Buxar Lok Sabha Polls: Independents Add Drama to BJP Vs RJD Fight In This Bihar Seat – News18

The Buxar Lok Sabha constituency, one of the 40 parliamentary constituencies in Bihar, is a General category seat that encompasses the entire Buxar district as well as parts of Kaimur and Rohtas districts. It currently includes six Legislative Assembly segments — Brahampur, Buxar, Dumraon, Rajpur (SC) in Buxar district, Ramgarh in Kaimur district, and Dinara in Rohtas district. The constituency will vote in phase seven on June 1.

Sitting MP: Ashwini Kumar Choubey (BJP) since 2014, preceded by Jagadanand Singh of RJD (2009) and Lalmuni Chaubey of BJP (1996-2009)

Key Candidates: Mithilesh Tiwari (BJP), Sudhakar Singh (RJD), Anand Mishra (independent), Dadan Singh Yadav (independent)

POLITICAL DYNAMICS

The battle for Buxar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is shaping up to be a four-way contest due to the presence of notable independent candidates such as Dadan Singh Yadav, also known as Dadan Pahalwan, and retired IPS officer Anand Mishra. While the BJP’s Mithilesh Tiwari lies in the pole position despite internal differences, the RJD is not far behind with Sudhakar Singh, a formidable candidate in the race. The BJP is backed by alliance partners JD(U), LJP, HAM Party and others and the RJD is backed by the INDIA alliance partners like the Congress and Mukesh Sahani’s VIP.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Ashwini Kumar Choubey had won the election with a lead of 1.17 lakh votes, down from 1.32 lakh in 2014, against the RJD’s Jagadanand Singh who put up a tough fight each time.

BJP in Pole Position: After serving two terms, incumbent MP Ashwini Kumar Choubey was denied a ticket for a third term due to perceived anti-incumbency, according to party sources. The BJP has instead chosen to field former Baikunthpur MLA Mithilesh Tiwari, who will be contesting his first Lok Sabha election. Tiwari has held various roles within the party, including Bihar BJP’s state vice-president, and has also served as the state secretary and vice-president.

While caste equations favour the BJP, including Brahmin voters, who play the role of kingmakers in the constituency, the party also faces a plethora of major challenges including infighting, a formidable independent candidate eating into its vote bank and the fact that the INDIA members hold all the assembly seats in Buxar at this point.

Mithilesh Tiwari, like Choubey, is not a local of Buxar, being from Gopalganj, and has previously not played any major political roles in the constituency, making it difficult for him to make a mark in a short duration of time. Moreover, Tiwari’s candidature has not gone down well within the party, with some leaders openly against the decision. Firstly, sitting MP Choubey is not pleased with the decision and reports of discontentment and his faction of party workers have caused tensions within the party. Several local level leaders have come out in support of former IPS Anand Mishra, who had been campaigning in the seat and was a leading contender for a BJP ticket. Mishra, who is now contesting independently, has the support of leaders like Rana Pratap Singh, a strong Rajput face for the BJP, who rebelled against the party’s decision and was expelled for it.

Tiwari is facing a significant challenge when it comes to uniting the local party cadres in a party fraught with infighting. Mishra’s presence in the fray has further complicated questions, with the former IPS line of attack being solely about not being given a ticket, while continuing to praise and invoke Prime Minister Modi in his speeches. In fact, Mishra is drawing huge crowds of young voters, indicative of grassroots support from local level leaders. Recently, Rana Pratap Singh said, “Modi is Anand. Anand is Modi.” He added that once Mishra wins, he will make the prime minister’s dreams for Buxar come true. It is clear that Mishra, who has been promising development, including a hospital and jobs for the youth, is projecting himself as an alternative BJP face who may join the party if he wins the Lok Sabha battle and is targeting voters among upper castes and youth. In the process, however, Mithilesh Tiwari’s candidature is at risk of slipping to second place, giving the RJD an edge.

Meanwhile, the Modi factor is significantly at play here. The prime minister’s push for establishment of the Ram Mandir has won favour among local constituents of Buxar, a region historically rooted in the Ramayana. With Bhagwan Ram taking centre stage in the constituency, voters hope that the Prime Minister will bring the same level of development in the constituency as it has done in Ayodhya and Varanasi. In fact, this is a campaign pitch made by Mithilesh Tiwari. With efforts to build a 1,000-feet statue of Lord Ra, which will be the tallest statue in the world, already on, the BJP hopes to make the most of the ‘Ram factor’.

Moreover, the Modi factor is also prevalent owing to welfare schemes such as free ration, Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat and Kisan Samman Nidhi, which have made a visible impact in the way voters vote.

In terms of caste demographics, Buxar has around 4 lakh Brahmin voters who play the deciding role in Buxar and lean predominantly towards the BJP. Further, the 3 lakh Rajput voters, and 2.5 lakh Bhumihars, also generally support the BJP. Additionally, there are nearly 3 lakh Yadav voters and 1.5 lakh Muslim voters, who tend to favour the RJD. The constituency also includes Kushwaha, Kurmi, Dalit, Mahadalit, and other EBC communities, among whom it is the BJP that wields the edge. Backed by alliance partners, the BJP finds itself well-positioned among Paswan, Kurmi, Kushwaha and Manjhi voters.

