Bihar Elections: A Fierce Contest on Mother Sita's Land, RJD's Two Faces Go Head-to-Head, A Tight Battle Among Three Women!

In the Pariyari assembly constituency, the incumbent BJP MLA Gayatri Devi is in the running for a hat-trick, having defeated RJD's Ritu Jaiswal by approximately 2000 votes in 2020.

Voting is underway on Tuesday in the Parihar Assembly constituency of Sitamarhi district in Bihar. This is the land of Mata Sita. This time, the Parihar seat is attracting a lot of attention because the main contest is being seen among three women.

Currently, the seat is held by BJP MLA Gayatri Devi, who is once again in the fray to achieve a hat-trick. She had defeated Ritu Jaiswal of RJD by a margin of approximately 2000 votes in the 2020 Assembly elections.

RJD Fields Smita Gupta

This time, RJD has placed its bet on Smita Gupta for this seat. Meanwhile, Ritu Jaiswal, the state president of RJD's Mahila Morcha, has adopted a rebellious stance due to not getting a ticket from the Parihar seat this time.

Ritu is contesting from this seat as an independent candidate. It is noteworthy that Smita is the daughter-in-law of former RJD state president Ram Chandra Purve. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, RJD had given Ritu a ticket from the Shivhar Lok Sabha seat, but she faced defeat.

Contesting on Supporters' Insistence - Ritu

Ritu, in a conversation with the media, said, "I have decided to contest the election at the behest of my supporters. I cannot forget the fight they put up for me in the last Assembly elections, where I lost by a narrow margin."

On the other hand, Smita is trying to re-establish the legacy of her father-in-law, who represented the neighbouring Sonbarsa Assembly constituency multiple times.

Both Smita and Ritu Belong to Vaishya Community

Significantly, both Smita and Ritu belong to the Vaishya community, which has a substantial population in this constituency. Meanwhile, BJP MLA Gayatri Yadav has put the RJD's Yadav voters in a dilemma.

Gayatri has openly stated that she has supporters among the Yadavs who will vote for her. She further added that the contest between Ritu and Smita has increased her chances of winning.

Ritu Previously Worked in a Job

Ritu previously worked in a job in Delhi. After quitting, she began her political journey as the head of Singjwahini Panchayat. Being married to a government employee, she decided to stay in the village.

The Muslim voters in this area are largely favouring RJD's Smita. Meanwhile, Mohammad Javed from Inderba village told The New Indian Express, "If RJD had fielded Ritu Jaiswal, she would have won. Migration, unemployment, and floods are the major issues."