Misa Bharti, opposition INDIA bloc candidate and eldest daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, is leaving nothing to chance to win the Lok Sabha election from the Patliputra seat after suffering two successive defeats.
Patliputra seat will go to the poll in the seventh and last phase on June 1.
On both the occasions, BJP nominee Ram Kripal Yadav defeated her. Yadav was once a close associate of Lalu but he resigned from RJD ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Lalu also staged a road show in support of her daughter on Tuesday. A day before, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi campaigned for Misa.
Misa is currently a Rajya Sabha member. Misa's younger brother and leader of opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has also addressed rallies to seek votes for her. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Mohan Yadav campaigned for the BJP candidate.
Patliputra constituency covers rural areas around Patna.
PAST PERFECT
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP nominee Yadav defeated Misa by cornering 47.27 per cent vote share. Misas vote share was 43.63 per cent. Yadav defeated Misa in the 2014 Lok Sabha election by cornering 39.35 per cent vote share against Misas 35.21 per cent vote share.
THE USP
The Lalu family seeks to break the jinx in the Patliputra constituency as earlier RJD chief Lalu also suffered a defeat in 2009. Ranjan Prasad Yadav who joined RJD recently defeated Lalu as JDU candidate that year.
DECODING THE FIGHT
In the 2020 state assembly election, RJD-led grand alliance won all the six seats falling under the constituency and now the alliance is pinning its hopes on the assembly elections performance. RJD won three while two were bagged by CPI-ML.
On the other hand, the BJP candidate is primarily dependent on Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity and his governments various schemes for the poor. He has also taken a number of development initiatives and is quite accessible to his people in the constituency.
CANDIDATES PROFILE
RAM KRIPAL YADAV
Ram Kripal Yadavs national political stint started in 1991 when he won the Lok Sabha election from Patliputra.
He won again twice in 1996 and 2004 from the same seat. He did not contest the election in 2009, as Lalu Yadav decided to contest from the seat him-self, which he later lost. He expressed his willingness to contest the 2014 LS election from Patliputra again, but after being denied the ticket by RJD, he decided to switch sides to BJP in 2014. He then won the 2014 and 2019 elections from the Patliputra seat again.
MISA BHARTI
Misa Bharti is not only known as a flamboyant politician, but she is also a doctor by profession. She is also known for giving statements in a free and frank manner and speaking openly on various issues. Misa Bharti is active on her social media account. Born on May 22, 1976, she married computer engineer Shailendra Kumar in year 1999.
