CLOSE CONTEST IS ON THE CARD IN BETWEEN THE BJP AND THE CPI-ML (LIBERATION) IN ARA PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY

CLOSE CONTEST IS ON THE CARD IN BETWEEN THE BJP AND THE CPI-ML (LIBERATION) IN ARA PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY

31-MAY-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------------32-Ara parliamentary Constituency is a hot bed this time as two  titans Raj Kumar Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Sudama Prasad of the Communist Party of India—Marxist-Leninist (Liberation) are in the fray along with 14 others. Raj Kumar Singh has won the last two election on the BJP ticket and this time he is once again in the fray on the same ticket while Sudama Prasad has been two time MLA on the party ticket but this time he is contesting the Parliamentary Election for the first time. Although the election campaign has ended yesterday evening, the election wave is absent in the 32-Ara Parliamentary Constituency. The voters are silent and refrained to say anything regarding support of any party and at some places voters say that the leades remembers the people only at the time of elections, otherwise they do not show their face though the Bhojpur District administration launched door to door campaign to aware the voters of their voting rights and also boosted their morale and requested also requested them to come to their respective polling booths to cast their votes and thus ensure cent percent voting.

Though 14 candidates are contesting elections this time from the 32-Ara Parliamentary Constituency but the main contest seems in between the BJP candidate Raj Kumar Singh and the CPI-ML candidate Sudama Prasad and even people are talking at every nook and corner of the district about them. This time a neck-to-neck fight seems possible in between the BJP candidate and the CPI-ML candidate.

People said that Sudama Prasad has always been with the business community through their joys and sorrows and has always stood by them whenever needed and so he is considered to have the full support of the Vaishya community. Besides, as Sudama Prasad is supported by the INDIA Alliance this time, he may get the cadre votes of the Congress and the RJD. In addition to it, the CPI-ML has its own cadre vote and the MY equation also seems to be working in his favour.

On the other hand, Raj Kumar Singh of the BJP had won the 32-Ara parliamentary election in the year 2014 and 2019 and was made the union energy minister. He claims that he has done a lot of development work for his constituency. While enumerating his development works, Raj Kumar Singh says that he got the Ara railway station under the Danapur rail division of the East Central Railway (ECR), Hajipur, developed and beautified, got a Wash Pit installed, got an Escalator installed at the railway station, got many trains stopped, built platform number 4 and made arrangements for many trains to originate from Ara and also connected Ara with the NHs, ring road is being built, built six lane bridge over the river Sone at Koelwar, built Foot Over Bridge (FOB), got Ramana Maidan beatified and still many development works are still to be done.

But the people are of the opinion that Raj Kumar Singh counted Raj Kumar Singh is adding so many feathers of development to his cap which he does not have. The railway, NH and the Koelwar Bridge do not come under his ministry. Even the beautification of the Ramana Maidan is done by the Natioanal Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). Whenever people question about the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund (MPLAD), he turns his face round and goes away sitting in his car. Besides, the people say that Raj Kumar Singh was a bureaucrat and this bureaucrat is still in his mind and so he never behave well with the common people and treat as dictator. They further said that he had adopted the Gundi village but the people there are destined to live in archaic age as no development work has taken there. Raj Kumar Singh did nothing for the youths and the unemployed persons of his constituency and roads of Ara are full of ditches. Even some dedicated party workers are dissatisfied with Raj Kumar Sigh saying that he gives preference only to his co-caste. And this is the reason Raj Kumar Singh is facing the tough time. Due to his indifferent attitude towards the local problems, people at several places in Bhojpur district has decided to boycott the vote saying that ‘No Road, No Vote.’ A poster has been put up at many places as he is rarely seen in his parliamentary constituency. Still it is only Modi factor that can give victory to Raj Kumar Singh otherwise he may be in a tight position. People also have a say whom they should vote for. They are scared of the CPI-ML and upper caste people of every political party say that they will not vote for the CPI-ML. They are also of the opinion that no MP can be better than Raj Kumar Singh for this area and in such a situation, Raj Kumar Singh can be benefited.

Out of the seven assembly constituencies under 32-Ara parliamentary constituency, RJD is in control of three seats, two are held each by the CPI-ML and the BJP in the Assembly Elections 2020. One Agiaw Assembly seat is now vacant due to life imprisonment to the CPI-ML MLA Manoj Manjil in a murder case and his membership had ended and so by-election is being held in Agiaw though the Patna High Court granted bail to him.

A number of political titans of the BJP and the INDIA Alliance visited the 32-Ara Parliamentary Constituency on different dates to campaign in favour of their candidates and made flurry of accusations against one another.

Now it depends on the people what they think and only time can tell who will be in the driver’s seat this time.