In the 2015 Bihar assembly election, when the BJP-led NDA minus JD (U) took on the Grand Alliance (GA) at the peak of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, the low-key Rajendra Singh, Then the party organization in charge of Jharkhand, was tips for the chief ministerial post in the BJP. He was being equated with Manohar Lal Khattar from Haryana, who became CM as a surprise pick.
Singh fought in his debut pick from Dinara’s Rohtas district headquarters and with a fleet of who’s who cars from Jharkhand and Bihar present for his high-profile nomination; his victory from the safe seat was considered a foregone conclusion. But Singh, known for his organizational skills and 37 years of experience in the RSS, lost in the BJP stronghold by 2,691 votes in a close fight. It was a powerful jolt for the coalition led by Narendra Modi in Bihar.
Cut to 2020, on Friday, he was upset after being denied a seat ticket, given as part of the seat-sharing formula to Jai Kumar Singh of Janata Dal United JD (U), a cabinet minister from Nitish. It was Jai Kumar Singh, who had narrowly beaten Rajendra Singh in 2015.
However, within minutes, Rajendra Singh moved to Chirag Paswan’s LJP, who swears by the name PM Narendra Modi despite resigning from NDA, to turn it into a triangle contest with JD (U) and GA in the seat. . Singh’s play could well upset JD (U) ‘s calculations, making it an uphill task for Jai Kumar Singh to keep the seat. LJP wasted no time assigning the party symbol to Singh, who will present his nomination on Wednesday.
Another senior BJP leader, Ramnaresh Chaurasia, who was denied a ticket, also switched to the LJP.
“After my high school in 1983, I was associated with RSS and my ideology remains the same, but I was left with no other option. The reason I was denied the seat is for the BJP to answer. I have bowed to the wishes of the people of Dinara, for whom I have worked for the past five years despite my small loss. I want to work for Dinara’s problems, ”said Rajendra Singh, adding that there was no reason for him to change his focus after deciding to run as an LJP candidate.
“I have no grudge with anyone. I remained a little RSS worker. I’ll keep talking about Ram Mandir, Kashmir, CAA-NRC, etc. I also have respect for Ram Vilas Paswan. I have a clear conscience that I have to work for Dinara. Farmers still don’t get the right price for their rice here, ”he said, making it clear that he would remain an RSS box in the background and an LJP candidate for practical reasons.
Also read: Bihar Assembly Election 2020: JD (U), LJP fighting for the role of CM, images by PM Modi
On the ground this could only confuse the situation, with a lot more leftover BJP leftovers to move around, making LJP pretty much BJP’s ‘B’ team.
This single example is sufficient to explain the usefulness of LJP in the Bihar elections this time despite Bihar BJP leaders claiming that the NDA would win a three-quarters majority under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, who also reaffirmed the alliance by saying : “We (NDA) are working together and will continue to work together. There is no confusion ”.
BJP Senior Leader Sushil Kumar Modi even went so far as to say that, if necessary, the NDA would also approach the Electoral Commission (EC) to prevent any party other than the NDA constituents from using the image. of PM Modi to campaign.
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LJP, however, rejected the argument, saying that the prime minister did not belong to any particular political party, but was the leader of the country.
“Modi is a development model for us. We see it as an ideology for a developed India. It symbolizes India. We will not use it, but we will bring its ideology to the people. We fight against the election of the pride of Bihar, which the prime minister also wants. We cannot use the symbol of the BJP or any of its leaders, ”said LJP spokesman Sanjay Singh.
Chirag also tweeted another attack on Nitish Kumar. “Shortly after the formation of the new government, the ‘Seven Resolutions’ program will be investigated and the culprits will be sent to jail. Pending funds would be released quickly to complete incomplete schemes, ”he tweeted.
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