PATNA: Madhepura assembly constituency is all set to witness a multi-corner fight in the third phase of Bihar election with altogether 18 candidates all set to fight it out, including from major parties such as JD(U), RJD and LJP.
The sitting MLA Chandra Shekhar of RJD is locked in a tight contest with JD(U)’s Nikhil Mandal, Saakar Suresh Yadav of LJP and JAP-L’s chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav. Shekhar became the MLA from Madhepura when he bagged 72,481 votes and won the seat in the assembly election held in 2010. He defeated Ramendra Kumar Yadav Ravi of JD(U) who managed to get 60,537 votes.
In 2015, RJD candidate retained the seat against BJP’s Vijay Kumar by a margin of 37,642 votes.
Madhepura seat has a sizeable population of Yadavs, which is around 40% of the total population of the district. This seat has been identified with the popular slogan - ‘Rome Pope ka, Madhepura Gope ka’ (Rome belongs to Pope, Madhepura belongs to Yadavs).
Keeping the Yadav population in mind, political parties have pitted candidates belonging to the same castes to woo the voters.
Pappu, who has declared himself as a CM candidate of the newly-formed Progressive Democratic Alliance, said in his party’s manifesto that he would make Bihar a corruption-free state in next six months if his party is voted to power.
He became MLA in 1990 from Singheshwar assembly seat in Madhepura as an Independent by a margin 21,000 votes by defeating Janata Dal’s Siya Ram Prasad Yadav, and in 1991 he contested and won the 10th Lok Sabha from Purnia. He was elected as MP for four times in 1991, 1996, 1999, and in 2004 from several constituencies in Bihar. After 20 years, Pappu Yadav is again contesting in the assembly election.
A total of 3,30,248 electors, including 1,71,075 men and 1,59,162 women as well as 11 transgenders, will decide the fate of all 18 candidates in the poll fray from Madhepura seat. Flood, poverty, roads and education are some of the key issues in this constituency.
CHART:
Assembly segment- Madhepura
District- Madhepura
Total voters- 3,30,248
Male- 1,71,075
Female- 1,59,162
Third gender- 11
Polling day- November 7
Sitting MLA- Chandra Shekhar of RJD