Sharad woos Anand Mohan to beat Pappu in Madhepura

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Since 1952, with exception of Acharya Kriplani in 1957, this seat has not elected a non-Yadav. Sharad Yadav has been winning consistently, but in Pappu Yadav he faces a formidable challenger.

The elections in Kosi belt- the land traumatised by the 2008 floods – is turning out to be a high voltage one, in which no quarter is asked for, none given.

The often repeated slogan “Rome hai Pope ka, Madhepura Gope ka is what has won or lost a battle in this constituency.

It is also the land of the Mandal experiment- BP Mandal, the architect of the Mandal commission report have been born here. Yet, it is the gang war of the 1990s, which is being called into recall and play as the most successful tool to polarise the constituents in the elections.

Janata Dal-United president Sharad Yadav visited the native village of jailed criminal-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, a former MP serving life sentence in a murder case, to seek blessings of his mother for the Lok Sabha polls.

Singh is serving a life sentence for murdering Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994.

Yadav, a sitting MP, who is seeking re-election from Madhepura parliamentary constituency in the flood prone Kosi region, visited Panchchgachia and met Singh’s mother Gita Devi.

Yadav told media persons that he is related to Singh’s wife Lovely Anand, a former MP.

Yadav even claimed that it was he who asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to field Singh’s wife Lovely Anand from Sheohar Lok Sabha seat.

It is said that Singh has a strong hold over his castemen-Rajput, who have sizeable vote share in Madhepura. "Yadav visited Singh's village to send a message that his family’s blessings are with him," a JD-U leader said.

Yadav is contesting against RJD candidate Pappu Yadav, a controversial former MP.