CHALLENGES thrown by the sweltering summer heat have failed to dampen electioneering in one of the high-profile Lok Sabha seats in Bihar's Purnea, scheduled to go to the polls in the second phase on April 26.
HEAVY WEIGHTS IN FRAY
Named after the country's oldest Shakti temple- the Puran Devi temple, Purnea is gearing up for a tough triangular contest among Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav (Independent) against Santosh Kushwaha (JD-U) and Bima Bharti (RJD). This would be Bharti's first election after ditching JDU for the RJD.
Wife of a muscleman Awadhesh Mandal, Bima Bharti, is five-time MLA from the Rupauli assembly seat in Purnea and had served as minister of sugarcane industries in the Nitish government earlier.
Being home to about 40% of the Muslim population, the district holds a significant place in the election, leading to all major parties putting in their political might to ensure the victory of their respective candidates.
POLL STRATEGIES
Bihar's main Opposition determined to eat into Nitish Kumar's (JD-U) extremely backward classes vote bank -- has fielded Bima Bharti, who belongs to a highly backward caste. But, three-time former MP from Purnea Pappu Yadav has jumped into the fray as an independent and turned the contest into a tough triangular.
As per poll experts, Yadav is doing nothing but queering pitch for both sitting and RJD-fielded candidates.
This story is from the April 22, 2024 edition of The Morning Standard.
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This story is from the April 22, 2024 edition of The Morning Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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