Rajputs fume as Anugrah Narayan Sinha’s kin out of Aurangabad poll race
TNN | Updated: Mar 24, 2019, 07:02 IST
Representative imageBy:
Ramshankar and Premendra Mishra
PATNA/AURANGABAD: Denial of ticket to former Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar has not gone down well with the Rajput voters of Aurangabad, also known as Chittorgarh of Bihar.
This is perhaps for the second time in the last seven decades when the family members of late Anugrah Narayan Sinha, first deputy chief minister of unified Bihar, have no role to play in the election. The Grand Alliance, of which Congress is one of the constituents, announced on Friday that the Aurangabad seat has been given to HAM (Secular) under the seat sharing formula for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
HAM (Secular), headed by former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, has fielded Upendra Prasad, a former MLC and a Koeri by caste, from Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency, where a major chunk of voters belonged to Rajput caste. “This has been the traditional seat of the Rajputs since the first general election held in 1952. Barring a few occasions, the seat has mostly been represented by the family members of late Anugrah Babu,” said former Delhi police commissioner and Nikhil Kumar’s uncle Kaushalendra Pratap Narayan Singh.
Late Sinha’s family has given three MPs to Aurangabad. While Sinha’s son late Satyendra Narayan Singh was elected to the Parliament in 1952, 1957, 1971, 1977, 1980 and 1984, his daughter in-law Shyama Singh won the election in 1999 and son Nikhil Kumar in 2004. Satyendra Narayan Singh had also unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections in 1991 and 1996. “It was in 1998 general election when, for the first time, no member of the family had contested the election from this prestigious seat,” said Kaushalendra.
Nikhil Kumar had contested the general election in 2009 and 2014. In both the elections, he was defeated by another Rajput candidate Sushil Kumar Singh, son of Ram Naresh Singh alias Lootan Singh, also a former MP. “The family started losing its grip on the party in 2015 assembly election when Nikhil’s men were not offered tickets. The leadership of the party didn’t pay heed to his recommendations,” said a senior Congress functionary.
The Grand Alliance has tried to play the Koeri-Yadav-Muslim card to win the election from the seat this time. After the Rajputs, who are in sizable number, Yadav and Koeri voters may play decisive role in ensuring the victory of the candidate. “Lalu had earlier unsuccessfully tried to play the Yadav-Muslim card by fielding Shakeel Ahmad from the seat,” the Congress leader said, adding denial of ticket to Nikhil may consolidate the Rajputs.
PATNA/AURANGABAD: Denial of ticket to former Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar has not gone down well with the Rajput voters of Aurangabad, also known as Chittorgarh of Bihar.
This is perhaps for the second time in the last seven decades when the family members of late Anugrah Narayan Sinha, first deputy chief minister of unified Bihar, have no role to play in the election. The Grand Alliance, of which Congress is one of the constituents, announced on Friday that the Aurangabad seat has been given to HAM (Secular) under the seat sharing formula for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
HAM (Secular), headed by former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, has fielded Upendra Prasad, a former MLC and a Koeri by caste, from Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency, where a major chunk of voters belonged to Rajput caste. “This has been the traditional seat of the Rajputs since the first general election held in 1952. Barring a few occasions, the seat has mostly been represented by the family members of late Anugrah Babu,” said former Delhi police commissioner and Nikhil Kumar’s uncle Kaushalendra Pratap Narayan Singh.
Late Sinha’s family has given three MPs to Aurangabad. While Sinha’s son late Satyendra Narayan Singh was elected to the Parliament in 1952, 1957, 1971, 1977, 1980 and 1984, his daughter in-law Shyama Singh won the election in 1999 and son Nikhil Kumar in 2004. Satyendra Narayan Singh had also unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections in 1991 and 1996. “It was in 1998 general election when, for the first time, no member of the family had contested the election from this prestigious seat,” said Kaushalendra.
Nikhil Kumar had contested the general election in 2009 and 2014. In both the elections, he was defeated by another Rajput candidate Sushil Kumar Singh, son of Ram Naresh Singh alias Lootan Singh, also a former MP. “The family started losing its grip on the party in 2015 assembly election when Nikhil’s men were not offered tickets. The leadership of the party didn’t pay heed to his recommendations,” said a senior Congress functionary.
The Grand Alliance has tried to play the Koeri-Yadav-Muslim card to win the election from the seat this time. After the Rajputs, who are in sizable number, Yadav and Koeri voters may play decisive role in ensuring the victory of the candidate. “Lalu had earlier unsuccessfully tried to play the Yadav-Muslim card by fielding Shakeel Ahmad from the seat,” the Congress leader said, adding denial of ticket to Nikhil may consolidate the Rajputs.
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