This story is from June 25, 2020

‘Bihar CM Nitish Kumar plays EBC/women card in Magadh’

JD(U) president and CM Nitish Kumar has killed two birds with one stone in the Magadh region politics ahead of the assembly election by naming Kumud Verma among the party’s three candidates for the legislative council polls, political observers feel.
‘Bihar CM Nitish Kumar plays EBC/women card in Magadh’
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (File photo)
GAYA: JD(U) president and CM Nitish Kumar has killed two birds with one stone in the Magadh region politics ahead of the assembly election by naming Kumud Verma among the party’s three candidates for the legislative council polls, political observers feel.
According to Lalji Prasad. a senior JD(U) leader of the district, both EBCs and women constitute the party’s core constituency as the Nitish government has reserved 35% seats for women in the state jobs.
No other CM has done as much for the women as Nitish has, Prasad said.
Besides placating the EBCs, Nitish has also addressed his women constituency, said Ali Hussain, a keen watcher of the Magadh politics and a political science teacher.
Kumud hails from a political family in the Magadh region. Her father-in-law late Upendra Nath Verma was a former Union minister and at the forefront of the Mandal politics in Bihar. Kumud’s brother-in-law Baghi Kumar Verma was also a minister in Bihar. Baghi is currently in RJD.
Magadh Division comprising Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jehanabad and Arwal districts has 26 assembly constituencies. Late Jagdeo Prasad, called ‘Lenin of Bihar’ by his followers, carefully crafted a political constituency for the backward castes and continues to be a cult figure in the region.
To Nitish’s credit, despite being with the BJP, Bihar Muslims continue to have a soft corner for the CM, says Masoom Aziz Kazmi, a retired IPS officer. On his part, Nitish has all along been wooing the Muslims and effectively contained the Hindutva hawks in the state, he feels.
Welcoming the nomination of Kumud, Tekari MLA and state JD(U) youth wing chief Abhay Kushwaha said the CM has all along been accommodating ‘Dangis’ (a Koeri subcaste). Earlier, too, the CM nominated Upendra Prasad of the district to the Council for two consecutive terms, he said.
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