Thirty two Assembly segments falling in six districts, where once Naxalites and private armies of landlords ruled the roost, will go to polls on Friday in the second phase of the battle for Bihar in Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya.
In view of the security concerns, voting time has been curtailed by one to two hours in as many as 23 constituencies.In the second phase, the prestige of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and his party Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is at stake. Manjhi is contesting from two seats — Makhdumpur, which he holds, and Imamganj — that are going to polls on Friday.
Of the 21 seats HAM is contesting in alliance with the NDA, seven are situated in this region. Manjhi’s son Santosh Kumar Suman is contesting from Kutumba constituency while his sulking son-in-law Devendra Manjhi, denied ticket by HAM, is contesting as a rebel from Bodh Gaya. All the HAM candidates on five seats are struggling to retain the seats they won in 2010 on JD(U) tickets, said observers.
Not only the seats, Manjhi’s leadership and claim of being the top leader of Mahadalits is also at stake. After joining hands with the NDA, Manjhi had been used as a mascot by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in all his rallies projecting him as a big leader of Mahadalits who was humiliated by Nitish Kumar.
Manjhi and his party’s victory will make the former Chief Minister the tallest leader and if the NDA comes to power he will have a strong bargaining capacity. But on the contrary the poor showing of HAM and Manjhi’s defeat might bring doom for him and his party. There is also an apprehension that the leaders and MlAs who followed Manjhi would desert him in no time and HAM could be disintegrated.
The supporters of HAM and their rivals are coming to blows. late on Wednesday hours after the campaigning came to an end, HAM and JD(U) supporters clashed when the processions of the candidates of both parties bumped into each other near Dardeji Mor under Konch police station in Tekari constituency. It started with scuffle and later both factions indulged in stone pelting and attack with lathis. Gaya SSP Manu Maharaaj said FIRs have been lodged and paramilitary force deployed there to ease the tension.
HAM spokesperson Danish Rizwan on Thursday filed a petition with the Election Commission accusing sub-divisional police officer of Tekari of helping JD(U) candidate Abhay Kushwaha. Demanding his removal from the constituency, he said HAM candidate Anil Kumar’s vehicle was damaged in the attack.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer R lakshamanan said that while voting would start at 7 AM in all 32 constituencues it would end at 3 PM in 11 constituencies and at 4 PM at 12 others. Only 9 seats would have scheduled voting from 7 AM to 5 PM.
A total of 993 companies of Central Para Military forces and state police would be deployed on the day to ensure peaceful voting. As many as 334 companies would be in service in Gaya, 201 in Rohtas and 193 in Aurangabad.