Patna, May 5 Bihar's Madhepura Lok Sabha seat is set to see an interesting contest between incumbent JD-U MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav and RJD's Kumar Chandradeep Yadav as both belong to the community that has a stronghold in the constituency.
Madhepura has sent prominent leaders such as former Union Minister Sharad Yadav, ex-Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and Pappu Yadav to the Lok Sabha. From this seat, Sharad Yadav had won four Lok Sabha elections while RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Pappu Yadav won two elections each.
The seat has been dominated by the Yadav community, whose candidates have consistently won Lok Sabha elections from Madhepura since 1967, and there is a popular local adage, "Rome Pope ka, Madhepura Gope (Yadavs) ka".
Madhepura was carved out of the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituency in 1967and B.P. Mandal of the Samyukta Socialist Party became the first MP to represent this seat. Mandal in 1968 (by-poll) contested as an Independent candidate from Madhepura and again emerged victorious. He also won the Madhepura seat on Janata Party ticket in 1977. Mandal, who also chaired the Second Backward Class Commission -- popularly known as the Mandal Commission, belonged to a rich Yadav family.
Sharad Yadav represented the seat four times in 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2009. However, he lost twice to Lalu Prasad in 1998 and 2004.
As Lalu Prasad also won the election from the Saran Lok Sabha seat in 2004, he gave up Madhepura. Subsequently, Pappu Yadav, who contested on the RJD ticket, won the by-poll in 2004.
In 2014, Pappu Yadav, who was acquitted in the Ajit Sarkar murder case, contested the Lok Sabha election and won from Madhepura on the ticket of RJD.
In 2019, JD-U's Dinesh Chandra Yadav won from the seat, defeating Sharad Yadav.
Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Assembly segments -- Madhepura, Alamnagar and Bihariganj of Madhepura district and Saharsa, Sonversa and Mahishi of Saharsa district.
As per estimates, Madhepura has 6 lakh Yadav voters, followed by 3.5 lakh Muslim, 3 lakh Upper caste, 1.5 lakh Nishad, and 7 lakh Economically Backward Classes (EBC) voters.
The voting in Madhepura is scheduled in the third phase on May 7.
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