Bihar: RJD dumps some sitting MLAs in 2nd phase polls

PATNA: Even though the process to file nomination papers for the 94 seats in the second phase of state assembly election commenced on Friday, neither RJD nor Congress has officially announced their candidates. RJD has kept 144 seats while giving 70 to Congress and 29 to the three Left parties to contest for the 243-member state assembly election.
Under the seat-sharing arrangements in the Mahagathbandhan, 14 seats for the second phase have been given to the Left parties to contest — six to CPI (ML) and four each to CPI and CPI(M). Sources attributed the delay to the claims of both Congress and RJD on some seats like Supaul, Belsand and Vaishali. RJD wants Vaishali seat for former minister Bishen Patel while Congress is adamant on fielding Veena Shahi from there.
RJD wants Lovely Anand’s son to contest from Supaul while Congress has two claimants — former MP Ranjeeta Ranjan and party’s minority wing chairman Minnat Rahmani — for this seat.
However, RJD state spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said there was no tussle at all. “Rather senior leaders from both the parties are trying to figure out who will be the best candidate for a particular seat. Number of seats have already been distributed,” he said.
Even though final calls on a few seats are yet to be taken, RJD had distributed 31 tickets for the second phase till Friday evening. It has also dropped some of its sitting MLAs, including from Barauli, Mohammad Nematullah, and preferred Reyazul Haque Raju, who had left JD(U) and joined RJD in 2010. Even Taraiya MLA Mundrika Prasad Rai has been dumped and Sipahi Lal Mehto will be RJD candidate there. This decision has been taken to give representation to people of Nonia caste, which comes under the economically backward caste category, sources said. RJD also preferred Nagendra Ram from Harsidhi to its sitting MLA Rajendra Kumar.
Kesaria MLA Rajesh Kumar also could not find favour and RJD has fielded Santosh Kushwaha in his place.
Even Mahua seat, which is represented by RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, has been given to Mukesh Ranjan. But political experts expect some last minute changes, as RJD has yet not made any official announcement.
But the party has reposed faith in several sitting MLAs, like Bhai Virendra (Maner), Ejya Yadav (Mohiuddinnagar), Alok Kumar Mehta (Ujiarpur), Mangita Devi (Runnisaidpur), Samir Kumar Mahaseth (Madhubani), Lalit Kumar Yadav (Darbhanga rural), Rajesh Kumar alias Munna Yadav (Meenapur), Ramvichar Rai (Sahebganj) and Kedar Nath Singh (Baniyapur).
RJD has fielded its sitting MLA Shreenarayan Yadav’s son from Sahebpur Kamal and fielded former minister Awadh Bihari Choudhary from Siwan.
The party has also gambled on new faces like Rakesh Raushan (Islampur), Prem Shankar Yadav (Baikunthpur), Shreekant Rai (Ekma), Rajesh Kushwaha (Hathua), Mohammad Iqbaal Mansoori (Kanti), Manoj Yadav (Kalyanpur), Sunil Rai (Amnaur) and Dev Kumar Chaurasia (Hajipur). Mohan Shah has got the RJD ticket from Madhuban, while former LJP parliamentarian Rama Singh’s wife Veena Devi will be RJD candidate from Mahnar.