Bharti has been eyeing for Ram Kripal Yadav’s seat since 2014
RJD leader Misa Bharti. File pic
The 48-year-old RJD candidate Misa Bharti has finally defeated her party’s rebel and BJP’s sitting MP Ram Kripal Yadav, who she addresses as ‘chacha’, from Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency in Patna. She had been eyeing for this seat since 2014 and finally managed to dethrone him with a margin of around 70,000 votes.
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Yadav, once a close confidant of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, had joined the BJP after getting carried away with Narendra Modi’s wave in 2014. He managed to register two consecutive wins in LS polls from the seat but failed to convert it into a hat-trick win this time as there was clear anti-incumbency in the constituency.
Though Yadav claims to be in constant touch with his party workers and address every public grievance, local sources in the constituency told mid-day that his last term was ridiculous as ‘voters were really unhappy because of the alarmingly high use of drugs among youngsters in his constituency,’ said a source.
Exuding confidence during an interview with mid-day at his ancestral home in Patna, Yadav had said, “My opponent has not done anything for the people. I am a sevak and she is a shaashak; she is rich and I am a ‘fakir’. This is the fight. We’re confident in securing a substantial majority in this election. The support for BJP is strong across the state, thanks to the widespread influence of leaders like Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar.”
The aggressive rallies of Bharti’s younger brother and former deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav did wonders this time to decimate the sitting MP. The young crowd has voted for the RJD, whose leaders lured people by promising job opportunities if voted to power.
The residents of Paliganj in Pataliputra constituency told mid-day that they have never seen ‘Ram Kripal Yadav’ in their constituency. “The drainage system in our village has been in a bad shape for decades. There is no hospital close to Noorchak Village. The nearest hospital from our village is 20 km away in Paliganj… one can imagine how difficult it is for us to take an ailing person or a pregnant woman to the hospital when the road is bad. Why is the central government not doing anything for our village?” wondered a 54-year-old labourer Sudarshan Ram at Noorchak Village.
The drug lords in Bihar have been pushing narcotic substances, but the authorities concerned have miserably failed to control the drug menace in the state. The drug addicts have created a lot of terror in the rural hamlets.
In a bid to purchase drug packets, the addicts have been stealing jewellery, cash and ration from their homes.
The feminists in the constituency are happy to see RJD candidate Bharti.
“I am happy that now a female has become an MP in this constituency. At least this MP will understand what kind of pain females are facing in this area,” said Sanju Sinha, a resident of the constituency.
Another feminist Prabha Devi said, “If the drug menace is not controlled in time, the future of Bihar – which has produced many stalwarts across the field, will be ruined badly. There is a rising number of unemployed youth in the state. We are happy to learn that people have voted for the party which has promised to guarantee jobs for the youth.”
Another feminist advocate Annapurna Sharma said, “The women are facing a lot of difficulties as there is no proper hospital in their village, the roads are bad in shape, pregnant women have to face major inconvenience and many issues are there. But I hope this female MP Misa Bharti will address the core issues of females to resolve it.”
Patna Sahib seat
The sitting MP from BJP Ravi Shankar Prasad has managed to retain his Patna Sahib seat. The Congress candidate Dr Anshul Avijit could not woo voters in the area as this seat is considered a stronghold of the BJP.
Though Avijit had told mid-day that there is resentment towards Prasad in the constituency, yet BJP managed to secure the seat. The constituency is facing extreme economic distress, with issues in electricity, water, infrastructure, health, and education, said Avijit, who is the grandson of freedom fighter Babu Jagjeevan Ram.
Patna Sahib
BJP leader RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD: 5,88,270 votes
Congress leader ANSHUL AVIJIT: 4,34,424 votes
70,000
The approx. margin of votes Bharti won by
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