Triangular contest in Buxar with entry of vote-cutter Dadan Pahalwan

Patna, May 10 The contest on Bihar’s Buxar Lok Sabha seat is panning out to be triangular after the entry of Dadan Singh Yadav alias Dadan Pahalwan in the fray.

Dadan Yadav is considered an influential leader in Dumraon sub-division in Buxar Lok Sabha constituency with a strong hold over the Yadav community.

He was considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav even when he became an MLA for the first time as an Independent candidate.

In 2000 he played a big role in the formation of the Rabri Devi government in Bihar and hence he was also made a minister.

However, his relationship with the RJD turned sour and he contested the election one more time as an Independent candidate and won.

Now, again Dadan Yadav is contesting from the Buxar seat as an Independent candidate and his presence has changed the equation there.

Buxar will now see a triangular contest between Sudhakar Singh of the RJD, Mithilesh Tiwari of the BJP and Dadan Yadav.

The Buxar seat first came into the limelight in this election after the BJP cut the ticket of Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey and gave it to his disciple Mithilesh Tiwari.

Then, Dadan Yadav created a stir in Buxar by jumping into the fray.

Political observers believe that every time he contests Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, he increases the problems of the NDA and the Grand Alliance.

“Dadan Yadav definitely won the 2000, 2005 and 2015 Assembly elections but he did not do well in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections and lost each time. Still, he was in the second or third position in those three elections. This shows that Dadan Yadav is a prominent political force in Buxar.

“After being refused tickets by prominent political parties this time, he decided to contest this election as an Independent candidate. With the arrival of Dadan Pahalwan, the equation of the election in Buxar has completely changed and made things difficult for the RJD,” said Ram Niwas Singh, a political observer and senior advocate of Buxar District Court.

“The RJD and BJP had tactically given tickets to their respective candidates keeping in mind the caste equation of the constituency.

“While Sudhakar Singh belongs to the Rajput community, Mithilesh Tiwari is a Brahmin. The RJD wanted to woo the Rajputs through Sudhakar Singh and his father Jagadanand Singh as the core voters of the Yadavs and Muslims are already with the party.

“On the other hand, the BJP was eyeing the Brahmin, Bhumihar, Kurmi, Kushwaha and Vaishya voters. The entry of Dadan Yadav has upset the MY equation of the RJD. It is also a relief to the BJP candidate as Dadan Yadav may cut the Yadav votes of the RJD,” Singh said.

Buxar Lok Sabha is dominated by Brahmin voters as their population is over 4 lakh, while the Yadav voters are around 3.7 lakh, Rajput voters 2.9 lakh, Bhumihars 2.5 lakh and Muslims around 1.5 lakh.

Apart from them, Kurmi, Kushwaha, Vaishya, Dalit and EBC castes also have significant numbers.

“The issue of the Lok Sabha election 2024 is saving the Constitution, maintaining reservation and jobs for the youth. The people of Bihar are with Tejashwi Yadav. Dadan Yadav is the ‘B team’ of the BJP but it will not work for them. BJP leaders knew that they could not face Tejashwi Yadav and hence they brought vote-cutter Dadan Yadav,” said Mritunjay Tiwari, the spokesperson of the RJD.

Source: IANS