Chirag to campaign for BJP candidates in Bihar by-polls: Sanjay Jaiswal

Image credit: IANS

Patna: Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal on Friday (October 28) asserted that Chirag Paswan is an "NDA ally" and he will be campaigning for saffron party candidates for the November 3 by-polls to Mokama and Gopalganj assembly seats in the state. Jaiswal made the averment at a press conference he addressed here and claimed that Paswan, who is a Lok Sabha member from Jamui, will canvass for BJP candidates next week.

"We treat all parties that have fought elections in alliance with us and supported us in the Presidential polls as NDA partners. Chirag Paswan very much fits the bill and he will be campaigning on October 31 and November 1," the BJP leader said.

The son of Dalit stalwart Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan headed the Lok Janshakti Party founded by his father till it came apart last year following a rebellion by uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who rallied along all other LJP MPs.

Chirag Paswan had caused a flutter in the 2020 assembly polls when he rebelled against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was then still in the NDA.

Vowing to oust Kumar's JD(U) from power, Paswan, who swears by his loyalty towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had fielded candidates, many of them BJP rebels, in all seats contested by the chief minister's party.

The JD(U), which is now with the 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) that includes RJD, Congress and the Left parties, alleges that the "Chirag model" was used by the BJP to weaken it despite being an alliance partner and a similar attempt was made through another "agent", former Union minister RCP Singh.

Jaiswal also announced that the BJP will file a petition in the High Court seeking the cancellation of the nomination of Mohan Gupta, the RJD candidate in Gopalganj where by-election has been necessitated by the death of Subhash Singh, a four-term MLA belonging to the saffron party.

"We recently submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission highlighting that Gupta has concealed information relating to a case of liquor smuggling lodged against him in Jharkhand. Contesting an election by him in a dry state is scandalous. The EC, however, did not act on our complaint. So we will move the court when it reopens on November 1," the BJP leader said.

He also reiterated that in Mokama, gangster-turned-politician Anant Kumar Singh, whose wife seeks to retain for RJD the seat falling vacant upon her husband's disqualification, attempts were being made to "intimidate voters".

"Yesterday there were a couple of dacoities in the main market of Mokama. The dacoits were henchmen of Anant Singh whose main intention was to warn people of dire consequences if they dared not to support their leader," alleged Jaiswal.