Lok Sabha election: Katihar set to witness direct fight between Congress, JDU; people to vote for all-round development

Katihar (Bihar) [India], April 25 : The Katihar Lok Sabha seat is all set to go to polls on Friday along with four other seats -- Kishanganj, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka -- in Bihar with the Congress and the JDU locking horns in the constituency.
Under the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) seat sharing arrangement in the State, of a total 40 parliamentary seats, Congress will contest on nine while alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal on 26 and three Left parties on five seats.
Congress has fielded senior party leader Tariq Anwar from the seat while the JD (U), a party that is part of NDA has re-nominated Dulal Chand Goswami.
Under the Mahagathbandhan coalition, the Congress in Bihar is contesting on nine seats: Kishanganj, Katihar, Bhagalpur, West Champaran, Samastipur (reserved), Muzaffarpur, Sasaram (reserved), Maharajganj, and Patna Sahib.
There are six assembly segments in Katihar in which the Congress and BJP won two each and the JDU and CPI (ML) won one seat each. The CPI (ML) is part of the opposition INDIA bloc and the Congress is banking on its support to reclaim Katihar.
In 2019, JDU leader Dulal Chandra Goswami won the Katihar seat for the first time, defeating the Congress veteran Tariq Anwar, who had won the seat five times in the past. The Congress has not won this seat since 1999.
In 2014, Anwar won this seat on an NCP ticket. The BJP has won the seat thrice from 1999 to 2009.
Meanwhile, as the political parties in the fray have centred their canvassing around issues that directly impact the lives of the poor and issues of basic needs, all round development of the region has emerged as a major concern for the people of Katihar and they are looking for a candidate who will work for their welfare.
In Katihar, there is anger against the sitting MP, Dulal Chandra Goswami, even as a group of voters said they would be voting for PM Modi.
A local resident said that the people of Katihar are struggling to fulfil their basic needs.

"There are several schemes including Pradhanmantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana which have not been implemented at the ground level and we want an MP who will implement these initiatives of the Centre. Today's youths are addicted to narcotic drugs. The government should take strict action against narcotic drugs. There are several rehab centres which indicate that there is rampant drug addiction in the whole Seemanchal area of Bihar," he said.
He said there is no facility of pay the electricity bill in Katihar as its counter has been shifted to Barnasia.
"There are over 50,000 customers and most of them do not use online-payment method. People do faces challenges to pay their bills. There is lack of basic facilities, such as road, electricity and education. We are struggling with all these. For health, they have built a 100-bedded hospital but there is lack of doctors. Why the doctors in the government are not turning up?" he added.
Ravi Kumar, another resident of Katihar said that the region needs an MP with a vision for next 25 years.

"We need an MP with a vision for next 25 years. We need a young representative and no party has fielded any such candidate," he said.
Kumar, while listing the issues being faced by the people there said that Katihar, since independence has been failing to elect an MP who can think about all round development of the constituency.
"We do not face only one problem but the whole Katihar is trapped with the problems. We could not get a single MP from Katihar since the independence who thought about the all road development of Katihar. People do not get food by building TV towers. They boast of works done in the railway sector. There is nothing to boast about this as footfall at the Katihar station is so high that the development at the railway stations are needed," he said.
Anil Kumar Gupta also expressed similar sentiments and said that the MPs go missing after elections. He, however, expressed his hope for a change of representative.

"No development has been done in whole Bihar. Our sugar mill is closed for years; nobody gives any attention to that. Electricity is also huge problem for people. The MP is on road now a day, but goes missing after elections. Most of the people even do not know the name of our MP. I need change for development like other states," he added.
Meanwhile, another local, Abhishek Kumar said that after all the odds against the JD(U) candidate, he will vote for him as he wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assume the office for the third time.

"Development has been done but not to the extent which is needed for the constituency. The road and over-bridges have been built, but it was all because of the Centre. I am BJP supporter and will vote for it, but I am not happy with the JD(U) candidate due to his works done in the last five years. I will vote in the name of Modi," Kumar added.