Bihar: Madhepura seat, Yadav stronghold, braces for interesting Lok Sabha battle

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In Bihar's Madhepura Lok Sabha seat, an exciting electoral contest is taking place between incumbent JD-U MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav and RJD candidate Kumar Chandradeep Yadav. Both candidates come from the Yadav community, which wields considerable power in the constituency.

Madhepura has historically sent significant figures to the Lok Sabha, including former Union Minister Sharad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, and Pappu Yadav. Sharad Yadav won four elections from this seat, while Lalu Prasad and Pappu Yadav won two apiece, reported IANS.

According to the IANS report, the Yadav community has long dominated Madhepura politics, with members from this community routinely winning Lok Sabha elections since 1967. A local proverb illustrates this dominance: "Rome has the Pope, Madhepura has the Yadavs."

Madhepura was first included in the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituency when it was established in 1967. The Samyukta Socialist Party's first MP, B.P. Mandal, was elected twice in 1968 and 1977. Sharad Yadav later represented the seat four times but lost twice to Lalu Prasad, the report added.

According to the report, Pappu Yadav won the seat on an RJD ticket in 2014, succeeding Lalu Prasad. In 2019, JD-U's Dinesh Chandra Yadav defeated Sharad Yadav.

Madhepura seat has six Assembly segments with a sizable Yadav voter base, followed by Muslims, upper castes, Nishads, and Economically Backward Classes (EBC) votes, the IANS report added.

Madhepura will hold its third phase of voting on May 7.