Established during the British Empire in 1770, Purnia stands as one of Bihar’s oldest districts, with a rich and illustrious history. However, a dark chapter once marred the region, as dacoit gangs instilled terror across the area stretching from Purnia to Nepal. P.C. Roy Chaudhary, in the District Gazetteer of Purnia, recounted the region’s harsh climate and the notorious activities of these dacoit gangs. Consequently, Purnia gained a notorious reputation, dissuading government officials from seeking postings in the area. Officers who found themselves stationed in Purnia often considered it an unfortunate and punishing assignment. This led to the famous saying, “If you want to court death, you need not take poison – just go to Purnia, and you will meet your death.”
However, the tides have turned, and Purnia is now emerging as a prominent city in Bihar, becoming one of the largest urban centers in North Bihar. The Gulab Bagh Mandi in Purnia serves as the largest grain market in the Kosi and Seemanchal regions. Additionally, the city has gained prominence as the second-largest medical hub in Bihar, following Patna.
Purnia shares borders with Araria to the north, Katihar to the south, Kishanganj to the east, and Madhepura to the west. The Purnia Lok Sabha constituency is composed of six assembly constituencies: Purnia, Banmankhi, Dhamdaha, Rupauli, Kasba, and Korha. The Korha assembly constituency falls under Katihar district, while two assembly constituencies of Purnia district, Amour and Baisi, are part of the Kishanganj Lok Sabha constituency.
Over the years, the Purnia Lok Sabha seat has witnessed the participation of numerous prominent national-level leaders. Renowned figures like freedom fighter Phani Gopal Sen Gupta, Constituent Assembly member and freedom fighter Mohammad Tahir, muscleman Pappu Yadav, and former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and prominent Seemanchal leader, Mohammad Taslimuddin, have all represented Purnia in the Lok Sabha.
Freedom Fighter Phani Gopal Sen Gupta
Following India’s independence, the first general election in the country took place in 1951, and during that time, the Purnia Lok Sabha constituency was known as ‘Purnia Central.’ In this historic election, freedom fighter Phani Gopal Sen Gupta ran as a candidate representing the Indian National Congress. He received an impressive 78,720 votes, securing victory over his closest competitor, Durga Prasad, who obtained 53,359 votes. Consequently, Phani Gopal Sen Gupta represented the Purnia Lok Sabha constituency from 1952 to 1967.
In the second general election of 1957, Phani Gopal Sen Gupta once again contested under the Congress ticket. He achieved an even higher vote count, receiving 89,369 votes and defeating Balkrishna Gupta.
These successive election wins solidified Phani Gupta’s position as a formidable leader within the Congress party. He was born in 1905 in Purnia city to Lalit Mohan Sen and received his education from prestigious institutions such as Purnia Zila School, T.N.B. College Bhagalpur, and B.N. College Patna. Phani Gupta joined the Indian National Congress in 1929 and actively participated in the Indian freedom struggle, enduring imprisonment in 1929, 1932, and again in 1940.
In the 1962 elections for the third Lok Sabha, Phani Gopal Sen Gupta continued his streak of success. He garnered an impressive 1,17,705 votes, defeating Visheshwar Narayan Sharma, who secured 69,791 votes. However, the margin of victory was much narrower this time, with Phani Gupta prevailing over Balakrishna Gupta by a mere 4,620 votes.
Purnia’s First Muslim MP Tahir
The fifth Lok Sabha general election was held in 1971, during which Fani Gopal Sen Gupta experienced defeat in Purnia. The Congress party chose not to give Fani Gupta a ticket and instead fielded Mohammad Tahir as their candidate. Mohammad Tahir secured 56,977 votes in the election, achieving victory by a margin of 20,164 votes over Z.A. Ahmad, who was contesting on a CPI ticket. Fani Gupta received 33,846 votes and stood in the third position.
