PATNA: JNUSU’s former president
Kanhaiya Kumar will contest the Lok Sabha election in 2019 from Bihar’s
Begusarai constituency as the nominee of grand alliance comprising the RJD, Congress, NCP, Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM (S), Loktantrik Janata Dal of Sharad Yadav and all Left parties.
Sources said RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who virtually heads the grand alliance in Bihar, and the Congress leadership have agreed to leave the Begusarai seat for Kanhaiya.
Though Kanhaiya will contest the election on the CPI symbol, all grand alliance partners will support him, a source close to Lalu’s family told TOI on Saturday.
Kanhaiya is a native of Bihat panchayat under the Barauni block of Begusarai district. His mother Meena Devi is an anganwadi sewika in Begusarai, while his father Jayashankar Singh is a small farmer.
Begusarai is currently represented in the Lok Sabha by BJP’s Bhola Singh. The saffron party won the seat for the first time in 2014, defeating RJD’s Tanveer Hassan by 58,000 votes. Bhola bagged 4,28,227 votes as against Tanveer’s 3,69,892 votes. CPI’s Rajendra Prasad Singh finished third with 1,92,639 votes.
As per the ‘sitting-second’ formula, Begusarai seat should have gone to the RJD in seat-sharing arrangement among the grand alliance partners. “But, Lalu wants Kanhaiya to contest from Begusarai,” an RJD functionary said, preferring anonymity.
CPI’s state secretary Satya Narayan Singh told TOI over the phone that Kanhaiya had given his consent to the party to join the 2019 electoral fray. “Lalu during an informal talk with us offered Begusarai seat for Kanhaiya,” the CPI functionary said.
Kanhaiya Kumar (File photo)
