Bihar: Left fields Kanhaiya from Begusarai against BJP's Giriraj Singh
What's the story
In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar will contest polls from Bihar's Begusarai on a CPI ticket.
While NDA has fielded Union Minister Giriraj Singh from Begusarai, mahagathbandhan hasn't announced its candidate yet.
There were speculations that Kanhaiya would be the grand opposition's candidate from Begusarai but the Left didn't get a seat on the table.
Here's more.
Alliance
Snubbed by grand alliance, CPI called it "cheating"
CPI and CPI(M) hoped to get seats in the grand alliance but when the seat-sharing arrangement was announced the expectations were dashed. Only CPIML got one seat out of RJD's quota of 20.
Miffed with the decision, CPI state secretary Satya Narain Singh said, "This is political cheating. They (the grand alliance) have betrayed us."
Singh added they (the grand alliance) "ran away".
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CPI alleges grand alliance went back on its words
"They had committed to an alliance a year back. I had met Lalu Yadav thrice, talked to him on the telephone, talked to Tejashwi. They had assured us of the alliance. They have shut us out, but we will definitely fight Begusarai," Singh had said.
Constituency
Begusarai is the Leningrad of Bihar and "safe" Muslim seat
Kanhaiya's candidature was confirmed by CPI leader Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy. Begusarai is called Leningrad of Bihar and is one of the few bastions of Left, which is why CPI proposed Kanhaiya's name to grand alliance.
Begusarai is also considered a safe Muslim seat and RJD hopes to cash on it.
The party may field Tanvir Hasan, who lost Begusarai by 60,000 votes in 2014.
Caste equation
Kanhaiya's caste might not do much to affect Giriraj's prospects
The former student leader's journey in real politics won't be easy.
Kanhaiya is a Bhumihaar himself but it is unlikely that he will dent Giriraj's votes. The upper caste is likely to vote for BJP.
Sanjay Kumar, Director of Center for the Study of Developing Societies, said the mahagathbandhan may have chosen to stay away from Kanhaiya since he is seen as a radical.
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You need to wait, can't become hero overnight: Sanjay
"Even though the charges may be frivolous, but the tag of 'anti-national' has been leveled against Kanhaiya. UPA does not want to take sides with someone who is seen as very radical," Sanjay said, and added one can't become a "hero overnight".