Patna: As the clock ticked towards Saturday evening, the clamor of election campaigns in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha battle came to a halt. With this cessation, candidates will pivot towards a door-to-door canvassing strategy on Sunday, imploring voters to secure their victory. The upcoming phase will witness polling across five crucial seats: Darbhanga, Samastipur, Ujiarpur, Begusarai, and Munger, which will go to poll on May 13.
This phase holds significant stakes for several prominent figures, including Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, contesting from Begusarai, and Nityanand Rai, vying for Ujiyarpur. Additionally, the credibility of two ministers from the Nitish Kumar-led government in Samastipur will be put to the test. Notably, former JDU national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh’s electoral fortunes hang in the balance in Munger.
A total of 55 candidates are in contention across the five seats, with representation from various parties and independent candidates. Among them are four women candidates and 21 independents. Noteworthy is the presence of candidates from National and State parties, including the BSP, Congress, RJD, JDU, BJP, and LJP (Ram Vilas).
To facilitate smooth voting processes, a staggering 9,447 polling booths have been established, equipped with 12,753 VVPATs, 11,336 ballot units, and an equivalent number of control units. Each booth is set to accommodate an average of 1,014 voters. Additionally, while four Lok Sabha constituencies are reserved for the general category, one constituency is designated for Scheduled Castes.
A staggering total of 9,583,662 voters are slated to exercise their franchise in this phase, with a diverse demographic composition ranging from disabled voters to centenarians. Notably, special arrangements have been made for 32 women-operated booths, 43 model booths, and 17 booths managed by persons with disabilities. Furthermore, webcasting will be conducted from 4,810 booths to ensure transparency and accountability.
Among the key electoral battles, BJP’s Giriraj Singh faces CPI’s Awadhesh Rai in Begusarai, while in Ujiyarpur, BJP’s Nityanand Rai contends with RJD’s Alok Kumar Mehta. In Darbhanga, BJP’s Gopaljee Thakur competes against RJD’s Lalit Kumar Yadav. In Samastipur, the reserved seat, LJP (Ram Vilas)’s Shambhavi Chaudhary faces Congress’s Sunny Hazari, and in Munger, JDU’s Lalan Singh confronts RJD’s Anita Devi.
