JD(U), BJP unlikely to take action against Siwan ‘rebels’

PATNA: Even though JD(U) state president Bashishtha Narain Singh on Friday said action would be taken against the party leaders who worked against the NDA’s official candidates in the byelections held recently, insiders in the ruling alliance are hesitant in punishing those who participated in the victory procession of independent candidate Karanjeet Singh alias Vyas Singh, apprehending counter reaction from the grassroots workers in Siwan district.
Singh won the Daraundha assembly seat in Siwan as a rebel BJP candidate.
Defying the BJP’s top leadership’s diktat, Karanjeet not only contested against the JD(U) candidate and strongman Ajay Singh (who was also the NDA’s official nominee). The seat was vacated after election of Ajay’s wife Kavita Singh to the Lok Sabha in the general election earlier this year.
When Karanjeet took out his victory procession on Thursday evening, JD(U)’s Barharia MLA Shyam Bahadur Singh and BJP’s former MP from Siwan Om Prakash Yadav with their hundreds of supporters not only participated, but also played ‘abir’ with the newly elected MLA. In fact, the Barharia MLA rode an elephant to reach Daraundha to congratulate the BJP rebel.
Some vernacular dailies even carried the pictures of the JD(U) MLA and his supporters joining the victory procession of Karanjeet. “Thought the JD(U) state leadership has decided to review the reasons behind defeat of the party candidates in three of the four assembly constituencies it contested, we do not foresee any punitive action against the Barharia MLA because he is very popular in his constituency and any action against him may annoy the workers at grassroots level,” a senior party leader told TOI on the condition of anonymity.
“Had it been other leader than Shyam Bahadur, the party would have issued a show-cause notice on the day of defiance. In December 2018, the same MLA had resigned from the party’s primary membership, alleging his voice was not being heard by those in power. He had virtually raised an accusing figure on the style of functioning of the state government, but no action was taken against this MLA,” said another JD(U) leader, preferring anonymity.
The JD(U) state president, however, said report had been sought on the byelections from the district units concerned and action would be taken on that basis.
In BJP, too, the party leadership is not in a haste to take action against those who worked against the NDA’s official nominee against Karanjeet.
“Om Prakash Yadav had been raising his voice against gangster Shahabuddin. How the BJP leadership can expect him to support another gangster in the election? Yadav had openly said he would not support a candidate like Ajay Singh who is facing several criminal cases. Majority of the BJP workers in Siwan support Yadav’s view,” said a BJP leader from Siwan.
When contacted, BJP state spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal ji campaigned in the by elections for 10 days, including in Daraundha. The results depend on many local factors, but the party will surely assess the factors involved in the byelection.”
Anand avoided any comment on the party’s plan to take action against the rebels, including Yadav. He said the BJP had already expelled Karanjeet and one more leader from the primary membership of the party for a period of six years.