New Delhi :
The polling in Bihar was held in all seven phases starting from April 11 to May 19. Some of the key contestants who are in the electoral fray in the state are Lalu Prasad's daughter Misha Bharti, former Chief Minister's Daroga Rai's son Chandrika Rai and Prabhunath Singh's son Randhir Singh, Congress candidates Meira Kumar and Kirti Azad and Ram Vilas Paswan's younger brother Pashupati Nath Paras.
Prominent faces in Bihar
In Jamui and Samastipur Lok Sabha seats, Paswan's son Chirag Paswan and brother Ramchandra Paswan had a close fight. All eyes are also on the prestigious Hajipur seat where the LJP boss has fielded his another brother Pashupati Nath Paras. Hajipur went to polling on May 6.
Lalu Prasad's daughter Misha Bharti is once again locked in a tough fight with Ram Kirpal Yadav at Patliputra Lok Sabha seat.
Congress candidate and former Union minister, late Jagjivan Ram's daughter is Meira Kumar - who later became Lok Sabha Speaker, is locked in a close fight at Sasaram.
Other prominent faces include actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha who is contesting on Congress ticket from Patna Sahib. He is pitted against BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad.
1. Jamui - Chirag Paswan (LJP) Vs Bhudeo Chaudhary (RLSP)
(2014 Result: LJP, Winner: Chirag Paswan, Margin: 85,947)
LJP chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan is again contesting from Jamui. In 2014, Chirag won the seat by 85,947 votes. Bhudeo Chaudhary, who won the seat in 2009 as a JDU candidate, will represent the RLSP this time.
2. Gaya - Vijay Kumar Manjhi (JDU) Vs Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Hari Manjhi, Margin: 1,15,504)
Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is locked in a tough contest with JDU candidate Vijay Kumar Manjhi in Gaya. The seat was won by the BJP in 2009 and 2014 but it was granted to the JDU to contest due to a seat-sharing arrangement in the state in 2019. In the last seven elections, the seat was represented by the BJP four times. The Janata Dal won it in 1991 and 1996 whereas the RJD won it in 2004. Jitan Ram Manjhi came at the third spot in the previous elections.
3. Banka - Giridhari Yadav (JDU) Vs Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD)
(2014 Result: RJD, Winner: Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav, Margin: 10,144)
Banka will see a triangular contest this time with JDU's Girdhari Yadav, RJD's sitting MP Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav and rebel BJP leader Putul Kumari Singh are in the fray. In 2014, Jay Prakash defeated Putul Kumari by a slim margin of over 10,000 votes. Putul's husband Digvijay Singh represented the seat thrice in 1998, 1999 and 2009. She won the seat in a bypoll in 2010 after the death of Singh. The RJD represented the seat twice in 2004 and 2014.
4. Katihar - Tariq Anwar (Congress) Vs Dulal Chand Goswami (JDU)
(2014 Result: NCP, Winner: Tariq Anwar, Margin: 1,14,740)
Tariq Anwar represented Katihar five times in the Lok Sabha in 1980, 1984, 1996, 1998 and 2014. Anwar is again trying his luck from the constituency. BJP's Nikhil Kumar Choudhary won the seat thrice in a row in 1999, 2004 and 2009. In 2014, Anwar contested the elections on an NCP ticket and defeated Choudhary by over 1,14,000 votes.
5. Madhepura - Sharad Yadav (RJD) Vs Dinesh Chandra Yadav (JDU) Vs Pappu Yadav (JAP)
(2014 Result: RJD, Winner: Pappu Yadav, Margin: 56,209)
Madhepura will see an interesting battle this time with three Yadavs namely Sharad Yadav, Pappu Yadav, and Dinesh Chandra Yadav are in the fray. In 2014, Pappu Yadav on a RJD ticket defeated JDU's Sharad Yadav by over 56,000 votes. Sharad is contesting from RJD this time whereas Pappu Yadav is no longer with the RJD. Lalu Yadav represented Madhepura twice in 1998 and 2004. In 2004, Lalu decided to retain another seat and left Madhepura which was won by his party's nominee Pappu Yadav in a bypoll. Sharad Yadav won the seat four times in 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2009.
6. Supaul - Ranjeet Ranjan (Congress) Vs Dileshwar Kamait (JDU)
(2014 Result: Congress, Winner: Ranjeet Ranjan, Margin: 59,672)
In 2014, Congress candidate and Pappu Yadav's wife Ranjeet Ranjan won the seat by defeating JDU's Dileshwar Kamait. Both Ranjan and Kamait are again in the fray against each other. In 2009, the seat was won by JDU's Vishwa Mohan Kumar.
