The latest speculations regarding Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar contesting Lok Sabha polls from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh have left the ruling Mahagathbandhan and Opposition saffron party at each other’s throat.
The speculations caught pace following Bihar Minister Shravan Kumar’s remark that there were “demands” that Nitish contests from Uttar Pradesh.
"I was recently in Jaunpur and there are very strong demands that honourable chief minister consider fighting Lok Sabha polls from UP,” Shravan Kumar, who is also the JDU incharge in UP said.
Former state JDU president Bijendra Yadav on Thursday said that various state units of the party want Nitish to contest from their respective states, however, the final call in this regard will be taken by he himself.
“Not just Uttar Pradesh, but our units in many other states want the chief minister to contest from there. Of course, it is a decision for the leader to take,” he said.
Soon after Nitish Kumar joined the Mahagathbandhan again, quitting the NDA again last year, the speculations went rife that he may field himself from Phulpur.
Phulpur covers a vast part of Prayagraj and constitutes a sizeable population of the Kurmi caste, to which Nitish belongs. The constituency is nearly about 100 km from Varanasi from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a two-time serving MP.
“It is not just Phulpur. During my recent UP visit, I got the sense that there are many other seats, including Fatehpur and Pratapgarh, where our party wants the CM to fight. They feel it will create a buzz across the state,” Shravan Kumar said.
Allies react
Reacting to the development, Congress legislature party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan said, "Why not? When a person from Gujarat can contest and win from Varanasi, then we are so close to Uttar Pradesh".
Phulpur was a seat where former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru contested. It is worth mentioning that despite the seat's association with Nehru, and after his death Vijaylaxmi Pandit, Phulpur has slipped from the grip of Congress which last won it in 1984, riding the wave generated by Indira Gandhi's assassination.
When asked about Nitish Kumar contesting from UP, RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav said that it is a matter of pride for Bihar that the alliance leader’s popularity is on the other side of the state’s border.
“If the people of that state so wish, he must. It is a matter of pride for Bihar that our leader's popularity transcends Bihar's boundaries,” he said.
Interestingly, while Kumar has denied any prime ministerial ambitions, his efforts to galvanize the entire opposition notwithstanding, the prospects of his playing a "national role" enthused not just the JD(U) but also the RJD, which views it as deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav's pathway to the highest seat of power.
Meanwhile, the BJP was predictably annoyed at the talk of Kumar making a foray into UP, which not just sends the PM to Lok Sabha and has the highest number of seats, but is also ruled by Yogi Adityanath, seen as the party's rising star.
Leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha and BJP's state unit chief Samrat Choudhary came out with separate, strongly worded statements, alleging that Kumar had lost his popularity on his home turf and would face humiliation if he moved to Uttar Pradesh.
(With PTI inputs)
ALSO READ | BJP's doors for Nitish Kumar 'shut', he has become 'burden': Sushil Modi dismisses Athawale's claims
ALSO READ | Chirag Paswan on rejoining NDA: 'My wavelength doesn't match with Nitish Kumar'
