Bhagalpur Lok Sabha 2019: BJP's Shahnawaz is replaced by JD (U) candidate

Bhagalpur (Bihar), 03 Apr 2019 [Fik/News Sources]: Shahnawaz Hussain who won the Parliamentary Elections from Bhagalpur 02 times in the past will not contest the 2019 Polls from here. For, as part of the alliance between BJP and Nitish Kumar's JD (U), Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat is in the latter's quota.

Shahnawaz Hussain had won from Bhagalpur in 2006 and 2009. But, he lost the 2014 Parliamentary Election to Shailesh Kumar of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) by just 9,485 votes. Shahnawaz Hussain, National Spokesperson of the BJP and a former Union Minister, had helped Bhagalpur to be named under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Smart Cities Scheme.

Shahnawaz Hussain had contested from Bhagapur first time in 2004 General Elections. He had lost this election but won the by-election held in 2006. He had also contested the 1998 Lok Sabha election from Kishanganj, but had lost despite securing 2,30,210 votes.

In 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, a total of 09 candidates are in fray in Bhagaplur, one of the 40 seats in Bihar. While the RJD has retained its sitting MP Shailesh Kumar, also known as Bulo Mandal, from here, JD (U) has fielded Ajay Kumar Mandal. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has nominated M Ashiq Ibrahimi as its candidate in Bhagalpur.

JD (U) candidate Ajay Kumar Mandal is sitting MLA from Nathnagar - one of the six assembly seats part of the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat. Other assembly seats are: Bihpur, Gopalpur, Pirpainti, Kahalgaon and Bhagalpur. The constituency has a Muslim population of around 20%.

Ajay Kumar Mandal had won the 2015 Bihar Assembly Election that JD (U) and RJD had contested in an alliance. The alliance had sweeped the polls. But, later Nitish Kumar broke ties with RJD and joined hands with BJP.

Polling in Bhagalpur will be held on April 18, 2019 in the Second Phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Counting of votes will be done on May 23, 2019.