Prior to this, Mohammad Tahir had represented the Kishanganj constituency in Lok Sabha elections in 1957 and 1962. He was born in 1903 in Majgawan, a village in Kasba block in Purnia. After completing his education at Purnia Zila School, he pursued higher studies at Aligarh Muslim University. Tahir, a lawyer by profession, was associated with the Muslim League. He had also served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Bihar before becoming a Member of Parliament.
Mohammad Tahir held the distinction of being the first Muslim Member of Parliament from Purnia. Additionally, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly from 1946 to 1950, where he made significant contributions by offering valuable suggestions and actively participating in debates on various issues.
Purnia’s First non-Congress MP, Lakhna Lal Kapoor
During the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party suffered a significant defeat in the wake of the JP movement. The JP movement was a response to the declaration of emergency by Indira Gandhi in 1975, which caused widespread discontent among the people towards the Congress party. The 1977 elections revolved around the issue of the emergency, and the Bharatiya Lok Dal emerged as a strong contender, securing a remarkable victory by winning 295 seats nationwide. In Purnia, Lakhna Lal Kapoor, representing Bharatiya Lok Dal, achieved an impressive win by defeating Madhuri Singh of Congress with a margin of 92,037 votes. Interestingly, Lakhna Lal Kapoor had previously served as an MP from the Kishanganj Lok Sabha constituency in 1967.
However, Madhuri Singh made a successful comeback in the subsequent election and became the MP from Purnia in the 1980 elections, contesting on the ticket of the Congress party. She garnered 1,63,022 votes, defeating Niyanand Arya, who received 61,956 votes, while Lakhna Lal Kapoor secured the third position with just 53,233 votes.
In 1984, after the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards, there was a surge of sympathy towards the Congress, leading to overwhelming support for the party in the general elections. Under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress achieved a historic victory by securing 404 Lok Sabha seats, the highest number obtained by any political party since India’s independence. In this election, Madhuri Singh continued her winning streak from Purnia, contesting on the Congress ticket. She received 2,94,076 votes and defeated Kamal Nath Jha, who secured 1,90,400 votes. However, Lakhna Lal Kapoor’s standing in the third position with only 11,755 votes indicated a significant shift in voter preferences.
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Nonetheless, Madhuri Singh’s fortunes changed in the 1989 general elections, as she faced defeat and even stood in the fourth position with 1,14,231 votes. The election was won by Mohammad Taslimuddin, contesting on the Janata Dal ticket, who secured 1,77,159 votes, defeating Ajit Sarkar of the CPI(M) by a margin of 54,557 votes.
Without an MP for Four Years
In 1991, voting for the 10th Lok Sabha took place. However, for the Purnia Lok Sabha constituency, the declaration of results was suspended by the Election Commission due to numerous complaints from candidates representing major parties. These complaints raised concerns about booth capturing and widespread irregularities during the election process. In response to these allegations, the Chief Election Commissioner at the time, T.N. Seshan, a strict and dedicated election officer known for implementing crucial reforms, decided to put a hold on the results of Purnia Lok Sabha.
The matter eventually reached the Patna High Court, and after a prolonged legal battle, the High Court ordered a re-poll for the Purnia constituency after four years. Throughout this period, Purnia remained without a Member of Parliament (MP) due to the unresolved election results.
Finally, following the High Court’s order, the re-poll was conducted, and in this subsequent election, an independent candidate named Rajesh Ranjan, known as Pappu Yadav, emerged as the winner and secured the seat.
Entry of Pappu Yadav
In 1996, a mere two years following the re-poll, the 11th Lok Sabha elections took place. Pappu Yadav entered the fray from Purnia, representing the Samajwadi Party. He achieved a resounding victory by defeating the BJP candidate, Rajendra Prasad Gupta, with a significant margin of 3,16,155 votes. This triumph firmly established Pappu Yadav as a prominent and influential leader in the Seemanchal region.
