Patna Sahib: Big challenge for Congress to bridge the gap in BJP's stronghold

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat is in direct contest between sitting MP Ravi Shankar Prasad of BJP and Anshul Avijit of Congress. Anshul Avijit is the son of senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. The Patna Sahib constituency came into existence in 2009 and has been held by the BJP for the last 3 consecutive terms. In the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Shatrughan Sinha registered a landslide victory in this constituency. He defeated RJD's Vijay Kumar by a margin of 1.66 lakh votes in 2009 and defeated Kunal Singh of Congress by a margin of 2.65 lakh votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the BJP canceled Shatrughan Sinha's ticket and fielded senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who defeated Congress candidate Shatrughan Sinha by a margin of 3.52 lakh votes. Ravi Shankar Prasad is trying to win from here for the 2nd time in a row. Out of the six Lok Sabha constituencies of Patna Sahib, Thika, Bangipur and Kumrar, 4 seats are held by the BJP, while two seats, Fatuha and Bakhtiarpur, are held by the RJD. At Patna Sahib there was a gathering of star campaigners from the NDA and All India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a road show on behalf of the National Democratic Alliance in Patna. Along with the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also participated in this road show. Union Minister Rajnath Singh, MP, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 17 candidates are in the fray in Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. Around 23 lakh voters from the 6 assembly constituencies of this parliamentary constituency will decide the fate of these candidates on June 1. Good thing all the candidates are spotless. In the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, none of the candidates stated that no criminal case was registered against them. According to the affidavit, out of the 17 candidates in Patna Sahib, nearly two-thirds, i.e. 12, are representing Kumrar and Bangipur assembly constituencies. Of the remaining five, one each from Thika and Patna Sahib assembly constituencies, two each from Gaya and Nalanda districts and one from national capital Delhi. A maximum of seven candidates are contesting from Kumrar constituency and five from Bangipur. All of them are from Boring Road, Nala Road, Buddha Colony, Kangarbagh Main Road, Kandy Factory Road, Mahendru, Machua Doli, Chandpur Bela, Kadamkuan and Bahadurpur areas. Fatuha and Bakhtiarpur assembly constituencies in rural areas are fieldless. According to the data, the average age of the candidates is 50 years and the average age of the 17 candidates contesting in Patna Sahib is 50 years. Among them, sitting MP Ravi Shankar Prasad is the oldest candidate at the age of 69 and MD Shahid Alam from Machuwadoli at 34 is the youngest candidate. Anshul Avijit of Congress is 54 years old. The number of candidates aged 50 years and above is eight. Anshul holds a PhD from Cambridge University, while Ravi Shankar is a Supreme Court advocate, Congress' Grand Alliance candidate Anshul Avijit, an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge University, London. His main income is teaching and consulting. His original residence is in Kalkaji Assembly Constituency, Delhi. At the same time, NDA-backed BJP candidate and current MP Ravi Shankar Prasad is a Supreme Court advocate with an MA LLB degree from Patna University. Along with legal profession, their sources of income are salary, investment and rent. Most other candidates have degrees ranging from BA, B.Com, M.Ed to MBA. Out of the total 17 candidates, four are industrialists, two are teachers, one is a lawyer, one is a farmer and one is a textile presser. Two out of three doctors are homeopaths. Also Read… Lok Sabha Elections 2024: How good is that king who goes abroad for bread, Patna Sahib: A big challenge for Congress to bridge gap in BJP stronghold appeared first on Prabhat Khabar.