Bihar sees 54 pc turnout

Fate of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president Sharad Yadav, cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad and Rashtriya Janata Dal strongman (RJD) Pappu Yadav was sealed on Wednesday when the state witnessed nearly 54 per cent polling at seven parliamentary constituencies in North Bihar.

Of these seven seats, Madhepura will be keenly watched where Sharad is pitted against Pappu, while Kirti faces a tough fight against RJD’s Fatmi in Darbhanga. 

The other five constituencies which saw polling on Wednesday include Madhubani, Jhanjharpur, Samastipur, Khagaria and Begusarai.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan’s younger brother Ram Chandra Paswan is contesting as an LJP nominee from Samastipur reserved constituency. 

It will be a litmus test for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, too, who has left no stone unturned in campaigning for the JD-U president in Madhepura.  Such is the political history of this constituency that except for the 1957 election, when Acharya Kriplani won from here, no non-Yadav candidate has ever won from Madhepura.