Bihar election 2020: Key battles to watch out for in phase 1

Bihar Assembly Election 2020 Phase 1: Polling is underway for the first phase of Assembly polls in Bihar amid tight security while following Covid-19 norms put in place. The polling began at 7 am for the 71 Assembly constituencies in 16 districts. According to the State Election Commission, 2.14 crore voters will exercise their franchise in the first phase for which 31,371 polling stations have been set up. In the first phase, 1,066 candidates, including 114 women are in the fray. Six members of the state cabinet - Prem Kumar (Gaya Town), Vijay Kumar Sinha (Lakhisarai), Ram Narayan Mandal (Banka), Krishnanandan Prasad Verma (Jehanabad), Jaikumar Singh (Dinara) and Santosh Kumar Nirala (Rajpur) - are contesting in the first phase. Verma, Singh and Nirala belong to the JD(U), while the remaining are from the BJP. 

Key battles to watch out for in phase 1

Banka Vidhan Sabha Seat: Ram Narayan Mandal (BJP) vs Javed Iqbal Ansari (RJD)

Situated at the southeast end of Bihar, Banka elected BJP's Ram Narayan Mandal in the 2015 Assembly election, defeating RJD's Zafrul Hoda by 3,730 votes. BJP has once again nominated Mandal. Mandal is serving as the Revenue and Land Reforms Minister in the Bihar Cabinet. The RJD has fielded Javed Iqbal Ansari, former Minister and MLA from this constituency. Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samta Party has given the ticket to Kaushal Kumar Singh. 

Sasaram Vidhan Sabha Seat: Ashok Kumar (JD-U) vs Rameshwar Chaurasiya (LJP) vs Rajesh Kumar Gupta (RJD)

An interesting three-way fight for the Sasaram seat is on the cards, with the incumbent - the RJD's Ashok Kumar fighting on a JDU ticket. He is up against veteran leader Rameshwar Chaurasiya, who quit the BJP to join Chirag Paswan's LJP. The RJD has fielded Rajesh Kumar Gupta.

Chainpur Vidhan Sabha Seat: Brij Kishor Bind (BJP) vs Prakash Kumar Singh (Congress)

Chainpur is considered a stronghold of BJP. The seat has been represented by BJP's Brij Kishor Bind since 2009. Bind is the Bihar Mines and Geology Minister in the outgoing Nitish government. The BJP has fielded him once again. BSP's Mohammad Zama Khan had caused a major upset in the 2015 polls as Bind managed to scrape through by just 671 votes. Khan is again contesting as a BSP candidate while Congress has given the ticket to Prakash Kumar Singh. The last occasion on which Congress won this seat was in 1985. 

Mokama Vidhan Sabha Seat: Anant Kumar Singh (RJD) vs Rajiv Lochan Narayan Singh (JDU)

Known as baahubali, Anant Kumar Singh is RJD’s candidate from Mokama assembly seat in Patna district. Fairly controversial because of his criminal background, Anant Kumar Singh will take on Rajiv Lochan Narayan Singh of JD(U). Anant Singh contested and won from the Mokama assembly seat in 2005 on a JD(U) ticket. He retained the seat in 2010. Anant Singh quit the JD(U) in September 2015 following a fall-out with Nitish Kumar over the JD(U)'s alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Jamui Vidhan Sabha Seat: Shreyasi Singh (BJP) vs Vijay Prakash Yadav (LJP)

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Commonwealth Games shooter Shreyasi Singh from Jamui assembly seat to take on Vijay Prakash Yadav of RJD. A winner of gold medal in shooting at 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Singh joined BJP just weeks before assembly polls. The Jamui assembly seat is a part of LJP chief Chirag Paswan’s Lok Sabha constituency. The seat has become a high profile because of the the presence of an international sports personality. A total of 14 candidates are trying their luck. The battle is, however, primarily between Shreyasi Singh, Vijay Prakash Yadav, and BJP rebel candidate Ajay Pratap, who is contesting on RLSP ticket.

Imamganj Vidhan Sabha Seat: Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM) vs Uday Narayan Choudhary (RJD)

Former Bihar chief minister and the president of Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) Jitan Ram Manjhi is seeking a re-election from Imamganj. Uday Narayan Choudhary, a veteran Dalit leader and former Bihar assembly speaker, has been pitted from the seat as a candidate from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Choudhary represented the seat from 2000 to 2015. He lost the seat to Manjhi in 2015. Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has fielded Shobha Sinha, the daughter-in-law of Ramswaroop Pawan, a former MLA from Imamganj. 

Dinara Vidhan Sabha Seat: Jai Kumar Singh (JDU) vs Rajendra Prasad Singh (LJP) vs Vijay Kumar Mandal (RJD)

In Rohtas district's Dinara, sitting Bihar Science and Technology Minister Jai Kumar Singh is pitted against Vijay Kumar Mandal of RJD. The LJP has fielded BJP turncoat Rajendra Prasad Singh. Singh is known for his close proximity with the RSS. Singh was the BJP's Bihar unit vice president. He joined the LJP just ahead of the election. Singh can play a crucial role in deciding the fortunes of the JD(U) candidate because he was the runner-up in the 2015 election. As a BJP candidate, he lost to Jai Kumar by a very thin margin. Additionally, the RLSP has fielded Rajesh Singh. 

Jehanabad Vidhan Sabha Seat: Kumar Krishna Mohan (RJD) vs Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma (JDU)

The Jehanabad Vidhan Sabha is represented by RJD's Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav. He is facing a stiff challenge from state Education Minister and JD(U) leader Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma who shifted from the neighbouring Ghosi seat. Mohan had won from this constituency in a 2018 by-election. The LJP ha fielded BJP turncoat Indu Devi Kashyap from the seat.

Gaya Town Vidhan Sabha Seat: Prem Kumar (BJP) vs Akhauri Onkar Nath (Congress)

The Gaya Town constituency in south Bihar is witnessing a close contest between BJP's Prem Kumar and Akhauri Onkar Nath of the Congress party. In the previous Assembly elections held in 2015, Prem Kumar won from here comfortably, defeating Congress' Priya Ranjan. Prem Kumar is currently in charge of the Agriculture and Animal and Fisheries Resources portfolios in the outgoing Nitish Kumar government. Randhir Kumar Keshri of the RLSP is another key contender for this seat.

Rajpur Vidhan Sabha: Santosh Kumar Nirala (JDU) vs Vishwanath Ram (Congress)

In Rajpur, Bihar Transport Minister and JD(U) leader Santosh Kumar Nirala is eyeing a third consecutive victory. JD(U) has won this seat since 2005 increasing its victory margin with every election. The Congress has fielded Vishwanath Ram to take on the Minister while LJP has given the election ticket to Nirbhay Kumar Nirala. 

The Bihar polls is being conducted in three phases. While the first phase is being held today, the the second phase of polling for 94 seats will take place on November 3. The third phase of polling for the remaining 78 constituencies will be conducted on November 7. The results will be announced on November 10.