Patna, Feb 15: Four Bihar legislators, including a minister, have threatened to contest the Lok Sabha polls either as independents or from another grouping if they’re not given JD-U tickets, party sources and the disgruntled leaders say.
Ahead of polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is facing a rebellion from legislators Poonam Devi Yadav, Devesh Chandra Thakur and Mahachander Singh, as conjointly Ramai Ram, who could be a cabinet minister.
All of them need an assurance from the party to contest the Lok Sabha polls and threatened to travel against the JD-U if denied its movement.
It all started early on once it was created identified that Poonam Yadav would contest from the Khagaria Lok Sabha constituency.
“She will be a candidate from Khagaria Lok Sabha seat whether as an independent or from different party, if JD-U won’t permit her to contest once more,” her unfree husband and former politician Ranbir Yadav aforesaid. He was condemned within the Lakhmipur Taufir carnage of 1985 during which 9 people were killed.
Yadav, referred to as a muscleman, defendant party chief Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar of backtracking from the promise of fielding his partner from Khagaria Lok Sabha seat in last Lok Sabha polls in 2009.
Yadav hit the headlines in 2012 once Nitish Kumar’s convoy was attacked by a mob in Khagaria and he had come back to his rescue. Yadav reportedly snatched a policeman’s carbine and brandished it menacingly to scare off protestors.
Thakur, a senior party leader, too vulnerable to quit JD-U if he wasn’t allowed to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the sources aforesaid.
Thakur, who was considered a detailed aide of Nitish Kumar and media face of the party, is keen to contest parliamentary polls from Sitamarhi body.
But the party has told him this wasn’t potential because it has determined to field former Rajya Sabha MP Shabir Ali from the body.
Mahachander Singh Singh has conjointly expressed his need to contest from Munger Lok Sabha body.
“I have determined to contest Lok Sabha polls. It all depends on the party to give me ticket or force me to require another call,” he said.
Munger is represented by JD-U’s powerful leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalal Singh, who is Nitish Kumar’s close friend for over twenty years.
Ramai Ram, Bihar minister of revenue and reform, has conjointly announced that he can contest from Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency.
“I can searched for the other possibility, in case the party won’t field me from Hajipur,” he said.
According to party leaders, some more JD-U leaders, including legislators and former MPs, may revolt if denied a party ticket for the Lok Sabha polls.
After the JD-U ended its 17-year-old alliance with the BJP last year, the party is set to contest Lok Sabha polls either alone or in alliance with the Left parties in Bihar.