Patna: The battle of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is underway and the third phase is just a day away. Five seats in Bihar are going to the polls in the third phase of voting, among them, Khagaria is considered to be an important electoral gamble by Mahagathbandhan in Bihar.
Son of Mallah, Mukesh Sahani is contesting against Lok Janshakti Party’s sitting MP Mehboob Ali Kaiser.
Mukesh Sahani belongs to Nishad community which is said to have 14% vote in the state which can break or make a government having a strong presence in North Bihar and can change the fortune of candidates in at least 15 Lok Sabha seats.
From Bollywood set designer to a political leader who launched his own political outfit- Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) is an aspirant to win Muzaffarpur and Khagaria.
Nishad’s electoral importance:
Nishad community can be broadly divided into Mallahs and Nonias, both of which are further divided into 23 sub-castes including Bind, Beldar, Chaiye, Tiyar, Khulwat, Surahiya, Godhi, Vanpar and Kewat. Overall, the community plays a key role in many constituencies of the state. Its population varies between 8-17% in districts dominated by the Nishaads, such as Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Motihari, Begusarai, Madhubani, Saharsa, Supaul, Vaishali and Munger.
Mukesh Sahani’s prospect in Khagaria:
Khagaria Lok Sabha seat is known as the stronghold of Yadav community where RJD’s candidate Krishna Yadav in ended as runner up with a margin of 76,023 votes in 2014 general elections.
Arguments which pose the question on Sahani’s future are as follows:
In this election, the RJD abstained from fielding its candidate as it went to Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) during seat sharing which may block further opportunities of the lantern to glow in Khagaria’s electoral politics.
Secondly, the decision of RJD leadership has not gone well within core supporters of the RJD. Supposedly if on Khagaria Lok Sabha seat, Mukesh Sahni attains victory future prospects of Krishna Yadav’s politics who performed considerably well amid Modi wave will meet an end. And RJD’s presence with a strong Muslim-Yadav (MY) combination will be a showpiece proxy strength serving ally’s existence.
Although there was no hue & cry by supporters of Krishna Yadav against Mukesh Sahni’s candidature but sudden U-turn within Mahagathbandhan precisely RJD’s support base may pop up during the voting time.
Anyhow, on this seat to keeping the minority vote bank intact is a colossal task for Mahagathbandhan as previously a considerable section of Muslims extended support to LJP’s Mehboob Ali Kaiser.
So the underlying question remains:
Would the RJD allow it’s ally (Mukesh Sahani) to grab power on its bastion?
Arithmetic of Khagaria Lok Sabha constituency remains one of the most uncertain subjects among all 40 seats as per past records because social engineering of contesting parties do not remain constant & intact. If an unseen infight within the Mahagathbandhan comes into play, certainly the LJP will sustain to hold power.
Mukesh Sahni’s entry into the fold of Mahagathbandhan was based on strengthening hold on votes of Nishad community across Bihar but Khagaria’s electoral battle has inserted twist in terms of sustainability of Mahagathbandhan. Would Mukesh Sahni’s victory weaken or strengthen the Grand Alliance is a big question?
Khagaria Lok Sabha Constituency, Bihar: Current MP, Candidates, Polling Date and Election Results
