Patna, Bihar: As the bugle for the Lok Sabha elections rings, the political temperature is gradually reaching its peak. This time, seven political stalwarts from Bihar are trying their luck in Lok Sabha elections in other states. Among them are Shatrughan Sinha, SS Ahluwalia, Kirti Azad, Kanhaiya Kumar, Manoj Tiwari, Mahabal Mishra, and Somanath Bharati.
For the first time in Bihar, no external candidate is contesting in the Lok Sabha elections. Previously, in 2019, Sharad Yadav contested from Madhepura. However, the trend of external candidates contesting elections in Bihar started with the first Lok Sabha elections in 1952 when Acharya JB Kripalani, originally from Sindh province (Hyderabad), contested from the Bhagalpur constituency and won. This series includes prominent names like former PM Chandra Shekhar, George Fernandes, Madhu Limaye, and MJ Akbar.
Currently, seven stalwarts are contesting Lok Sabha elections from other states after leaving Bihar. Shatrughan Sinha is contesting from Asansol, West Bengal, on a Trinamool Congress ticket. Originally from Patna, Shatrughan Sinha is a former Member of Parliament. SS Ahluwalia is contesting against him on the BJP ticket. He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha from Bihar from Congress and has also served as a minister in the central government. In addition, Kirti Azad is contesting from Durgapur, West Bengal, on a Trinamool Congress ticket. He was previously a BJP MP from Darbhanga constituency.
Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Kumar, originally from Begusarai, Bihar, is contesting as a Congress candidate from North East Delhi. He is facing BJP’s Manoj Tiwari, who hails from Bhabhua district of Bihar and won the 2019 elections from North East Delhi. Mahabal Mishra, from Madhubani, Bihar, is contesting from West Delhi on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket. He also won the 2019 elections from here. Additionally, Somanath Bharati from Nawada district, Bihar, is contesting from New Delhi on an AAP ticket.
