Patna: A political tussle has erupted between the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar and the opposition party over fresh speculation that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may contest the Lok Sabha elections from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
Speculation over Lok Sabha Elections Nitish Kumar Seat:
Bihar minister and Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) in–charge for Uttar Pradesh Shravan Kumar had recently said there were “demands“ that the party chief contest elections from the neighbouring state. After this, speculation about Kumar contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh intensified. “I was in Jaunpur recently and there was a lot of demand that the honourable chief minister should consider contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. ’
Demand for Contesting from Uttar Pradesh for Nitish Kumar:
“Not only in Uttar Pradesh, but in many other states, our units want the chief minister to contest from there,” Bijendra Yadav, the senior–most member of the cabinet and former state JD(U) president, told reporters at the party office. Of course, it is for the party leader to decide. ’’
Nitish broke ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last year and is engaged in a campaign to defeat the BJP–led alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Speculation is rife that he may contest from Phulpur, popularly known as the seat of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The parliamentary seat covers a large part of Prayagraj city and has a sizeable Kurmi population to which Kumar belongs and is around 100 km from Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s constituency Varanasi.
Speculation on Contesting from Phulpur
“It is not just Phulpur. During a recent visit to Uttar Pradesh, I realised that there are many other seats, including Fatehpur and Pratapgarh, where our party wants the chief minister to contest. They think it will create an atmosphere. ’’ Asked what he thought of Nitish contesting from Uttar Pradesh, Shakti Yadav, spokesperson of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the jd(U)’s largest ally in Bihar, said, “If the people of that state want, they should do it.” It is a matter of pride for Bihar that the popularity of our leader goes beyond the boundaries of Bihar. ’’
The seat was won by Vijay Laxmi Pandit after his death but phulpur has now fallen out of the Congress‘ grip and was last won by the party in 1984 during the wave triggered by the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Asked about speculation that Nitish might contest from Phulpur, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, leader of the legislative party in the Bihar Assembly, of the Congress, the jd(U)’s second largest ally in Bihar, said, “Why not? When someone from Gujarat can contest and win from Varanasi, we are very close to Uttar Pradesh. ’’ BJP leaders upset over Nitish Kumar’s decision to contest from Uttar Pradesh
