JD(U) denies ticket to all five sitting MLCs, fields two leaders for Bihar Council election

PATNA: JD(U) on Wednesday denied ticket to its all five outgoing MLCs and fielded two new faces from the organization in the biennial election to the Bihar Legislative Council’s seven seats, to be held on June 20.
The party’s five outgoing MLCs who were denied ticket to re-contest the council election, are Gulam Rasool Balyawi, Md Qamar Alam (both party’s national general secretary), Ranvijay Kumar Singh, C P Sinha and Rozina Nazish. All these five MLCs are scheduled to retire from the upper house on July 21 this year. “It is for the first time in its history that JD(U) has denied party tickets to its five outgoing MLCs,” a senior official of the council who keeps watch on the election trend, told TOI on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha announced the names of the party’s national general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan and national secretary Rabindra Prasad Singh as the party's candidates for the council election, sending a shock wave among the outgoing candidates, some of them had high hopes of being re-nominated for the upper house.
“Khan and Singh are dedicated workers of the party and both have been associated with the JD(U) with full devotion since its inception,” Kushwaha said while announcing the name of both the candidates.
Insiders in the JD(U) said Khan had also emerged as a front-runner for the Rajya Sabha seat which ultimately went in favour of Khiru Mahto. A low-profile man, Khan’s status in the JD(U)’s rank and file increased manifold in the recent years after he, as the party’s in-charge of northeastern region, led the JD(U)’s victory in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. In Arunachal Pradesh where the JD(U) emerged as the second largest party after the BJP by winning seven assembly seats. In Manipur, the JD(U) won six assembly seats.
“The selection of organizational workers like Khan and Singh as the party candidates for the council polls has sent a very good message among the dedicated party workers. It shows our leader Nitish Kumar Ji selects candidates after thorough ‘micro-analysis’ of workers’ profiles,” JD(U) spokesperson Arvind Nishad told TOI on Tuesday.
Other two sitting MLCs who are retiring on July 21 are the Vikassheel Insaan Party president Mukesh Sahani and Arjun Sahani (BJP). Mukesh too was sent to the council from the BJP quota. The BJP will field its candidates against these two seats.
All four NDA candidates- two each from JD(U) and BJP – are expected to file their nomination papers before the returning officer on Wednesday.
June 9 is the last date of making nominations. Scrutiny of nominations will be held on June 10, while June 13 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature. Polling, if necessary, will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on June 20. All processes of election would be completed by June 22, the election commission has said.