BJP aims 2019 repeat in Patna Sahib as Cong pins hope on Jagjivan Ram’s grandson

In the last three Lok Sabha polls since 2009, BJP has won Patna Sahib thrice while in Patliputra, the party succeeded only twice in 2014 and 2019

Voting for the Patna Sahib constituency will take place on June 1 as we enter the final leg of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls.

Counting of votes will take place on June 4. (Representative file photo)

This constituency was once considered the stronghold of the Congress party, but all of this changed after it was divided into two Lok Sabha seats, Patna Sahib and Patliputra after the delimitation in 2008.

Since then, Congress is yet to open their account in these seats.

In the last three Lok Sabha polls since 2009, BJP has won Patna Sahib thrice while in Patliputra, the party succeeded only twice in 2014 and 2019.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Prof Ranjan Yadav who was the Janata Dal United JD(U) candidate, had defeated Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) convenor, Lalu Prasad Yadav.

In 2009, BJP fielded Shatrughan Sinha, actor-turned-politician from this seat while Congress gave the ticket to actor Shekhar Suman, but Sinha emerged victorious.

In 2014, Sinha again won the seat after defeating Congress candidate and actor Kunal Singh.

Sinha, who quit the BJP and joined Congress, wanted to emulate his successive wins in 2009 and 2014 with Congress, but failed to do so in 2019 after he lost to BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is not a cabinet minister and lawyer by profession.

High-profile campaigning

In the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath rigorously campaigned for Prasad.

Congress, meanwhile, has fielded Anshul Avijit, grandson of former deputy PM Babu Jagjivan Ram and the son of former Lok Sabha speaker, Meira Kumar.

Issues

Damaged roads, poor drainage system, water logging during rains remain key issues hampering the progress of Patna Sahib and Fatuha areas.

Patna Sahib is home to many nationally and state protected heritage sites, but encroachments have continued to affect the region.

Voters, however, want the candidates to address these pressing concerns.

“Unemployment is the biggest issue these days. Youth need the guarantee of jobs. The present government has not been able to do much in this direction,” Birendra Jha, a student from Patna Sahib, said.

Besides, the demand for Central University status to Patna University too remains pending since the last many years, he added.

Riya Sinha, a casual worker in a corporate house, said that inflation should be under focus in this election.

“Prices of day-to-day life products from grocery to skin care items have increased. This must be stopped,” she said.

Rakesh Kapoor from Patna Zila Sudhar Samiti said that Patna Sahib highlighted the lack of proper drainage system in the area.

“The situation gets worse when drainage pipe gets damaged and water gets out of it,” he said.

Pintu Kumar, a local from Fatuha, which is a part of Patna Sahib constituency, said the people have decided to boycott polls this time.

“This time they have decided to boycott polling,” he said.

The fact is that the MP of this seat was never available to share our woes, he added.

CP Sinha, a heritage enthusiast said that some of the heritage sites need repairs on priority.

“Those which are still surviving, are in real bad shape. But the loss of monuments and sites have never been the concern of any political leader. This has never been a part of the manifesto,” he said.