Fate of four Union ministers to be decided

PATNA:OF the eight parliamentary constituencies that go to polls on May 19 in Bihar, all eyes will be on four of them where Union ministers will face a tough battle to retain their seats. The remaining 32 seats in the state have polled over the previous six phases of the ongoing general elections.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of state for rural development Ram Kripal Yadav, Minister of State for health and family welfare Ashwani Choubey and Minister of State (independent charge) for power Raj Kumar Singh will contest from Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, Buxar and Arrah.

These seats are crucial for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as it had won all of them in the last general election in 2014 — the alliance had won 26 out of 40 seats.

Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, which won 18 out of 48 assembly constituencies falling within these eight Lok Sabha seats with the help of its allies, in the 2015 assembly elections, will attempt to stop the BJP’S juggernaut.

Ravi Shankar Prasad is pitted against former BJP leader and sitting Member of Parliament Shatrughan Sinha, who moved to the Congress ticket shortly before the elections. Patna Sahib has been a BJP stronghold for more than two decades, with Shatrughan Sinha, representing the seat twice from 2009. This is Prasad’s debut election — he has been a BJP Rajya Sabha MP since 2012.

Ram Kripal Yadav will contest against RJD leader Lalu Prasad’s daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti at Patliputra.

Ashok Kumar Azad Chandervanshi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) — part of the Grand Alliance of Congress, RJD and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party in the state — will fight incumbent Kaushalendra Kumar of the JD (U) in CM Nitish Kumar’s home turf of Nalanda. Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief Upendra Kushwaha, who walked out of the NDA recently, will contest Mahabali Singh of JD (U) in Karakat. Former speaker Meira Kumar, daughter of late Jagjiwan Ram, will contest from Sasaram.