By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
Muzaffarpur: In Muzaffarpur, where caste-sentiment is deeply rooted, both the BJP and Congress candidate (in alliance with the RJD) sounded “confident of victory” as it polled on May 7.
Two Sahni candidates – Anil Sahni and Bhagwanlal Sahni – sought the Janta Dal (United) tickets, and hence to keep both sides mollifies, JDU instead chose local MLA Vijendra Choudhary. To cash in on the Shahni votes, BJP fielded Ajay Nishad, son of the outgoing MP, Captain Jainarain Prasad Nishad, who was in JDU till recently. As BJP did not field a Bhumihar candidate, the powerful landholding community, Congress gave ticket to Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a former MP from Motihari.
Like other parts of Bihar, “MY” consolidation appeared strong in Muzaffarpur too as at least on four polling stations that TCN team visited, including the Muslim dominated Chandwara locality in town, all Muslims appeared to be voting for the Congress candidate, although local leaders did not appear particularly happy with Bhumihars in town, who seemed to have voted for the BJP candidate, as several ground reports suggested.
Local leaders of RJD-Congress alliance, however, still appeared confident suggesting that in several pockets in rural areas they have got considerable Bhumihar votes too, besides near total Yadav and Muslim voters.
The upper-caste Hindu votes on the other largely appeared to have been polled in favour of the BJP. The trick of BJP of fielding the son of Captain Nishad might have helped it get considerable votes of the Sahni community, but the Congress-RJD alliance is confident that it has got considerable votes of the backward community as well.
On May 5, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had held a rally in Muzaffarpur to a large crowd, where Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was also present. RJD was confident that Choudhary would cut into the votes of the BJP, but he seems to have got a cold-feet in Muzaffarpur this time.
Speaking to TCN, RJD states Spokesperson Iqbal Sami confidently said that the Congress candidate will win from Muzaffarpur, adding that they are waiting for the result only to know the margin. In a public rally later, he claimed that the RJD is winning on all the seats in the state.
The so called Modi-wave has clearly been punctured in Bihar by none other than Lalu Prasad Yadav. But how far the ‘resurgence’ vs ‘wave’ will translate into votes will only be known on May 16, once the counting begins.
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(Photos by Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net)