BJP's Brahmin card versus RJD's MY equation in Darbhanga

Patna, May 11 (IANS) Like in the majority of Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar, the battle for Darbhanga is turning out to be between the NDA and the Grand Alliance.

It will be interesting to see if the Brahmin card of the BJP will get the upper hand or the Muslim-Yadav equation of the RJD will succeed.

The NDA has renominated its sitting BJP MP Gopal Jee Thakur, while the RJD's Lalit Kumar Yadav is representing the Grand Alliance.

For the Grand Alliance, the addition of Mukesh Sahani is crucial here due to his influence on the voters of the fisher community and it may favour the RJD candidate.

The total number of voters in Darbhanga is 17,74,656 out of which the number of male voters is 9,33,122 and there are 8,41,499 female voters.

Apart from this, there are 35 third-gender voters in this constituency.

Talking about the caste equation, the Brahmins are in a dominant position with a population of over 4.70 lakh. They are known as aggressive voters in the region.

At around 3.6 lakh, the population of the Muslims is also significant here, followed by around 2.25 lakh Nishad-Sahani (fishermen community).

Apart from this, the number of SC/ST voters is around 2.7 lakh and Yadav voters are around 1,80,000.

Maithili Brahmins have always dominated politics in Darbhanga, as a result, 9 candidates from the community have won the Lok Sabha elections here.

Keeping their dominance in mind, the BJP bets on Brahmin candidates most of the time and it has yielded dividends for them.

The BJP won the Darbhanga seat for the first time in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. Although it lost in 2004, after that the candidates of the saffron party won three-consecutive elections in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

After scoring a hat-trick the BJP is preparing for its fourth-consecutive win in 2024 and the Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat has emerged as the new stronghold of the party.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP MP Gopalji Thakur defeated the RJD's Abdul Bari Siddiqui by a huge margin. At that time, out of the total votes polled, Gopalji Thakur secured 5,86,668 votes (62 per cent approximately).

The RJD's Abdul Bari Siddiqui obtained 3,18,689 votes (33 per cent approximately).

To bridge this gap, the Grand Alliance has made Lalit Prasad Yadav its candidate this time, expressing confidence in the MY equation. Now, it remains to be seen how the BJP will overcome this challenge.

Darbhanga is situated on the bank of the Bagmati River and it was mentioned in the Ramayana too as it is an ancient city with rich traditions and culture.

It has given the taste of Makhana to the whole world and is famous for its hospitality. Makhana, paan and fish are the identity of this place. It is also known for its folk culture and traditions.

Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituency comprises 6 Assembly seats such as Gaura Bauram, Benipur, Alinagar, Darbhanga Rural, Darbhanga and Bahadurpur. The NDA has control over all five seats except for Darbhanga Rural.

The RJD's Lalit Yadav is the MLA from the Darbhanga Rural seat and is contesting the Lok Sabha poll on the party’s ticket.

“There are many challenges in Darbhanga. It has many problems including roads, sewerage and floods. Waterlogging in the monsoon season is a major problem here. If I win I will ensure these problems are solved. The biggest priority for me is to build an AIIMS here in Darbhanga.

“Our leader Tejashwi Yadav has a vision of providing jobs to youths. Our party always gives a message of brotherhood of all castes and religions and these are our goals,” said Lalit Yadav earnestly.

“Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, we did many things in the last five years in Darbhanga and we are committed to doing the same in the next tenure. People know my work. They have faith in PM Modi who has done tremendously well in the last 10 years. The people of Darbhanga will vote for him and make him PM for the third time,” said Thakur, the BJP’s candidate with a note of confidence in his voice.