Pataliputra Lok Sabha Seat: RJD’s Misa Bharti Aims for Victory Over BJP’s Ram Kripal Yadav in Third Bid After Two Defeats

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The Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat includes six Legislative Assembly segments: Danapur, Maner, Phulwari (SC), Masaurhi (SC), Paliganj, and Bikram.

The Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency, one of Bihar’s 40 parliamentary constituencies, falls within the Patna district and is categorised as a general seat. It includes six Legislative Assembly segments: Danapur, Maner, Phulwari (SC), Masaurhi (SC), Paliganj, and Bikram. Voting for the Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency will take place in the seventh phase of polls on June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Current MP: Ram Kripal Yadav of the BJP since 2014, preceded by Ranjan Prasad Yadav of JD(U) (2009)

Candidates: Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP), Misa Bharti (RJD)

Political Dynamics

It’s a head-to-head contest between the BJP and the RJD on the parliamentary seat of Pataliputra, with sitting MP Ram Kripal Yadav vying for a third consecutive term and Lalu Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti hoping to finally win, after having lost twice to Ram Kripal Yadav in 2014 and 2019.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Yadav scraped through with a lead of about 40,322 votes against Misa Bharti. This lead narrowed slightly when he won the 2019 election against the same RJD opponent with a lead of 39,321 and a vote share of 47.28%.

This Lok Sabha election, while Ram Kripal Yadav has an edge, Misa Bharti is not far behind with her entire having thrown their weight behind her as her campaign progresses. Meanwhile, Farukh Raza of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has joined the electoral competition for the Pataliputra seat, expanding the contest into a three-way battle to the detriment of the RJD.

Notably in 2019, Lalu Prasad Yadav himself had contested from the Pataliputra seat and lost to the JD(U)’s Ranjan Prasad Yadav by 23,541 votes.

BJP’s Tight Position

Ram Kripal Yadav, previously aligned with Lalu Yadav was serving as his close confidant and was elected MP from the Patna Lok Sabha constituency for two consecutive terms. He switched to the BJP just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections after not receiving a ticket from the RJD. He contested and won from the BJP, defeating Misa Bharti. Despite political discord, Misa regards Yadav as her uncle, and he considers her his niece. This election marks their third consecutive contest in Pataliputra.

Formerly a mayor in Bihar, Yadav served as the Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Rural Development between 2014 and 2019. The five-time MP is a political heavyweight in Bihar, elected in 1991, 1996 and 2004 from Patna while with the RJD, and then twice in 2014 and 2019 from Pataliputra as a BJP leader.

Ram Kripal Yadav remains a respected leader in the constituency and the BJP is not concerned about anti-incumbency against the MP here, expecting him to sail through. It also believed that Yadav is its best bit against Lalu Yadav’s elder daughter who has already lost to him twice.

Yadav is known for connecting with the people, and as campaigns across the length and breadth of the Pataliputra seat, he has leveraged the same quality to charm voters. As an MP, Yadav has often raised issues of the region in parliament and has also pushed for development in the constituency playing a visible role since his days in the RJD.

He is banking on the Modi factor which is prevalent in Pataliputra. The Prime Minister’s popularity is a significant edge to wield against his opponent, making it a ‘Modi versus Lalu’ battle. Voters are drawn to PM Modi for the promise of development, enhanced welfare scheme delivery and most importantly, Hindutva. The establishment of the Ram Mandir was celebrated widely in this constituency and will have a significant electoral impact, especially in urban areas.

When it comes to caste equations, the BJP has the support of forward castes including Brahmins who form 1 lakh votes and lean primarily towards the BJP. The party also finds itself in a favourable position among Bhumihar voters who form about 3 lakh votes and will split with the dominant chunk in the BJP’s favour. Finally, Yadav will also pull a small portion of Yadav votes who are the dominant vote bank in this constituency with 4 lakh votes. Meanwhile, 1.7 lakh Kurmi and around 3 lakh Dalit votes will also split between the two main contenders, but with alliance partners, the JD(U), LJP, Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM Party and the Upendra Kushwaha, Yadav’s position is significant bolstered among Kurmi, Paswan and Dalit voters. Manjhis in particular form a large part of the Dalit voter base and is a core constituency of the HAM Party.

At the state level, however, the BJP faces a significant challenge as the RJD, and its alliance partners hold all the assembly segments in this constituency.

Third Time’s a Charm for Misa Bharti

Misa is striving to cover as much ground as possible to break her party’s losing streak in Pataliputra. In 2009, Lalu lost to his former confidant Ranjan Yadav, who rejoined the RJD last week. Misa has been defeated twice by Ram Kripal Yadav, another former Lalu aide who had a falling out with him.

This time around, the entire Yadav family leading the RJD including Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav have deployed their heft to push for Bharti’s victory. However, as their campaign progresses, both Misa and her mother have faced questions from the people about whether they would remain and work in the constituency if they win or if they would ‘disappear’ as they allegedly have in the past after each election campaign. To such a question, Rabri Devi reluctantly said, “Why not?” in a reaction that has been widely noted by local media.

Misa Bharti who had formerly been a Rajya Sabha MP, having been elected in 2016, did not return to the constituency even as voters expected her to work on her promises with MP funds in a bid to win their favour in the next Lok Sabha election. This was a much talked about issue that worked against her favour in 2019.

In her campaign, Misa has questioned the Modi wave, citing the lack of jobs and rising inflation as factors that may affect the BJP’s prospects. Banking on these issues, Misa hopes that luck favours her as she contests from Pataliputra for the third time. To her benefit, the Modi wave is indeed not as powerful as it was in 2019 and natural levels of anti-incumbency against the sitting MP account for the best conditions she has had so far since 2014.