RJD Bets on Sudhakar Singh: The RJD has selected Sudhakar Singh, a sitting MLA from Ramgarh and former Bihar cabinet minister, as their candidate for the Buxar Lok Sabha constituency. Singh, known for his vocal opposition to the current regime, is leveraging anti-incumbency sentiments against the government. As the son of RJD state president Jagdanand Singh, he also benefits from substantial political experience and insights.

In the 2020 assembly polls, however, the RJD wielded the edge, bagging three seats out of six, namely Brahampur, Ramgarh and Dinara, while the Congress bagged two, including Buxar and Rajpur, and the CPI(ML) bagging the other in Dumraon. This is a significant edge for the opposition parties.

Having lost the 2019 general election by a margin of about 1.17 lakh votes, the RJD, in alliance with the Congress, is banking on anti-incumbency, lack of jobs for the youth and inflation to sail through the election with a victory. Mishra’s googly has further raised hopes of a favourable division of the BJP’s votes. However, the RJD has its own challenge here, with another independent candidate Dadan Singh Yadav, alias Dadan Pahalwan, who has a formidable hold in the constituency, especially among Yadavs who are the dominant community after Brahmins in the constituency. This may restrict the crucial Muslim-Yadav vote consolidation in favour of the INDI alliance. Yadav voters form 3 lakh votes while Muslim voters form 1.5 lakh votes.

With Dadan Pahalwan playing spoilsport, RJD cadres are visibly demoralised even as the party’s campaign runs rigorously with large crowds gracing Sudhakar Singh’s campaign rally after filing his nomination. He is also banking on support from alliance partners as well as party stalwarts Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav to make the final push before polling day.

KEY ISSUES

Healthcare Woes: The healthcare scenario in Bihar is not very promising, as the government hospital here does not meet the requirements of the people on most occasions. The people have been demanding a new hospital here, as they currently have to travel to other regions with better healthcare services for basic diagnoses and treatment. While the state government had laid the foundation of a new medical college some two years ago, it is yet to begin operations.

Tourism: There is a call to improve the tourist inflow to Buxar, which, in turn, would help in employment and livelihood generation for the people. For this, there are demands by the people that the government work towards enhancing tourism facilities in the area. Connectivity has been upgraded to an extent, but there is still much to be desired. There is also a demand for the development of a Varanasi-like corridor here. The BJP candidate is already promising a large Shri Ram statue. Buxar, which hosts the Panchkosi Mela and the Siya Piya Milan Mahotsav, is associated with Shri Ram and people want the government to better focus on the religious tourism front and help residents capitalise on the potential of such mega fairs.

Farmers’ Demands: In Buxar, farm fires are a big issue making life difficult for small and medium-scale farmers. There are calls for development of more irrigation facilities as existing canals fall short in many ways. Farmers here want uninterrupted electricity and water supply.

Civic Infra: The civic infrastructure is not up to the mark in Buxar. Although the state of roads and power supply has improved to an extent, education remains in a lamentable position. The central school is not up to the mark, and voters have been asking for the education facilities to be given a face-lift.

Unemployment: The dearth of jobs is as concerning for the people of Buxar as it is in other parts of the country. In the absence of jobs and avenues to earn a proper livelihood, the youth is forced to migrate to other states. This leads to a permanent relocation for many, leaving a severe mark on the demography of the region.

Voter Demographics (2011 Census)

Total Voters (2019): 18,54,295

Urban Voters: 7.7%

Rural Voters: 92.3%

Literacy Rate: 58.24%

Social Composition

SC: 16.5%

ST: 1.3%

Religious Composition

Hindu: 93%

Muslim: 6.5%

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

1. Buxar Thermal Power Plant: In 2020, the foundation of infrastructural works of the First Boiler of 1320 MW was laid at the Buxar Thermal Power Plant. In 2022, 1,320-MW Buxar Thermal Power Plant has entered the advanced construction phase. The project comprises two units and includes an investment of about Rs 11,000 crore. On launching, the plant will produce 9,828 million units of electricity.
2. Connectivity Push: A major effort is underway to improve the road and highway infrastructure in and around Buxar. In 2022, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated two National Highway projects worth Rs 3,390 crore – the 44-km 4-lane Koilwar to Bhojpur section on NH-922 constructed at a cost of Rs 1,662 crore and the 48-km 4-lane Bhojpur to Buxar section on NH-922 constructed at a cost of Rs 1,728 crore. In 2023, the Ballia Link Expressway was inaugurated, and now allows people to reach Patna from Lucknow through Purvanchal Expressway in just four-and-a-half hours, while travel from Ballia to Buxar now takes only half-an-hour. Meanwhile, the Tata-Ara Express will now extend its service to Buxar, as the Railway Ministry gave its nod for the same in February this year.
3. Railway Station Development: Under the ambitious railway station redevelopment programme of Indian Railways, Buxar station is being given a makeover. The facilities proposed include congestion-free non-conflicting entry/exit to the station premises, segregation of arrival/departure of passengers, adequate concourse without overcrowding, integration of both sides of the city wherever feasible, integration with other modes of transport systems such as bus, metro etc., user-friendly international signage, well-illuminated circulating area and sufficient provision for drop-off, pick-up and parking, etc.
4. Medical College: In 2022, chief minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation for a new medical college in Dumraon, Buxar. This is important as people have been demanding an upgradation of healthcare facilities here for a long time.

With inputs from Pushparaj