Bihar election: Collision of muscle, caste comparison and development on Lalganj's seat

Patna, October 12 (IANS). Lalganj Assembly seat of the Vaishali district Bihar is a symbol of the changing socio-political picture of the state. Due to urbanization and increasing business activities, Lalganj is added among the most emerging areas of the state. Historically, this area also had particular importance. Lalganj was an administratively important area during British rule and in 1969 it received the status of the Municipal Council (Municipal Council). The geographical location of Lalganj makes it economically prosperous. This area is located on the banks of the River Gandak, and has an excellent irrigation system, which grows crops such as paddy, wheat, maize, pulses, vegetables and tobacco in abundance. In recent years, farmers have also turned to banana, lychi, mango garden and dairy farming. From here, district headquarters Hajipur is at a distance of 20 km, Muzaffarpur is 37 km and Patna is only 39 km. Lalganj’s identity is not only associated with development or agriculture, but also with muscle and crime. The politics of this region have long remained under the influence of Strongmen, the most famous name of which is Vijay Kumar Shukla Alias ​​Munna Shukla. He was a three times MLA and is the younger brother of the notorious criminal Chhotan Shukla. Munna Shukla was sentenced to life imprisonment by the lower court in the murder case of the then Minister Brij Bihari Prasad, but after being acquitted by the Patna High Court, he won the elections in JDU as an independent, in February 2005 in February 2005. His wife Annu Shukla won from JDU in 2010. Later, however, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court’s decision and sentenced Munna Shukla to life imprisonment. Lalganj Assembly, founded in 1951, is one of the six constituencies of the Hajipur Lok Sabha selection division. In the early years it was divided as Lalganj North and South. The congress made a strong grip here in the beginning phase. Three independent candidates overcame from Lalganj South and one from Lalganj North. After demarcation in 1967, it was made a united seat. Since then, 14 meetings have been held here. The congress won four times, while Janata Dal, JDU and LJP each won twice. In addition, the Democratic Congress, Janata Party, also won an independent and BJP once. BJP won this seat for the first time in the 2020 elections. Sanjay Kumar Singh won the polygonic competition. At the time, Munna Shukla did not get tickets from JDU and he disputed the election as an independent. Lalganj, who talks about caste comparison, is mainly a rural area. The 2025 election could be decisive for Lalganj. BJP will try to repeat its first win, while both RJD and JDU make strategies to win this seat in their favor. Along with muscle and caste comparison, the development has now also become an important election issue. According to the data released by the Electoral Commission in 2024, the population here is 573916, of which 302571 is male and 271345 female. There are 350651 total voters, of which 183303 is male, 167330 is female and 18 is third generation. -—IANS DKP/