RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s family is unable to dissociate itself from Bihar’s Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat despite facing defeats in three successive parliamentary elections.
Sitting BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav will contest against Lalu Prasad’s eldest daughter & Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti from the Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat for the third time in a row. The Patliputra constituency was carved out from the erstwhile Patna constituency after the delimitation in 2008.
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Lalu Family’s Consecutive Defeat
Lalu Prasad lost the Lok Sabha election from Pataliputra in 2009, while Misa Bharti was defeated in the 2014 and 2019 elections by BJP’s Ram Kripal Yadav.
The RJD chief was defeated by Ranjan Prasad Yadav of JD-U with a margin of 23,541 votes in 2009. Lalu Prasad secured over 2.45 lakh votes while Ranjan Prasad Yadav got more than 2.69 lakh votes.
Ram Kripal Yadav, a native of Patna & former RJD leader was considered a close aide of Lalu Prasad in the past. But, he joined the BJP in 2014 after the RJD refused to field him from the Pataliputra seat.
Ram Kripal Yadav defeated Misa Bharti with a margin of 40,322 votes in the 2014 election and with the margins of 39,321 votes in the 2019 parliamentary poll.
Past Winners of Patliputra Lok Sabha
1951 – SARANGDHAR SINHA – INC
1957 – SARANGDHAR SINHA – INC
1962 – RAMDULARI DEVI – INC
1967 – RAMAVATAR SHASTRI – CPI
1971 – RAMAVATAR SHASTRI – CPI
1977 – MAHA MAYA PRASAD SINHA – BLD
1980 – RAMAVATAR SHASTRI – CPI
1984 – C. P. THAKUR – INC
1989 – SHAILENDRA NATH SRIVASTAVA – BJP
1991 – IK Gujral from JD Vs Yashwant Sinha from BJP. Election cancelled by commission over booth capturing allegations. (Countermanded)
1993* – RAMKRIPAL YADAV – JD
1996 – RAMKRIPAL YADAV – JD
1998 – C.P.THAKUR – BJP
1999 – C.P.THAKUR – BJP
2004 – RAMKRIPAL YADAV – RJD
2009 – RANJAN PRASAD YADAV – JD(U)
2014 – Ram Kripal Yadav – BJP
2019 – Ram Kripal Yadav – BJP
‘Misa Bharti Never Visits The Constituency’
“Ram Kripal Yadav is a seasoned politician. He works round the clock. He does not ignore even a phone call from any person from his constituency… Due to his people’s friendly image, voters of all sections have a great respect for him. Even RJD workers admire his works on the ground,” told BJP OBC wing National General Secretary Nikhil Anand.
“On the other hand, Misa Bharti never visits the constituency. After her defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, she visited Pataliputra in 2019 and lost again. Now, she is visiting the constituency again after a gap of five years for the election,” he added.
2020 Assembly Election Results
Although the BJP candidate has won two successive elections, the 2020 Assembly elections’ data favours the Mahagathbandhan.
The Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat comprises six assembly segments – Danapur, Maner, Phulwari, Masaurhi, Paliganj, and Bikram and all were won by the Mahagathbandhan led by RJD in 2020.
In 2020 Bihar legislative assembly elections, Mahagathbandhan & NDA had secured 5,28,032 and 3,30,454 votes respectively in the Patliputra Lok Sabha area.
| RJD+ | BJP+ | IND | |
| Danapur | 89895 | 73971 | |
| Maner | 94223 | 61306 | |
| Phulwari | 91124 | 77267 | |
| Masaurhi | 98696 | 66469 | |
| Paliganj | 67917 | 37002 | |
| Bikram | 86177 | 14439 | 50717 |
| Total | 528032 | 330454 | 50717 |
Bhai Virendra, the RJD MLA from Maner, said: “The people of all the six assembly constituencies which come under Pataliputra have voted for us and the same thing will be repeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Misa Bharti will win the Lok Sabha election this time.”
Caste Equation & Number of Voters
The Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency has more than 20 lakh eligible voters. The voters belonging to Yadav, Bhumihar, Rajput, Kurmi, Dalit and Muslim communities have a sizable population there.
| Electors as per proposed Final Roll w.r.t. 01.01.2024 as the qualifying date |
|||||
| No. | Assembly Name | Male | Female | Third Gender | Total Voters |
| 186 | Danapur | 194683 | 173289 | 9 | 367981 |
| 187 | Maner | 180769 | 162690 | 9 | 343468 |
| 188 | Phulwari (SC) | 203192 | 180986 | 11 | 384189 |
| 189 | Masaurhi (SC) | 180201 | 167056 | 2 | 347259 |
| 190 | Paliganj | 153128 | 140510 | 8 | 293646 |
| 191 | Bikram | 165219 | 150816 | 18 | 316053 |
| Total Voters in Patliputra Lok Sabha | 2052596 | ||||
The Danapur assembly constituency is dominated by Yadavs, while Rajputs, Bhumihars and Kurmis also have a sizable vote bank there. In the 2020 assembly election, RJD’s Ritlal Yadav won the election from Danapur. He was also in the race for Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat.
In Phulwari(SC), Dalit and Muslim voters are in dominant positions and CPI(ML)-L candidate Gopal Ravidas had won the 2020 Assembly election from the seat.
In Paliganj, Yadavs, Bhumihars and Muslims have a sizable population. Sandeep Saurav of CPI(ML)-L is a sitting MLA from the seat.
In Masaurhi(SC), Yadav and Dalit voters play a key role. The seat was secured by Rekha Devi of RJD in 2020.
The Bikram seat was although won by Congress’ Sidhartha Saurav, the MLA later turned rebel and joined the BJP. Bhumihars and Rajputs have a significant population in Bikram.
In Maner, Bhai Virendra of RJD secured his fourth consecutive term in the 2020 Assembly election.
The Pataliputra parliamentary seat registered a 41 per cent voter turnout in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. While in 2014 and 2019, the constituency registered over 56 per cent voter turnout.
The voting for the Pataliputra constituency is slated for the seventh phase on June 1.
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