Patna (Bihar): Voting ended in Bihar's four constituencies Aurangabad, Nawada, Gaya and Jamui - in the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The voter turnout in Bihar was recorded at 47.49 per cent till 7 PM.
With over 76 lakh voters and 38 candidates in the fray, it marked the beginning of the electoral process in the state. The poll percentage recorded was 51.56 per cent in Aurangabad and 49.51 per cent in Gaya. The voting percentage in Jamui was 47.09 per cent, while the voting percentage in Nawada was 43.21.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), aiming to retain all four seats is directly pitted against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which is a constituent of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
The RJD has fielded candidates on all four seats in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has fielded candidates on two seats- Aurangabad and Nawada. BJP's alliance partners Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM(S) and Arun Bharti of LJP(RV) are contesting a crucial battle in the Gaya and Jamui seats.
BJP candidate Sushil Kumar Singh, a three-time MP from Aurangabad has been pitted against the RJD's Abhay Singh Kushwaha. Aurangabad is a Rajput dominated seat.
Former Bihar Chief Minister and HAM(S) supremo Jitan Ram Manjhi is contesting against Kumar Saravjeet in Gaya, which is a reserved constituency. Over 30 per cent of the voters belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC). Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is considered a strong Mahadalit face in Bihar, had unsuccessfully contested twice earlier from the seat. Janata Dal (United)'s Vijay Manjhi won from the Gaya seat in 2019 and Hari Manjhi of the BJP in 2014.
Jamui has also become a crucial seat for both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. The BJP's alliance partner Chirag Paswan of the LJP(RV) has fielded his brother-in-law Arun Bharti from the seat. He is contesting against Archana Ravidas of the RJD. Chirag Paswan had won the seat twice in 2014 and 2019. After the seat-sharing deal with the BJP, Chirag shifted to the Hajipur constituency and decided to field his brother-in-law. The constituency has about 2,50,000 voters with a large section belonging to Extremely Backward Caste (EBC).
Similarly, the BJP is likely to face a tough contest from the RJD in Nawada. The saffron party has filed a Rajya Sabha member Vivek Thakur from the seat. He is contesting against RJD's Shrawan Kushwaha. The RJD has criticised the BJP for fielding "an outsider". Union Minister Giriraj Singh won the Nawada seat in 2014 and the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) in 2019.
LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan expressed confidence in winning all four seats. "I think that the wave is absolutely one-sided in Jamui and I can say it with a guarantee that we are going to win seats here with a huge margin," Chirag Paswan told news agency ANI.
"The same can be seen in the remaining seats of Bihar. No big leader from the INDI alliance was seen campaigning during the elections. So we are extremely that we are winning all four seats in Bihar in the first phase," added Paswan, son of late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc will win all four seats in Bihar in the first phase. He also slammed the BJP for not fulfilling promises made during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's guarantee is like writing on the water. The promises made during 2014 and 2019 were not fulfilled. Similarly, when the 2024 Lok Sabha elections came he promised to do it in 2047", Tejashwi Yadav said.
"Instead of doing any work, they keep making false promises to divert public attention. We are confident of winning all four seats in Bihar in the first phase of elections", added Tejashwi, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly.
