PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday addressed an election rally in Madhepura district’s Bihariganj assembly constituency from where former Union minister and Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) chief Sharad Yadav’s daughter Subhashini Yadav is also in fray on Congress ticket.
Nitish, however, avoided speaking anything against his former party colleague and friend-turned-foe.
On Monday, the CM addressed a series of five election rallies in Madhepura and Supaul district. His first rally was in Alamnagar assembly constituency. After Alamnagar, he reached Udakishunganj and addressed a rally at the local SBJS High School ground under Bihariganj constituency where his party nominee and sitting MLA Niranjan Kumar Mehta is seeking re-election.
Altogether 22 candidates including Subhashini Yadav are in the fray from Buhariganj, which is going to the polls in the last phase on November 7.
As he has been doing at his all election rallies, Nitish listed achievements of his government during his speech at Udakishunganj. He also made a direct attack on the RJD on the issue of poor law and order during the Lalu-Rabri regime, but avoided saying ‘anything’ either against Sharad Yadav or his daughter.
At the time of filing nomination papers from Bihariganj, Subhashini said she was entering the electoral battle to save her father's political legacy. Sharad Yadav, who won the Lok Sabha election from Madhepura four times in the past and also lost from there for an equal number of times, is currently sick and admitted to a hospital in Delhi for the past few months.
Sharad had sided with Nitish after a split in the Janta Dal. He later served as the JD(U) president after George Fernandes till 2016 when Nitish took over from him as the JD(U) national president. In 2017, when Nitish rejoined hands with the BJP, Sharad spoke against his decision and later fell out from Nitish’s group of loyals.
In 2019, Sharad contested the Lok Sabha election on the RJD ticket from Madhepura but lost it to JD(U) candidate Dinesh Chandra Yadav.