Bihar elections 2020: Patna, the BJP bastion

Once upon a time, when India was ruled by the kings and emperors, when battles were commonplace and India knew prosperity, the erstwhile Pataliputra served as the capital of the empires. During the reigns of the Mauryas and the Guptas, it was the centre of trade, culture and politics in this country. For the likes of Ashoka the Great, Chandragupta Maurya and Samudragupta, it was an impenetrable fortress.

Fast-forward to the 21st century, when the glory days of the kings are long gone and empires are replaced by political forces. Patna, the descendant of Pataliputra, has emerged as a fortress once again. In the modern age, it has been converted into a BJP bastion, the ruling power in present-day India.

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Patna has been a citadel of the BJP for a long time now. They have won election after election in the capital of Bihar, clinching comfortable victories time and again. For example, let's consider the Lok Sabha elections. Previously, Patna had only one Lok Sabha seat. In the reorganisation that took place in 2008, the city was awarded two seats, named Pataliputra and Patna Sahib.

In Patna Sahib, the BJP has scored a hat-trick of wins in the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2009 general elections, veteran Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha contested on the BJP ticket and defeated Vijay Kumar of the RJD by 1,66,770 votes. Incidentally, Shekhar Suman, another veteran Bollywood actor, contested from there on the Congress ticket. The scenario remained the same in the 2014 general elections when Shatrughan defeated Kunal Singh of the Congress by 2,65,805 votes. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP fielded Ravi Shankar Prasad from that seat and Shatrughan was contesting on the Congress ticket. The BJP again managed to secure the seat with Prasad winning by 2,84,657 votes.

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The trend continued in the Pataliputra seat as well. The BJP did not field anyone from that seat in the 2009 general elections, but in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, the saffron party fielded Ram Kripal Yadav and won both times.

The BJP maintained the momentum in the Bihar Assembly elections as well. Nand Kishore Yadav, contesting on the BJP's ticket, won in 2010 and 2015 from the Patna Sahib constituency. In 2015, they managed to win five Assembly segments in Patna. The party also controls the city's municipal corporation.

It will be an uphill task for the Opposition parties to break the BJP stronghold in Patna. The Congress has fielded Luv Sinha, son of Shatrughan Sinha, from the Bankipur constituency in Patna to take on the BJP's Nitin Nabin, a three-time sitting MLA. The intention is clear: Conquer the BJP fortress. Luv Sinha has gladly accepted the challenge. In his own words, "I believe fighting an uphill battle tests your mettle and proves to the world what you are really capable of. A win or loss is not in my hands anyway."

Will the BJP be able to keep Patna secure or will the fort be finally breached? Keep an eye on Nov. 10 result to know the outcome. For now, the ruling party at the Centre can enjoy their Patna glory like the ancient emperors did.