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Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 40 parliamentary constituencies in Bihar. Begusarai comprises seven assembly segments: Cheria-Bariarpur, Bachhwara, Teghra, Matihani, Sahebpur Kamal, Begusarai, and Bakhri. Voting in Begusarai is scheduled to take place on 13 May ( Phase 4 ).
The constituency is currently represented by Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh. Singh has consistently contested from this hotly contested seat.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Giriraj Singh secured a resounding victory, defeating CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar (now a Congress leader) by a substantial margin. The BJP’s Bhola Singh had previously made history by winning Begusarai for the party in 2014.
Over the past three decades, Begusarai’s voting pattern has evolved. Before 2004, it was a stronghold of the Congress party. In 2004, voters supported Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) and the BJP. Notable past winners include Dr. Monazir Hassan (JDU), Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh (JDU), and Rajo Singh (Congress).
Giriraj Singh, BJP
Giriraj Singh has been fielded by BJP again from Begusarai seat. In 2014, Singh’s political career took a national turn when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Nawada constituency in Bihar. In 2019, following the BJP’s decisive victory in the general elections, the Begusarai MP was appointed as the Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. In a major blow to Kanhaiya Kumar,he lost to Giriraj by over four lakh votes.
Awadhesh Kumar Rai, INDIA bloc
In a bid to break the BJP’s winning streak and challenge Giriraj Singh, the united opposition formed the I.N.D.I.A bloc. Under this alliance, they fielded Awadhesh Kumar Rai as their joint candidate against Singh. The consolidation of anti-BJP votes poses a significant challenge for the saffron party in Begusarai.
Notably, the candidature of Rai, an OBC and a two-term MLA from Bachhwara, indicates the Left party’s intent to make the most of ally RJD’s solid “MY” (Muslim-Yadav) support base.