The core vote of the RJD including the Yadavs who form about 4 lakh votes and Muslims who form 1.5 lakh votes will bolster Misa Bharti’s position. However, a complete consolidation of the MY factor is not likely as not only is her opponent drawing a chunk of Yadav votes, the AIMIM has fielded its candidate here, who is expected to trigger a divide in the Muslim votes. Notably, Farukh Raza once held the position of general secretary in the RJD’s youth wing and managed the vote counting for Misa Bharati in the 2019 elections.

Meanwhile, Misa has also cultivated favour among pockets of the upper caste, OBC and Dalit voters. To her advantage, former JD(U) leader Ranjan Prasad Yadav, who fell out with Lalu Yadav and defeated him in 2009, is back in the RJD fold throwing his weight behind Misa. Additionally, the party had a dominant position in the 2020 assembly elections and the INDIA alliance’s MLAs are expected to bring in a considerable share of votes from their constituencies.

In such tight conditions, it is difficult for observers to say who will win this seat with winning margins expected to be very narrow.

Key Issues

Illegal Construction

While building bylaws mandate adherence for apartment construction in urban areas, enforcement appears lax when it comes to private homes in certain residential colonies in Patliputra. In Gandhi Nagar, near Patliputra Junction, several buildings exceeding permissible heights have been constructed in recent years. Prior to the junction’s operation, buildings were typically two or three stories, but with the increased land value, higher structures have been erected. This has resulted in G+4 and G+5 buildings being constructed on narrow roads, contradicting building bylaws and urban planning regulations. Many of these structures also lack approved building plans from the Patna Municipal Corporation. This has resulted into issues of street congestion and encroachment.

Danapur Diara

The residents of Danapur Diara continue to face hardship, with many villages having been lost to river erosion. The only means of access to the city is via a temporary pontoon bridge or a dangerous boat journey. The lack of a permanent bridge forces residents to transport themselves and their vehicles by boat each day, creating inconvenience and safety concerns. While promises were made to provide land and relocate those displaced by the river, these promises remain unfulfilled. The displaced residents, now living in makeshift shelters, lack basic amenities like toilets and access to safe drinking water.

Waterlogging

Waterlogging has been a major issue in Danapur and parts of Patliputra for a long time. The issue is most pronounced during monsoons. The lack of a proper drainage system in Danapur continues to cause significant problems. Despite the installation of motor pumps, flooding persists in several areas including Panchsheel Nagar, Gola Road, Bank Colony, Police Colony, Gosai Tola, Pragati Nagar, Balaji Nagar, and Urja Nagar. The situation has worsened in the last three to four years, making it difficult for residents, especially children, to navigate the area. Frequent flooding poses a health risk and safety hazard, as people often fall into the water and sustain injuries. While the pumps temporarily drain the water, it quickly accumulates again, leaving streets submerged in knee-deep water by the evening.

Water Issues

The city of Patna and by extension the region of Pataliputra is facing a severe piped water supply issue. The region has one of the oldest water supply pipelines in the country. While most of it has been replaced, the Danapur region and the hinterlands of the Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency continues to suffer. Areas like Bihta, Maner, Naubatpur, Dhanarua and Masaurhi. There is a constant demand to provide piped water in many of these regions which remain disconnected, and people travel for kilometres to get water for daily sustenance.

Lack of Civic amenities

The lack of civic amenities in many areas of Maner, Naubatpur, Dhanarua and Masaurhi has impeded the lives of residents. There is a lack of all-weather roads in many regions, along with a deprivation of constant power supply. Healthcare infrastructure remains inadequate. Maner is extremely backward, and the residents depend on the many NGOs for medical supplies. Educational facilities also remain lacking in the region, although Bihta has been supplied with a new IIT in Bihta, primary education remains a concern.

Flooding in Maner

Maner suffers through issues of constant flooding and the people have demanded embankments to help prevent floods. However, these demands have fallen on deaf ears. People in the region suffer through losses each year due to flooding, the compensation received is not able to cover up the losses. People have also alleged corruption among the local administration amid providing compensation.

Infrastructure Development

Bihta Airport

The state government had given 126 acres of land for the construction of a civil enclave at Bihta Airport, out of which the terminal building is to be constructed on 108 acres of land and the state hangar is to be constructed on 18 acres. The total cost of the project will be Rs. 1453 crore.

Danapur Bihta Road

The construction work of the 23.5-km-long Danapur-Bihta elevated four-lane road is underway. The proposed road shall improve connectivity and ease congestion between Patna and the proposed Bihta international airport and further to Buxar via Bihta and Koilwar. It will take around two hours to cover the 120 km distance to Purvanchal Expressway from Patna once this project is completed. The cost of the project is Rs3,131 crore.

Patna Metro

The Patna metro’s first phase is almost ready with electrification work underway. The project is being constructed at a cost of Rs 13,365.77 crore and is proposed to start service in 2025. The first phase will connect Danapur, Patliputra and Patna Junction among other 14 areas.

Sewerage projects

In 2019, Nitin Gadkari laid foundation for sewerage projects worth Rs 2785.23 Crore. The projects will prevent the flow of 32 Crore Litres of Sewage per day into the Ganga River from 13 towns of Bihar including Patna, Chhapra, Sonepur, Danapur, Maner, Phulwarishari, Bakhtiyarpur, Fatuha, Mokama, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger and Bhagalpur.

Bihta-Sarmera state highway

The 95 KM long Jat Dumri to Sarmera section of the Bihta- Sarmera SH has already been opened for public traffic. It also has two RoBs and approach roads which have made interconnectivity in the region easier.