Munger: Just 24 hours before the first phase of voting in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) executed a strategic ‘Seat Safe Operation’ in Munger, bolstering its prospects in two crucial constituencies.
In a deft political manoeuvre, the party secured the withdrawal of key candidates from rival factions, paving the way for its nominees in Munger and Tarapur.
In Munger, Jan Suraj’s candidate Sanjay Kumar Singh has stepped down, pledging support to BJP’s Pranav Kumar Yadav. Similarly, in Tarapur, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Ashish Anand has withdrawn his candidacy in favour of Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, citing respect for the latter’s leadership.
These withdrawals have significantly eased the electoral battle for the BJP, which faced stiff competition in both seats.
The contests in Munger and Tarapur anticipated intense competition. In Tarapur, Choudhary is up against Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Arun Sah, who narrowly lost by 4,000 votes in 2020. In Munger, the BJP’s slim 1,244-vote victory margin in the last election had raised concerns, with Jan Suraj’s entry threatening to split votes. The BJP’s timely interventions have neutralised these challenges.
As part of its broader strategy, the BJP is working tirelessly to secure every possible seat in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, where 122 seats are needed to form the government. The party, contesting 101 seats, has also successfully pacified 10 rebel candidates and convinced candidates from Jan Suraj, VIP, and BSP to withdraw, strengthening its position within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). With the stakes high, the BJP aims to emerge as Bihar’s largest party once again.