The Election Commission announced the polling dates for the Lok Sabha elections. The country will vote for its next government starting April 7, 2014. Voting will be held on nine days, ending with May 12. The results will be declared on May 16, 2014 and the 16th Lok Sabha will be constituted. A total of 814 million people are eligible to cast their votes -- 100 million more than in the last elections in 2009. People of Purnia division including the districts of Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria and Katihar will franchise their votes on 24th April, 2014.
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| Lok Sabha Elections 2014 |
The situation is very interesting in the district of Kishanganj where there is a fight among many aspiring politicians. While sitting congress MP Maulana Asrarul Haque is going to get the next chance from the party, Kishanganj MLA Dr. Jawaid is trying his best to get the ticket by winning the confidence of party high-command. Since Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has already announced for poll alliance, hence there would be no candidate from the latter party. Syed Mahmood Ashraf is the probable candidate of Janata Dal (United) although there are reports that rebel RJD MLA from Kochadhaman Akhtaraul Iman can contest the election on the party ticket.
Dr. Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, currently MLC of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is almost sure for getting the Lok Sabha ticket but Syed Shahnawaz Hussain’s name is also in discussion, who is currently MP from Bhagalpur. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has not declared the candidate from Kishanganj, the prominent names which went through the interview are Feraque Ahmad, Retd. IAS & former DM Kishanganj, Alimuddin Ansari, an activist of AAP and contested election from Purnia in 2009 as an independent candidate and Matin Iqubal, a youth having a degree in Engineering and worked as AAP worker in Delhi.
The world's biggest voting exercise pits the BJP's Narendra Modi against Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the campaign of the Congress as the party asks voters for a third consecutive term in power. Although opinion polls have forecast that the BJP under Mr Modi will emerge as the largest party, but since 1989 a single party has not won a parliamentary majority and the electorate has fractured in successive decades, turning regional leaders into powerful string-pullers. The anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal is likely to be seen as an unpredictable element in this year's polls.
