BJP's Nityanand Rai eyes hat-trick; RJD's Alok Kumar Mehta trying to make a comeback in Bihar's Ujiarpur

Ujiarpur (Bihar) [India], May 12 : As the state of Bihar is all set to go into the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, Ujiarpur will witness the poll battle among key candidates that include Bhartiya Janta Party's Nityanand Rai, and Rashtriya Janata Dal's Alok Kumar Mehta.
Ujiarpur is one of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar and it is interesting to note that this parliamentary constituency is represented by BJP leader Nityanand Rai.
A General seat, the Ujiarpur seat comprises six Assembly segments including Patepur(SC), Ujiarpur, Morwa, Sarairanjan, Mohiuddinnagar, and Bibhutipur.
Notably, Nityanand Rai, the BJP candidate and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs has been securing victory in the constituency for the past two Lok Sabha elections. Alok Kumar Mehta, former State Minister of Revenue & Land Reforms and Education was elected to the Lok Sabha from this seat in 2004 but was defeated by Rai in 2014.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Nityanand Rai won the seat with a margin of 2,77,278 votes. Rai secured 5,43,906 votes with a vote share of 56 per cent and defeated Upendra Kushwaha from Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (BLSP) who garnered 2,66,628 votes (27.49 per cent).
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections also, Nityanand Rai secured 3,17,352 votes with a vote share of 36.95 per cent. RJD candidate Alok Kumar Mehta got 2,56,883 votes (29.91 per cent) and was the runner-up. Rai defeated Mehta by a margin of 60,469 votes.
Confident of BJP's victory, Nityanand Rai while speaking with ANI on May 6 had asserted that the saffron party will win all the 40 seats. He had said, "We will win all 40 seats in Bihar and more than 400 seats in the country. It is not us but the people of the country who are saying this. There is no challenge here."
On May 6, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a public rally in Bihar's Samastipur and urged the voters to vote for Nityanand Rai. He took a jibe at the RJD and alleged that the RJD and Congress boycotted the Pran Pratishtha ceremony due to vote bank politics.
"RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav, Congress always opposed construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. RJD and Congress leaders did not attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Temple because of vote bank politics," Shah had said.
Nityanand Rai is backing up on developmental work done in the region as well as work done by BJP including the construction of Ram Mandir and abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He is also trying to woo the voters with the initiatives of the central government and Modi's guarantees.
On the other hand, RJD's Alok Kumar Mehta is targeting BJP with key issues like unemployment and inflation in the region. Mehta is also urging the voters to press the button for lantern (RJD party symbol) to form a government that is "determined to protect the Constitution and provide jobs."
The caste equation plays a prominent role in Bihar politics. Nityanand Rai belongs to the Yadav caste. Apart from Yadavs, Ujiarpur constituency has a good population of upper castes, Kushwaha, SCs, particularly Paswan voters and Maha Dalits.
Meanwhile, RJD claims that Yadavs, Kushwahas, Muslims, OBCs and EBCs (Economically Backward Class), besides those from the upper castes are behind Mehta.
With 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, fourth highest among all States and Union Territories, Bihar holds a crucial position in shaping Indian politics.
On April 19, in the first phase the polling was held in four constituencies--Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui and Nawada with 49.26 per cent voter turnout.
In the second phase, the polling was held in five constituencies--Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnia with 59.45 per cent voter turnout on April 26.
In the third phase of elections on May 7, Bihar's Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria went to polls and the state recorded 58.18 per cent voter turnout.
The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats.
As part of the NDA, BJP and JD(U) will contest on 17 and 16 seats respectively.
In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state failed to open its account.