Patna, October 30 (). Obra, in the Magadha region of Bihar, is an assembly constituency known for its agricultural prosperity, age-old handcraft art and, above all, its unpredictable electoral mood. The 2020 assembly elections are remembered for the multi-cornered contest here. The scattering of votes was so tremendous that RJD got the direct benefit from it.
Obra, this small but important town situated just 15 kilometers from the district headquarters Aurangabad, has been no less than a puzzle for political analysts.
In the first decades after independence, Congress won here thrice, but then the seat took a turn. Socialist Party, Praja Socialist Party, Janata Party and even Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got to taste victory here once each. The biggest change came in 1995, when Rajaram Singh Kushwaha flew the Left party flag for the first time on a CPI-ML ticket and became MLA twice.
RJD has strengthened its hold by winning here four times between 2005 and 2020. This seat has always been a challenge for JDU. The party has never been able to register victory here till now.
In 2020, RJD’s young candidate Rishi Singh won by a huge margin. He defeated Dr. Prakash Chandra of Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP). This victory was also important because the votes were divided between the constituent parties of the NDA alliance (LJP and JDU).
The contest was so tough that JDU’s Sunil Kumar stood third with more than 25 thousand votes, while RLSP’s Ajay Kumar was also at fourth position with more than 19 thousand votes.
This area is surrounded by three important rivers (Punpun in the west and north, Adri in the east and then the life-giving Son river in the west). The fertile plains of Son are the backbone of the region, enabling the cultivation of major crops like paddy and sesame.
Along with agriculture, the identity of Obra lies in the fingers of the artisans here. This town is world famous for its carpet and blanket industry. The glorious tradition of carpet weaving here dates back to the 15th century and the art of blanket making is also more than a hundred years old.
As of 2011 census, Obra block had a total population of 2,26,007. Interestingly, the voters of Obra are under rural influence, whose share is 84.49 percent, that is, the discussions held on the village chaupal and farm ridges decide the direction of politics here.
People here mainly speak Magahi, Hindi and Urdu. Obra assembly constituency is a part of Karakat Lok Sabha constituency and includes Obra and Daudnagar blocks. Its electoral history has been no less than a rainbow. There has never been dominance of any one party here.
There is always turmoil in the electoral arena of Obra.
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VKU/VC
