Amid the selection of candidates by the parties, heads are rolling in big number. Many parties have denied tickets to their sitting MlAs.
The Maha Gathbandhan alliances RJD and JD(U) are yet to formally announce their candidates but several sitting legislators were called and politely told that they would not be nominated. The two allies are likely to declare their lists on Saturday jointly or separately.
The denial of tickets to sitting MlAs triggered anger and protests. Moreover, they have been informed by their parties at a time when the rival parties have also made their lists public and they could not be adjusted there. Bhai Dinesh, RJD MlA from Jagdishpur, sat on dharna in party office on Saturday in protest of the reported denial of ticket to him. lalu Prasad’s both sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi Yadav will contest the polls.
JD(U)’s some sitting seats will go to RJD like Nawada where Poornima Yadav of JD(U) is likely to be replaced by RJD’s Rajballabh Yadav and Vijay Prakash, brother of RJD MP Jaiprakash Yadav will replace JD(U)’s Anant Satyarthi in Munger. In Jehanabad, sitting JD(U) MlA Abhiram Sharma will be denied ticket and Mundrika Singh Yadav of RJD will contest from there. Munna Shahi of JD(U) has been denied ticket and his seat Barbigha will go to Congress from where Rajo Singh’s grandson Sudarshan Singh will be candidate. State Congress chief Ashok Chaudhary too wanted this seat for his wife.
The BJP has already denied ticket to its five sitting MlAs in its first list.
State JD (U) president Bashistha Narain Singh said it was not uncommon during polls to deny tickets to many sitting legislators due to one reason or another.
A cursory look at the development in the JD(U) suggested that Nitish succumbed to lalu’s pressure and surrendered many of his sitting seats to RJD. JD(U) insiders said that Nitish had conducted a survey of the constituencies and standing of his sitting MlAs. Many of them have been denied as per the finding of the survey report.
Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday released list of 13 candidates of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) which included name of his son. As per the agreement with the BJP, the party will give ticket to five sitting MlAs of HAM. They are Nitish Mishra, Raju Singh, Sunit Singh, Ajay Pratap and Vinay Bihari.