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BJP offers Jehanabad bypoll seat to JD(U)

While the BJP is seen to have offered Jehanabad seat to keep Chief Minister Nitish Kumar interested in campaigning, multiple JD(U) leaders said on conditions of anonymity that this is a “tactical victory” for the party, and that the move has shown RLSP and HAM(S) their places in NDA

Jehanabad bypoll election, Jehanabad bypoll seat, Bhabhua bypoll election, Araria bypoll election, BJP, JD(U), India News, Indian Express, Indian Express News The bypoll will be held on March 11 (File)

Ignoring junior NDA allies RLSP of Union minister Upendra Kushwaha and HAM(S) of former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, the BJP has offered Jehanabad seat to JD(U) to field its candidate for the March 11 by-election. JD(U) had earlier decided against contesting the bypolls — to Jehanabad and Bhabhua Assembly and Araria Lok Sabha constituencies on March 11 — as it did not have sitting MLAs.

While the BJP is seen to have offered Jehanabad seat to keep Chief Minister Nitish Kumar interested in campaigning, multiple JD(U) leaders said on conditions of anonymity that this is a “tactical victory” for the party, and that the move has shown RLSP and HAM(S) their places in NDA.

Officially, JD(U) state president Bashistha Narayan Singh said the party agreed to contest Jehanabad on BJP’s request. But a party leader said, “Nitish Kumar seems to have played a mind game and got our state president to say the party will not stake claim for any of the seats. They (BJP) chose us, which shows the importance of Nitish Kumar. In absence of JD(U) candidates, they sensed Nitish Kumar’s disinterest (in campaigning). And after results in Rajasthan, BJP cannot take immature decisions.” BJP had lost bypolls to three Rajasthan seats by big margins. While Manjhi did not react, Kushwaha only said that he cannot strain his relationship with BJP over an Assembly seat.

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A BJP source said: “JD(U)’s Abhiram Sharma had won from Jehanabad in 2010 Assembly polls. We convinced Nitish Kumar to contest the seat since Sharma has a good chance of winning in the new political and social alignment after Nitish’s return to NDA. There was little chance of either Manjhi or Kushwaha getting it — there were too many complications.”

RLSP is a divided house between Kushwaha and party MP from Jehanabad Arun Kumar. In Jehanabad, a constituency dominated by OBC Yadavs and upper caste Bhumihars, RJD has fielded Mundrika Yadav’s son.

Festive offer

Bhabhua seat fell vacant after the death of its BJP MLA Anand Bhushan Pandey. The BJP has nominated his wife Rinki Pandey against Congress’s Shambhu Nath Patel. For Araria Lok Sabha seat, RJD has fielded late MP Mohammed Taslimuddin’s son Sarfaraz Ahmed against BJP’s former MP Pradip Kumar Singh, who had won from the seat in 2004 and 2009 before his defeat in 2014.

First uploaded on: 20-02-2018 at 03:29 IST
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