In Bihar battle second round today, a big test for JD(U); 5 Lok Sabha seats at stake

In the battleground state of Bihar, the second phase of polling on Friday will see five constituencies go to the polls, including three from the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region.

Of the constituencies of Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar in Seemanchal and the nearby ones of Banka and Bhagalpur, the Janata Dal (United) currently holds four. Only Kishanganj is represented by the Congress. The fourth constituency in Seemanchal, Araria, will go to polls in the third phase on May 7. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to address a rally in Araria’s Forbesganj on Friday, there is a likelihood of its impact in the remaining constituencies.

Kishanganj: The constituency is currently with the Congress’s Mohammed Javed and is likely to see a three-way fight between him, the JD(U)’s Master Mujahid, and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM’s Akhatarul Iman.

With Hindu votes in the constituency, where Muslims constitute 72% of the population, expected to polarise in Mujahid’s favour, he will be relying on any anti-incumbency factor against Javed and Akhtarul Imam splitting the Muslim votes that would have otherwise gone to the Congress. Imam polled almost three lakh votes in 2019 while Javed’s victory margin was 34,461 votes.

Katihar: This is one constituency in the region that the JD(U) may find hard to retain because of strong anti-incumbency against sitting MP Dulalchand Gowami. The party will hope to ride to victory on the back of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and the consolidation of the upper castes, the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and the non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

With the Muslim-Yadav combination remaining intact in Katihar, where 42% of the population are Muslims, it will be the main foundation for