Bihar’s 2024 Lok Sabha Polls Pose Challenge to Candidates to Maintain Victory Margins
The article discusses the challenges faced by candidates in Bihar’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections to maintain victory margins achieved in the previous polls. It highlights shifts in victory margins between the 2019 and 2014 elections.
Ajay Nishad, holder of the second-highest victory margin, faced a setback as his candidacy got revoked. In the 2014 elections, Janak Ram of Gopalganj emerged victorious with a remarkable 32.39 percent margin, followed by Shatrughan Sinha and Ram Vilas Paswan with margins of 30.39 percent and 25.35 percent, respectively. However, the 2019 polls saw Ashok Yadav of Madhubani securing the top spot in Bihar with an astounding 47.21 percent victory margin, while Ajay Nishad of Muzaffarpur claimed the second position with a 38.75 percent margin. Interestingly, the candidacies of two MPs who secured victory margins exceeding 30 percent in the 2019 elections, namely Ajay Nishad and Rama Devi, have been rescinded this time.
With only six MPs securing victory margins of 10 percent or less in 2019, the data from the Election Commission reveals a significant shift. Notable instances include Jehanabad MP Chandeshwar Prasad's narrow victory by a mere 0.21 percent margin, emphasizing the competitiveness of certain constituencies. While several MPs from the 2014 elections faced close contests with victory margins below 10 percent, only one among them, Mahabali Singh, has been denied a ticket this time.
Here’s a comparison of MPs with the highest victory margins in 2019 and 2014:
MPs with Highest Victory Margins in 2019:
- Madhubani: Ashok Yadav (47.21%)
- Muzaffarpur: Ajay Nishad (38.75%)
- Begusarai: Giriraj Singh (34.45%)
- Valmikinagar: Baidyanath Mahato (34.36%)
- Shivhar: Rama Devi (33.88%)
- Jhanjharpur: Rampreet Mandal (30.45%)
MPs with Highest Victory Margins in 2014:
- Gopalganj: Janak Ram (32.39%)
- Patna Sahib: Shatrughan Sinha (30.39%)
- Hajipur: Ramvilas Paswan (25.35%)
- East Champaran: Radhamohan Singh (23.74%)
- Muzaffarpur: Ajay Nishad (23.68%)
- Kishanganj: Md Asrarul Haq (21.36%)
