Gaya Ji (Bihar) [India], November 8 : Gaya Town Assembly constituency is set to undergo polling in the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, with Bihar Co-operative Department Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) sitting MLA, Prem Kumar, looking to defend his seat.
Veteran BJP leader Prem Kumar, who has been the sitting MLA from Gaya Town since 1990, is again going up against Congress' Akhaury Onkar Nath after a contest between the two in 2020.
Prem Kumar, an Extremely Backward Caste leader, has had a strong hold over the seat. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls, he won by a margin of 9 per cent, gaining 66,962 votes out of the total 2,69,781 votes cast. Akhaury Onkar Nath had won 55,034 votes in the last polls.
In the 2015 and 2010 elections, Kumar won with margins of 17.7 per cent and 27.5 per cent, respectively.
Ahead of the elections, along with routine rallies and meetings, Prem Kumar has indulged in cultural activities, including temple visits and Chhath Puja.
Earlier today, he participated in the meeting of the Kanu community held in the community hall near the Baba Kangali Temple premises. Last month, he participated in a cleanliness drive at Pitamaheshwar Ghat in Gaya Ji, organised in preparation for the Sandhya Arghya during the Chhath Puja celebrations and said that the BJP has initiated a campaign at all ghats in the district as thousands of devotees gather to perform evening arghya on this day.
The Kanu community and the EBCs are a factor behind Prem Kumar's winning streak, and he would like to consolidate his voter base in the ongoing polls as well.
In the last elections, he had also alleged that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) workers tried to attack him in a village in the Bandeya area, Aurangabad.
Kumar, who holds a PhD degree, also has ten pending cases against him, including charges of rioting. According to his affidavit, he holds movable assets worth Rs 82,62,973 and immovable assets with a market value of Rs 2,15,59,973.
On the other hand, the Congress candidate has seven pending cases against him.
While the last election was just a battle between the two, with NOTA winning the third-largest mandate in Gaya Town, Jan Suraaj's Dhirendra Agarwal would like to change that and bring a close fight against the BJP and Congress.
Both the BJP and Congress fought a close battle in 2020; Agarwal might be another factor to tilt votes this time.
The Jan Suraaj candidate has no pending cases against him. He holds movable assets worth Rs 18,75,09,166 and immovable assets worth Rs 52.75 crore.
Gaya Town will undergo polling, along with 121 other seats, on November 11, with results to be announced on November 14.
NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), HAMS, LJP (RV), and others, is looking to retain power for a second term. The Mahagathbandhan, comprising Congress, RJD, left parties, and VIP, is looking to get back to power.
Jan Suraaj, which made a debut in the electoral fray, is contesting in more than 200 constituencies on its own.