No stalemate over Jehanabad constituency issue: RLSP

PATNA: The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) led by Union minister Upendra Kushwaha is firmly placed to contest the bypoll to the Jehanabad assembly seat, as its tussle with the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) has been “almost” resolved by the state BJP chief Nityanand Rai.
“We in the RLSP are clear. Within the NDA, the seat belongs to us and we will contest it. There is no doubt on our side,” said a senior state RLSP functionary.
Before the 2015 assembly election, the Jehanabad seat was in the RLSP kitty, but its candidate lost to RJD nominee Mundrika Singh Yadav, whose death has necessitated the bypoll in the constituency on March 11.
Asked as to when the RLSP would announce its candidate, the party functionary added, “RLSP president Kushwaha and state BJP chief Nityanand Rai will sit together in a day or two to finalize the candidate.”
This, however, is hardly an indicator of “all is settled within the NDA, feel political observers. According to them, former CM and HAM(S) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi has a “peculiar political trait” of changing his political line, which keeps both the RJD brass and the NDA confused as to what his eventual position would be.
Even on Wednesday, HAM(S) “held in-camera discussions to read the situation,” said a source.
The state BJP core committee was scheduled to sit on Wednesday to discuss the prevailing situation within the NDA with regard to seat-sharing in the backdrop of the bypolls to the Araria parliamentary and Jehanabad and Bhabhua assembly seats, but it was deferred due to Mahashivaratri festivity.
However, informal discussions were held by Rai to break the deadlock over Jehanabad seat. Rai on Monday had met Manjhi to “mollify him,” said state BJP sources. Even Manjhi said “all is well” in the NDA.
On Tuesday, Rai also held “initial round of discussion” with Kushwaha on phone. “Now, they will sit together and decide,” the RLSP source said.