Bhagalpur electoral contest intensifies with Congress entrance

Patna: Once considered a Congress stronghold, the contest for the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituency has turned into a fight between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul campaigned on Sunday for Ajit Sharma, the Congress candidate, who is running against Ajay Kumar Mandal, the current JD (U) MP. On Friday, Bhagalpur will host polling for the second round of elections.

PM Modi spoke at rallies in south Bihar and four Maoist-affected seats in Bihar that were connected to the first round of voting.

But he failed to address the Bhagalpur electorate.

At a rally on Wednesday, JP Nadda, the national president of the BJP, asked for support for Mandal. The current JD (U) congressman has been known as the “missing MP” because, during the course of his five-year tenure, he has failed to build a relationship with the populace and win their support.

The Congress fielded local MLA Sharma, the party’s previous legislative party leader in the state parliament, after winning the Bhagalpur seat. Sharma is a well-known businessman and the father of Bollywood actress Neha Sharma, who has also acted in South Indian movies. It was anticipated that she would run a campaign on her father’s behalf to raise the bar for Congress.

Rahul, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the head of the RJD, and Mukesh Sahani, the leader of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), spoke at a combined rally on Sunday in an effort to strengthen Sharma’s hands. Neha then contributed as well, doing lengthy roadshows in Bhagalpur and the other towns and bazaars along the Ganga between Kahalgaon and Pirpainty.

The key issue still stands: will the INDIA bloc’s roadshows and rallies lift the Congress boat in Bhagalpur?
The Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat was last won by the Congress in 1984. The fans now have fresh optimism because of Sharma’s candidacy for the position.

Sensing the shifting situation against the background of criticism directed on Mandal, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar personally held a roadshow in Bhagalpur and its surrounding areas on Tuesday.

“Nitish took center stage.” The BJP activists, who had been quiet, took initiative and gave the chief minister a hearty welcome, Shambhu Jhunjhunwala, a local writer and entrepreneur, stated over the phone.
Local problems have also gained attention, even as the Congress and RJD leaders mentioned concerns like joblessness, inflation, and threats to democracy and the Constitution, among other things. The silk industry’s home, Bhagalpur, has been designated as a Smart City, and efforts are underway to that end, but residents have long yearned for an airport. Other than helicopters, the current airport is too tiny to accommodate passenger aircraft landings.

“There are airports at Purnia and Deoghar, both close to Bhagalpur. According to reports, a significant portion of the 400 acres of land needed for the Bhagalpur airport has been located in Goradih, according to former Eastern Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBCCI) vice-president Raman Sah.