Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Ahead of the voting for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Bihar on May 7, the Inddia-Nepal border adjoining the Supaul district of the state has been sealed and cross-border movement of people has been suspended to ensure peaceful polling, said officials.
Supaul is one of the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar scheduled to vote in the third phase on May 7. The other four are Araria, Madhepura, Khagaria, and Jhanjharpur.
JK Sharma, Action Commandant Officer, 45th BN Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Birpur, Bihar, on Sunday said, "The Supaul district administration has directed us to seal the Indo-Nepal border area for 72 hours to ensure the Lok Sabha election happens peacefully and no law and order situation occurs. Essential services won't be affected, and the movement of ambulances is also excluded."
Supaul Lok Sabha seat
Supaul is one of the Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar. The state has 40 parliamentary seats. The Supaul seat comprises six assembly segments including Nirmali, Pipra, Supaul, Triveniganj(sc), Chhatapur and Singheshwar (sc). The constituency is a general seat. The JD(U) and the Congress are the main parties in the constituency.
Supaul seat, which has been considered a stronghold of the socialists for a long time, is set for a keen contest as RJD has fielded its candidate after 25 years since the 1998 Lok Sabha polls against sitting MP and JD-U leader Dileshwar Kamait.
The National Democratic Alliance has reposed faith in sitting MP and JDU leader Dileshwar Kamait, whereas the RJD has fielded Chandrahas Chaupal, its MLA from the Singheshwar (SC) seat. Chaupal, an RJD MLA from Singheshwar Assembly constituency, is trying his luck for the first time to reach Parliament.
Supaul has voted aggressively in the last two parliamentary elections. The voter turnout in Supaul was 63.62 per cent in 2014 and 65.77 per cent in 2019.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Dileshwar Kamait from JD(U) won the seat with a margin of 266,853 votes. Dileshwar Kamait was polled 597,377 votes with a vote share of 54.00 per cent and defeated Ranjeet Ranjan from Congress who got 330,524 votes (29.75 per cent).
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Ranjeet Ranjan from Congress won the seat and was polled 332,927 votes with a vote share of 34.30 per cent. JD(U) candidate Dileshwar Kamait got 273,255 votes (28.15 per cent) and was the runner-up.Ranjeet Ranjan defeated Dileshwar Kamait by a margin of 59,672 votes.
Lok Sabha polls phase 3
In the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, the fate of 54 candidates across five constituencies will be decided on May 7. These constituencies include Araria, Supaul, Jhanjharpur, Madhepura, and Khagaria, all presently held by the ruling NDA. The three constituencies—Supaul, Jhanjharpur, and Madhepura—are presently held by JD(U). The party has nominated the incumbent MPs from these seats to contest in the upcoming polls.
In 2019, the BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state, failed to open its account.
(With ANI inputs)
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