Bihar: 6.1 lakh voters to decide fate of 15 candidates in bypolls today

PATNA: Over 6.1 lakh electors will decide the fate of 15 candidates, including four women, who are in the fray in the byelections to the Gopalganj and Mokama assembly seats on Thursday. The results are due on November 6.
Since the electoral battle for the Mokama seat involves indirect fight between the local strongmen and the fight for the Gopalganj seat has also willy-nilly become keenly contested one, the central paramilitary forces have been deployed at 289 polling stations of the Mokama constituency and 330 in Gopalganj.
Practically, the electoral battle in both the constituencies has come down to that between the RJD (grand alliance) and BJP candidates, even as the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has asked his party supporters to vote for the saffron party.
The Mokama seat is considered hot as it has become home to the proxy electoral battle between the wives of two strongmen from the area -- Neelam Devi (RJD), the wife of disqualified RJD MLA Anant Singh, and Sonam Devi (BJP), the wife of Lalan Singh.
Lalan, a turncoat from JD (U), is enjoying the support of another strongman and former local MLA Surajbhan Singh.
The situation in Gopalganj is considered a relatively tame affair. BJP is striving hard to retain the seat, as it has held it for the last four assembly elections through its MLA Subhash Singh, whose death necessitated the byelection. BJP has fielded his wife Kusum Devi against Mohan Prasad Gupta from RJD.
In Gopalganj, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded Indira Devi, the wife of Aniruddha Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav, who is the maternal uncle of deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
Given the background of the bypolls being held after the formation of the grand alliance government led by Nitish Kumar, the poll pundits expect brisk polling on Thursday.