BJP's prerogative to announce candidate for Bihar Rajya Sabha: Chirag Paswan

Patna: ‘It was the BJP’s prerogative to announce a candidate for the Bihar Rajya Sabha election’, said LJP president Chirag Paswan, after the saffron party nominated former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi for the seat that had fallen vacant following the death of his father Ram Vilas Paswan. With this major decision, the saffron party has put a stamp of approval on Sushil Modi’s name by bringing him into national politics.

Notably, Ram Vilas Paswan had got elected from the seat last year after it fell vacant following his cabinet colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad’s election to the Lok Sabha from Patna Sahib. After the demise of former LJP Ram Vilas Paswan, there were demands to nominate his wife Reena Paswan to the vacant RS seat. However, after the LJP broke up its ties with the NDA and contested as an independent party in the recent Bihar elections, the BJP decided to send Sushil Modi’s name.

“The seat belonged to the BJP and it is for the party to decide which candidate from which party to field in the by-election,” Chirag told reporters at a function held to celebrate his party’s 20th foundation day. At the event, he asked the party rank and file to gear up for the next assembly polls in Bihar which could take place ‘any time’. Paswan maintained that he saw “fresh elections taking place any time in Bihar, given the way the new government is functioning”.

Meanwhile, the former Bihar Deputy CM is likely to win uncontested unless the opposition Grand Alliance fields a candidate to challenge him. On the other hand, reports have claimed that the Rashtriya Janata Dal is gearing to field its own candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-elections.

Sources in RJD claimed that two names are being pitched in by the Grand Alliance for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-elections. The party is likely to nominate RJD state President Jagdanand Singh and senior party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui for the Rajya Sabha seat. Siddiqui had recently lost the Bihar Assembly elections. Both the RJD leaders are considered to be trusted confidants of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad.