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Congress warhorse sitting pretty in Kahalgaon

KAHALGAON (BIHAR), JAN. 27. Bolstered by the decision of ruling RJD and UPA ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to not field any candidates against him, senior Congress leader and Speaker of the outgoing Bihar assembly, Sadanand Singh, seems comfortably placed in Kahalgaon, a seat he is trying to win for a record seventh time.

With RJD leader Mahesh Prasad Mandal, who had twice defeated Mr. Singh and was runner-up in the last poll, moving out of the fray on the instructions of RJD president and Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, Mr. Singh appears to have an edge over his other opponents including Raj Kumar Singh (JD-U) and Shriniwas Mandal (CPI-M). Mr. Singh, who started his political journey by winning the Kahalgaon Assembly seat in 1969, has so far contested eight elections from the same constituency and won six times.

The veteran Congress leader, a backward Kurmi by caste, who once headed the party organisation in the State, also has the caste equation, a crucial ingredient in Bihar elections, working in his favour in the seat situated along the Ganga. Besides 15 per cent Muslim votes, which are certain to go in his favour after RJD's decision to withdraw its candidate, Mr. Singh's castemen -- Kurmi-Dhanuk -- constitute nearly 20 per cent of about 2.5 lakh voters. His rivals, however, are in no mood to accept the positive swing in favour of Mr. Singh.

``The Congress leader, who represented Kahalgaon for a long period and also adorned the chair of the Speaker, has done little for the area and voters are angry with him,'' the JD(U) candidate Raj Kumar Singh told PTI.

However, Janata Khaitan, a local businessman, showered praise on the Congress leader, saying he has done a lot for the development of Kahalgaon.

A majority of those interviewed said they were rooting for Mr. Singh due to his personality and not because of Congress, the party which he belongs to. Mr. Singh, however, disagrees and with all humility says, ``What I am today is because of the Congress party.''

Ranbir Singh, president of BJP's Kahalgaon block, disputed any claim of an advantage to the Congress nominee in the poll and said the JD (U) nominee was young and dynamic. Besides, he added, the NDA was receiving tremendous support from the people of Bihar who wanted to oust the RJD-Congress government from power.

Though the equation is in his favour, the Congress leader is not taking any chances as he drives and treks through the dusty roads of his constituency addressing at least ten public meetings a day.

``Everybody is a good candidate and the voters will choose the best,'' he said.

Mr. Sadanand Singh has a unique style of contesting elections. He observes `brahmacharya' (celibacy) and stays away from his home from the day of filing nomination till the results. ``I do this to keep myself away from family problems during the period and concentrate on electioneering,'' he said.

PTI

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Congress warhorse sitting pretty in Kahalgaon

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