7. Begusarai - Giriraj Singh (BJP) Vs Tanveer Hassan (RJD) Vs Kanhaiya Kumar (CPI)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Bhola Singh, Margin: 58,335)
BJP's Giriraj Singh has been pitted against RJD's Tanveer Hassan and CPI's Kanhaiya Kumar this time. Singh was shifted from his Nawada constituency to try his luck in the new territory. In 2014, BJP's Bhola Singh won the seat by over 58,000 votes. The Janata Dal United represented the seat twice in 2004 and 2009.
8. Ujiarpur - Nityanand Rai (BJP) Vs Upendra Kushwaha (RLSP)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Nityanand Rai, Margin: 60,469)
BJP's state chief Nityanand Rai is taking on RLSP's Upendra Kushwaha in Ujiarpur. In 2014, Rai won the seat by defeating RJD's Alok Kumar Mehta. In 2009, the seat was represented by a JDU candidate. Kushwaha was with the NDA in 2014 and is contesting from Karakat also apart from Ujiarpur.
9. Darbhanga - Gopal Ji Thakur (BJP) Vs Abdul Bari Siddiqui (RJD)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Kirti Azad, Margin: 35,043)
Darbhanga will see an interesting contest between BJP's Gopal Ji Thakur and RJD's Abdul Bari Siddiqui this time. Kirti Azad, who won the seat as BJP candidate in 2014, left the saffron camp and joined the Congress. However, he was denied ticket and forced to contest elections from Jharkhand's Dhanbad. Azad won the seat in 1999 and 2009 also. MAA Fatmi represented the constituency four times in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004.
10. Saran - Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP) Vs Chandrika Rai (RJD)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Margin: 40,948)
BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy is the sitting MP from Saran and defeated Lalu Prasad's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in 2014 by over 40,000 votes. Lalu's relative Chandrika Rai is taking on Rudy this time. In 2009, Lalu represented the seat when he defeated Rudy.
11. Vaishali - Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) Vs Veena Devi (LJP)
(2014 Result: LJP, Winner: Rama Kishore Singh, Margin: 99,267)
The Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency, situated in the Muzaffarpur district in Bihar, has as its Member of Parliament, Rama Kishore Singh of LJP. In 2014, Rama Kishore beat the leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh’s massive appeal among the masses has made him return to the Vaishali seat for four consecutive terms, starting from 1998.
12. Purvi Champaran - Radha Mohan Singh (BJP) Vs Aakash Kumar Singh (RLSP)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Radha Mohan Singh, Margin: 1,92,163)
The Purvi Champaran parliamentary seat of Bihar is currently held by BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh. In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, he defeated Binod Kumar Srivastava of RJD by receiving 48.70 per cent of the votes cast in this constituency.
The key candidates in the Purvi Champaran constituency for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 are Radha Mohan Singh of BJP and Aakash Kumar Singh of (RSLP) and OTHERS.
13. Karakat - Upendra Kushwaha (RLSP) Vs Mahabali Singh (JDU)
(2014 Result: RLSP, Winner: Upendra Kushwaha, Margin: 1,05,241)
The Karakat parliamentary seat is currently held by Upendra Kushwaha of RLSP. In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Upendra Kushwaha beat Kanti Singh of RJD by receiving 42.90 per cent of the votes cast in this constituency.
The key candidates in the Karakat constituency for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 are Upendra Kushwaha and Mahabali Singh of JD (U).
14. Sasaram - Meira Kumar (Congress) Vs Chhedi Paswan (BJP)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Chhedi Paswan, Margin: 63,327)
The Sasaram Lok Sabha Constituency of the state is a reserved seat and currently held by Chhedi Paswan of BJP. In last general elections, he beat Meira Kumar of Congress by receiving 43.20 per cent of the votes cast in this constituency.
15. Patna Sahib - Shatrughan Sinha (Congress) Vs Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP)
(2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Shatrughan Sinha, Margin: 2,65,805)
The Patna Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency is currently held by Shatrughan Sinha, who recently joined the BJP after being denied ticket. In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Shatrughan Sinha beat Kunal Singh of Congress by receiving 55.10 per cent of the votes cast in this constituency.
This time, the BJP has fielded Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from this seat. The constituency had seen a 45.33% voter turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
16. Pataliputra (2014 Result: BJP, Winner: Ram Kripal Yadav, Margin: 40,322)
2019 candidates: Misa Bharti (RJD) Vs Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP)
The Pataliputra Lok Sabha Constituency is currently held by BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav. In 2014, He defeated Misha Bharti of RJD by receiving 39.20 per cent of the votes cast in this constituency.
The key candidates in the Pataliputra constituency for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 are Ram Kripal Yadav of BJP and Misha Bharti of RJD.
