Araria bypoll: Candidates anxious as electioneering ends

While the RJD and its allies pulled out all stops to woo the electorate, the BJP-led NDA made a determined bid to demolish the Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) combine, known to be traditional voters of the RJD.

The high-decibel campaigning for the Araria Lok Sabha by-election, during which barbs flew thick and fast among parties in the fray, ended on Friday.

Jan Adhikar Party chief and MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, rides a bike during a roadshow ahead of Lok Sabha by-election in Araria district on Friday. (PTI Photo)

The byelection, necessitated by the death of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Taslimuddin, will take place on Sunday and votes will be counted March 14.

While the RJD and its allies pulled out all stops to woo the electorate, the BJP-led NDA made a determined bid to demolish the Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) combine, known to be traditional voters of the RJD.

For the RJD, leader of opposition in state legislative assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, senior party leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh as well as allies Sharad Yadav and Jitan Ram Manjhi addressed many public rallies and organised roadshows.

The NDA charge was led by chief minister Nitish Kumar (JDU), deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP), Chirag Paswan (LJP) and Upendra Kushwaha (RLSP).

The electioneering also exposed simmering dissension within both the alliances, making the main contestants anxious and keep their fingers crossed.

“The byelection has exposed the parties’ claims of discipline as they are finding it difficult to show a united face and manage their workers,” a senior BJP leader admitted. The choice of candidates has only widened the rift, he added.

There are seven candidates in the fray, with the main contest among BJP’S Pradeep Kumar Singh, RJD’S Sarfaraz Alam and Jan Adhikar Party’s Victor Yadav.

Over 17 lakh electorates will exercise their franchise at 2143 polling booths, out of which 569 have been identified as critical. About 25 companies of CRPF have been deployed to conduct free and fair polling.