Lok Sabha polls: It’s Jitan Ram Manjhi vs RJD’s Kumar Sarvjeet in Bihar’s Gaya, a battleground of prestige for HAM patron

In the first phase of elections, Bihar will hold polls in four constituencies, including Gaya on April 19 which will decide the future of 38 candidates in the fray in these parliamentary seats.
Gaya has the highest number of 14 candidates contesting the elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, all four seats went to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — the BJP in Aurangabad, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in Gaya, and the then united Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) from both Jamui and Nawada.
The state of Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, is seen as one of the most significant states in Indian politics. With such a high number of seats in Lok Sabha, it is also the fourth-highest state overall.
In the 2024 election, the BJP has left the Gaya (reserved) seat for its ally, the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S).
In Gaya Lok Sabha constituency, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and former minister and RJD candidate Kumar Sarvjeet are in the electoral fray. The seat was earlier represented in parliament by Vijay Kumar alias Vijay Manjhi of JD(U).
In the last Lok Sabha election, JD (U) candidate had defeated Manjhi by a margin of more than 1.52 lakh votes. Manjhi’s HAM was part of grand alliance in the last election.
Gaya has its religious significance as it’s on the banks of the river Falgu. Internationally acclaimed Mahabodhi Mahavihara (temple), where Gautam Buddha got enlightenment, is located here. The seat is being represented by candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (Manjhi–Musahar) for the last 25 years or so.
Though Gaya seat has been reserved for scheduled caste for the last 25 years, political parties mainly focus on votes of EBCs, OBCs and Upper castes.
Over 2.5 lakh voters belong to Manjhi (read Mushahar) community. In addition, members of Dusadh (Paswan), Dhobis (washermen) and Pasi (who sell toddy) are in sizable numbers.
Scheduled Caste voters play a decisive role in the victory of the candidates as they have around 17 per cent of votes in the reserved constituency.
The last time Congress won the Gaya seat was in 1984 and the RJD in 2004. The BJP clinched victory in 2009 and 2014, and the Janata Dal (United) in 2019. However, at least since 1999, a member of the Manjhi community has represented the seat.
At a political rally in Gaya on Tuesday, a constituency with over 30 per cent of voters from the Scheduled Castes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Opposition, saying that Jitan Ram Manjhi is a witness to how the Congress and the RJD exploited the Dalits, oppressed, and backward classes for their political convenience, and that he was indebted to BR Ambedkar’s Constitution which allowed a person with humble origins like himself to become the Prime Minister of the country