singh won from Arrah, getting 566,480 votes, comprising 52.42% of the total number of votes polled. Singh defeated Raju Yadav of CPI (ML)(L) by a margin of 1,47,285 votes. Singh had won from this seat in 2014 as well, polling 391,074 votes (43.78%) and defeating Sribhagwan Singh Kushwaha of RJD by a margin of 1,35,870 votes.
