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ISSUES '98
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State:	Bihar
Constituency:	Kishanganj
Total Votes Polled:	694288
Winner: JD	Taslimuddin	381530
Runner Up: BJP	Vishwanath Kejriwal	216947
Margin: 164583 (24.04%)

Barring 1967, the MP has invariably been a Muslim, so it was perhaps right that the clash of the titans should have happened here. In 1989 journalist turned Rajiv acolyte M J Akbar dared the orthodox face of his community represented by Syed Shahabuddin. And despite the gauntlet not being picked up, Akbar persevered and despite the anti-Rajiv wave won on the Congress ticket. But Shahabuddin returned in 1991, albeit not Akbar, and won the seat on a Janata Dal ticket. In 1996 Shahabuddin contested on a Janata Party; the winner was the controversial Mohammad Taslimuddin of the JD; the runner-up was V Kejriwal of the BJP. Shahabuddin's share of the vote was 1.33 %.