In Bankipur constituency of Patna district, a clash of two political newbies with a strongly placed young BJP MLA is taking place.
The second round of voting for Bihar Assembly Elections is taking place today. High profile constituencies like Patna, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Madhubani spread over 17 districts will go to polls in this phase today. The political future of 1,463 candidates will be decided by over 2.85 crore voters. 1,316 men, 146 women and one transgender candidate are there in the fray. Bankipur is one of the high-profile seats in Patna district.
In Bankipur constituency of Patna district, a clash of two political newbies with a strongly placed young BJP MLA is taking place. Shatrughan Sinha’s actor-turned-politician son Luv is contesting on a Congress ticket while new entrant Pushpam Priya Chaudhary calls herself “Chief Ministerial candidate” of the newly-floated outfit Plurals Party. Altogether 22 candidates are in the fray from Bankipur including incumbent Nitin Nabin of the BJP.
Bankipur constituency, till 1.26 PM, had recorded only 19.85% voter turnout.
HW News tried to gather the mood of voters today, as they line up at polling booths to decide fortunes of these youngsters.
“We are voting on the issue of unemployment. We are voting to establish peace here. There’s no caste angle. Unemployment and peace are the issues,” said a male voter in his 40s, who had just reached the polling booth.
Another voter, waiting for his turn at the polling booth, said that for the last 30 years people have elected the candidates from one particular party in this constituency. “They have their vote bank here. So they are relieved that whether they do any developmental work or not, they will still get elected. But the situation over here is very critical,” he said.
“The drainage system is in splits here. There’s a famous Birla temple here. When it rains, people go to the temple through the deep neck water. There’s a mosque little ahead. The same thing happens over there as well. Drainage is the pertinent issue,” he added.
When asked whether Pushpam Priya Chaudhari has any chance in this contest, he said: “No, she doesn’t stand a chance. You cannot land by a parachute one day and start asking for votes. You have to work for the people first.”
However, the same voter had a different opinion about Luv Sinha. “Shatrughan Sinha has worked in Patna, so there’s a chance for Luv Sinha. Also, they are promising jobs for the youth.”
Another young voter in his 20s, who had already cast his vote, said he’s not very satisfied with the performance of Nitish Kumar but is still rooting for the BJP candidate. He also said the young BJP leader Nitin Naveen has worked for the development.
However, another voter standing next to him contradicted his claims, saying Bihar is going towards transformation this election. “Change is the law of nature. This election is being fought on the basis of issues. Here’s an opportunity to change the future of Bihar. I hope the youth and people from all communities use their votes wisely,” he said.
Talking about the incumbent MLA of Bankiur constituency, he said: “Some people who have captured the constituency for last 20-25 years, think it is their personal property. Democracy will teach them that it is not the case.”
One of the senior citizens, who had already voted, while rubbing tobacco on the palm of his hand, said: “We want development. We want good people in power.” When asked who these good people are, he quickly said- “Tejashwi Yadav”.
While talking about the incumbent government, the man said: “We suffered a lot in their regime. We stayed hungry. They gave us just 1500 Rs in entire lockdown. How would families survive in 1500 Rs? We cannot even pay the rent of our house in 1500 Rs.”
The issue raised by particular voter echoed with others standing near him, who in unison agreed that he was speaking the truth.
“We have to pay for the rent of our houses. How will we survive? That’s why we are demanding a change.
Another voter, who had just come out polling booth after casting his vote, said all necessary precautions are being taken in the polling booths in the wake of Covid-19. When asked on which issues he voted for, he sang the same tune of “transformation”.
“We want change. We want youth to come in power. We have withstood this regime for 15 years. Now we want change,” he further added.
When asked if they know about Pushpam Priya Chaudhary, he said: “We don’t even know her. We’ve never seen her.
Another senior citizen, who had come to cast his vote, said transformation is a very small issue. “By robbing the mandate given in 2015, the BJP-JDU government is here. They captured 12 crore people of Bihar by force. Nitish Kumar performed “Dakaiti” (robbery) on our mandate of 2015.”
“Transformation is inevitable,” he concluded.
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