Siwan Lok Sabha elections: With 13 candidates, it’s an open race between the INDIA bloc and the NDA

Siwan, known as the birthplace of India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad, is a crucial Lok Sabha seat in Bihar. The Siwan electorate elected Shahabuddin to the lower house of parliament several times before he was disqualified after being convicted of kidnapping and murdering students. After his death, Shahabuddin’s wife Hina Shahab will contest the elections independently this time from Siwan seat.

The Siwan Lok Sabha constituency comprises the assembly seats of Siwan, Badharia, Daraunda, Jiradei, Raghunathpur and Darauli, having over 24 lakh voters, including around 18 lakh voters in Siwan alone.

Caste demography plays a crucial role with Muslims constituting 3 lakh, Yadavs 2.5 lakh, Kushwahas 1.25 lakh, Sahnis 80,000, upper castes 4 lakh and EBCs 2.5 lakh.

Date

Siwan parliamentary constituency in Bihar will go to polls on May 25 in the sixth phase.

List of candidates

Thirteen candidates, including Shahab, are vying for victory in Siwan. Vijay Lakshmi Kushwaha is the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and the RJD has fielded Avadh Bihari Chaudhary.

NDA candidate Vijay Lakshmi Kushwaha is the wife of former MP Ramesh Singh Kushwaha, while RJD’s Avadh Bihari Chaudhary is a veteran politician who has served as MP from Siwan Sadar six times.

The RJD has an alliance with the Congress and three Left parties in Bihar as part of the INDIA bloc.

2019 results

In 2019, Kavita Singh of Janata Dal (United) won by a margin of 1.17 lakh votes against Hena Shahab of the RJD. Singh received 45.54 per cent of the total votes, ensuring that JD(U) broke the deadlock in the constituency.