With the socialist leader and president of Samajwadi Janata Dal(Democratic), Devendra Prasad Yadav, joining the ruling Janata Dal (United) on Sunday and disgruntled RJD leader Ramkripal Yadav all set to join the BJP in a day or two, the season of aaya-ram and gaya-rams on Bihar’s political firmament has apparently become a big hit, as never before. A host of leaders across the partylines are busy switching their loyalties overnight, apparently hoping for a party ticket for the upcoming lok Sabha polls.
Both Devendra Prasad Yadav and Ramkripal Yadav are set to contest from Jhanjharpur and Patliputra parliamentary constituencies. Yadav even merged his party with the JD(U) in presence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and State party president Basishta Narayan Singh.
After parting ways from RJD chief lalu Prasad, the influential socialist leader of Mithilanchal, Devendra Prasad Yadav had launched his own party — Samajwadi Janata Dal(Democratic) — but soon he got an offer from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish to contest from Jhanjharpur on JD(U) ticket and he immediately obliged him.
Earlier, when lalu Prasad Yadav preferred to field his eldest daughter Misa Bharti rather than his long time loyalist Ramkripal Yadav from Yadav-dominated Patlipura constituency, RJD’s Ramkripal Yadav seemed ‘hurt and anguished’ and rushed to Delhi to declare his resignation.
Sources close to him, though, told The Pioneer that he already had a meeting with the BJP party president Rajnath Singh on Saturday and in all likelihood he would be joining the BJP on Monday to contest from Patliputra constituency on BJP ticket.
Similarly, like him other RJD leaders — Gulam Gaus and Suresh Paswan — too got annoyed with the party when denied lok Sabha tickets. Despite party boss lalu Prasad talking to Ghulam Gaus to mollify his ruffled feathers he declared that he was ready to contest the poll from Bettiah as an Independent candidate.
Bihar NCP chief Nagmani, who until now has made rounds of all the political parties in Bihar, once again changed his political loyalty declaring that he would join the BJP soon. Hoping to get party ticket, either for him or his wife, Nagmani showered lavish praises for BJP PM nominee Narendra Modi recently.
However, the political move taken by lJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan recently came as a real shocker for the political pundits as he joined the BJP against which he has been spewing venom till a few days ago. Earlier, he was reportedly discussing a merger with both the Congress and JD-U leaders but joined the NDA block after 12 years of separation.
Former JD(U) MP Shushil Singh and MlA Chhedi Paswan too chose to join the BJP to contest lok Sabha poll from Aurangabad and Sasaram constituencies while the BJP MlA from Aurangabad, Ramadhar Singh, has threatened to quit and try his best to ensure Shushil Singh’s defeat in the poll. Another BJP MlA Acchutanand too has become a rebel saying he would contest the lok Sabha poll from Vaishali if the lJP candidate Rama Kishore Singh would be fielded from there as an alliance candidate.
Similarly, the JD(U) MPs Mangani lal Mandal and Capt Jai Narayan Nishad too quit the party. Mandal got the ticket from RJD to contest on Jhanjharpur seat whereas Ajay Nishad son of Capt Jai Narayan Nishad is likely to be BJP’s candidate from Muzaffarpur constituency. Former JD(U) MlA Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha joined the RJD on the day the party list of candidates was released and become RJD candidate from Ara lok Sabha constituency.
Earlier BJP had expelled two of its party MlAs Avnish Kumar Singh and Rana Gangeshwar and both are set to get lok Sabha ticket from JD(U). Nitish Kumar has already announced name of Avnish Kumar Singh as the party candidate for Motihari seat.
A prominent Kurmi leader Satish Kumar, who had set off his political career from left parties and was one of the founder members of the Samata Party to organise the biggest Kurmi rally in Patna to establish Nitish Kumar’s political influence in the state, recently joined BJP hoping to get party ticket in the lS poll.
On of the prominent face of JD(U) Devesh Chandra Thakur too recently quit the party as he too wanted nomination in the Parliamentary poll but denied by the leadership. Meanwhile, party sources said that a number of party hoppers across the spectrum are also waiting for their turn to make the jump and reap electoral benefits during the NaMo wave reeling across the State.