However, the next Lok Sabha elections held in 1998 posed a challenging contest for Pappu Yadav. He faced a tough opponent in BJP candidate Jay Krishna Mandal. Despite the closely fought battle, Krishna Mandal managed to secure victory over Pappu Yadav, prevailing by a narrow margin of just 35,817 votes. Notably, Uday Singh, also known as Pappu Singh and the son of former MP Madhuri Singh, participated in the elections on the Congress ticket, attaining the third position with 1,02,297 votes.
Pappu Yadav versus Pappu Singh
The 1998 general elections did not yield a clear mandate for any single party. The BJP managed to secure 182 seats, falling short of a majority. With support from several other parties, Atal Bihari Vajpayee assumed the role of Prime Minister, forming a coalition government. Regrettably, this coalition government proved to be short-lived, as after 13 months, a vote of no confidence was passed against it, leading to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s resignation. The withdrawal of support by AIADMK, a party within the NDA coalition, left the government in a minority.
Following Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s resignation, no party possessed the capability to form a government, which led to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. Consequently, fresh elections were conducted in 1999.
During these new elections, Pappu Yadav emerged victorious, defeating the incumbent MP Jay Krishna Mandal. Notably, Pappu Yadav contested as an independent candidate and secured a significant margin of victory, winning by 2,52,566 votes.
However, Pappu Yadav’s fortunes shifted in the subsequent Lok Sabha elections of 2004. He faced defeat against BJP’s candidate Uday Singh, alias Pappu Singh, in a closely contested race. Uday Singh managed to defeat Pappu Yadav by a narrow margin of just 12,883 votes.
The trend continued in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, as Uday Singh secured another victory, this time defeating the independent candidate Shanti Priya (Pappu Yadav’s mother) by a comfortable margin of 1,86,185 votes.
JD(U) MP Santosh Kumar Kushwaha
Over the past two general elections, Santosh Kumar Kushwaha has been the representative of the Purnia Lok Sabha constituency. On both occasions, he ran and emerged victorious under the ticket of Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)).
Kushwaha’s political journey began when he became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Baisi in the 2010 Bihar Assembly elections, contesting on the ticket of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). However, shortly before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he made a switch to JD(U). Subsequently, JD(U) announced him as their candidate for the Purnia Lok Sabha seat. In the election, Kushwaha secured a win by defeating the BJP candidate Uday Singh with a margin of 1,16,669 votes. The Congress candidate, Amar Nath Tiwari, received 1,24,344 votes, while Md. Shamsher Alam of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha secured the fourth position with 50,446 votes.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP and JD(U) formed an alliance, with JD(U) being allotted the Purnia seat. As a result, Uday Singh chose to contest on the Congress ticket. Nevertheless, in the election, Santosh Kumar Kushwaha emerged victorious once again by a significant margin, defeating Uday Singh by 2,63,461 votes. Kushwaha obtained 6,32,924 votes, while Singh received 3,69,463 votes.
2024 Lok Sabha Elections
As we delve into the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a notable transformation has occurred in the Purnia constituency. Both JD(U) and Congress have become constituents of the Mahagathbandhan alliance in the state government while simultaneously being part of the opposition’s INDIA alliance. As a result, Santosh Kumar Kushwaha and his long-standing rival Uday Singh are now aligned under the INDIA alliance banner.
The Purnia Lok Sabha seat was secured by JD(U) amidst challenging circumstances in 2014, and they managed to retain it successfully in 2019. This history indicates that JD(U) is less inclined to cede this seat to Congress. Consequently, the prevailing belief is that the 2024 contest in Purnia will primarily be between JD(U) and BJP. However, BJP’s strategic moves are yet to unfold. Presently, BJP controls three assembly seats (Purnia, Banmankhi, and Kodha), JD(U) holds two (Dhamdaha and Rupauli), while Congress maintains one (Kasba) seat under the jurisdiction of the Purnia Lok Sabha constituency.
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