2019 Lok Sabha Election Results of Pataliputra, Bihar: Loss of face for RJD as Misa Bharti loses to BJP's MP Ram Kripal Yadav

Pataliputra - the ancient Magadha empire stronghold - is the battleground between RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti and Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav. This prestige battle for the Yadav family ended with the sitting MP Ram Kripal Yadav winning by a margin of 40,000 votes, as per 10:12 PM.

Poll campaign issues:

While floods are the main issue faced by the voters, both RJD and JD(U) government have failed to provide measures to check periodic floods, construct a sturdier bridge across the Ganga so as to shorten the distance between Patna and Chhapra and provide jobs for the youth who are in the sand-selling business.

As voters do not expect ground problems to be solved, the votes swing on the communities. The Yadav community connects with Bharti who had constantly based her campaign on her ailing father who is serving sentences in fodder scam cases and has not been able to secure bail, even on health grounds. The CPI (ML) which has allied with the RJD had helped increase Bharti's tally.

In contrast, Yadav who also belongs to the same community as Bharti enjoyed the favour of the Yadav community (lesser than  Bharti) and the favour of the JD(U)'s voter base.

A major vacuum felt in Pataliputra is the absence of Lalu Yadav himself as his sons and his wife had constantly campaigned in hopes of turning the tide towards Misa Bharti by focussing the campaign on the RJD leader.

Their campaign had been constant rivalries between Lalu Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav and younger son Tejashwi Yadav- who is Lalu Yadav's political heir. Tej Pratap had rebelled against RJD on numerous occasions, once even campaigning against his father-in-law Chandrika Rai who was RJD's Saran candidate. These inner rifts in the Yadav family had left the support divided with Tejashwi's followers warring against Tej Pratap's followers. Tej Pratap's main issue was not securing a nomination for his friends in favourable seats like Jehanabad and Sheohar.

Historical trend:

In 2014, Bharti's debut Lok Sabha ended in failure when she lost to Yadav by 40,000 votes. Earlier in 2009, JD(U)'s Ranjan Prasad Yadav had won the seat garnering 2,69,298 votes against RJD chief Lalu Yadav himself.

The Yadav dominated area favoured the RJD chief till 2005 when JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar had successfully overthrown the Rabri Devi government.