Lok Sabha polls: Bihar sees 58.92% percent turnout; BJP-Congress supporters clash amid allegations of booth capturing

Begusarai was among the five constituencies in Bihar which went to polls on Monday and, as expected, saw a verbal clash between firebrand BJP leader Giriraj Singh and former JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar of CPI. Giriraj accused his rivals of wanting to turn “Begusarai into Pakistan.” Kanhaiya retorted that those who had insulted Begusarai would “lick the dust.” [caption id=“attachment_4816961” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. PTI[/caption] Other constituencies that went to the polls included Munger, Darbhanga, Ujiyarpur and Samastipur. The overall voter turnout was 58.92 percent, with Begusarai registering 61.27 percent, the highest among constituencies. While Begusarai is attracting the nation’s attention for the clash between Union minister and Hindutva face Giriraj and Kanhaiya, the neighbouring Munger constituency has become a prestige battle for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar whose Man Friday Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh is fighting Neelam Devi, a political greenhorn. Devi, the wife of Independent MLA Anant Singh, is contesting on a Congress ticket. Anant, who was once close to Nitish, wanted to contest himself, but the Congress didn’t give him ticket owing to a number of criminal cases against him. There were reports of clashes between the supporters of Lallan and Anant near a polling booth at Lakhisarai where the rivals accused each other of booth capturing. Supporters of  Lallan and Anant allegedly coerced citizens at the Lakhisarai polling booths. Lalu Prasad had his eyes on Darbhanga, from where senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui is contesting. Siddiqui courted controversy recently when he said he wouldn’t chant Vande Matram. After that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Darbhanga to campaign for BJP candidate Gopalji Thakur and lamented that there were those who were refusing to chant Vande Matram. Ujiyarpur is the seat where Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) founder Upendra Kushwaha is trying his luck against sitting MP and Bihar BJP president Nityananda Rai. Kushwaha is also contesting from Karakat.