One bypoll of Jokihat Assembly constituency in Bihar that has attracted the attention of ruling and Opposition alliance and both factions are trying their best to win this seat. The main contest in this bypoll to be held on Monday is between RJD and JD(U) candidates Shahnawaz Alam and Murshid Alam respectively. The counting will be held on May 30.
The interest of these parties is so keen that Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo lalu Prasad’s son and heir apparent Tejashwi Prasad Yadav have stumped in the constituency falling under Araria district in Seemanchal region of Bihar having borders with Nepal and Bangladesh. The seat fell vacant following resignation by JD(U) MlA Sarfaraz Alam who first resigned from the party and legislature , then joined RJD and contested the byelection to the vacant Araria lok Sabha seat a couple of months back. The Araria seat was lying vacant due to death of Mohammad Taslimuddin of RJD. Both Sarfaraz, now lok Sabha member, and Shahnawaz , who is contesting Jokihat seat on RJD ticket, are sons of late Taslimuddin who ruled the Seemanchal region with his iron grip for well over five decades till his death.
A lot of political churning has taken place during the past few years. The JD(U) is leaving no stone unturned to retain this seat Muslim dominated which it has been winning for four terms. But the JD(U) is worried over the image of its candidate Murshid who is accused in several criminal cases. Nitish too was aware about this and addressing an election meeting two days back. The CM sought the permission of the audience to garland his candidate.
Murshid Alam in his affidavit before the Election Commission admitted seven criminal cases against him registered with police stations at Palasi, Simraha and Jokihat and the nature of crime is murder, rape and loot.
But all of a sudden problem struck RJD candidate Shahnawaz, who was already facing some rift in the family after he getting the ticket, because of arm twisting tactics of his elder brother and local MP Sarfaraz Alam. The deputy superintendent of Araria district hospital Dr J N Mathur resigned accusing the RJD MP of threatening him. The Bihar State Health Service Association strongly condemned the incident and threatened to go on indefinite strike if suitable action was not taken against the MP. Mathur was quoted as saying, “It is not possible to work under the circumstances and I have decided to resign. life is more important to me than the job.”
Meanwhile, all the doctors association including Bihar chapter of Indian Medical Association have threatened to hold a Maha Panchayat against RJD MP Alam in Jokihat for his highhandedness.
The associations supporting Dr Mathur demanded that the MP should apologise within 48 hours. When Alam was JD(U) MlA, he was accused of trying to molest a woman in the running Rajdhani Express train. The JD(U) had suspended him till the case was closed.