Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has surrendered three Lok Sabha seats from its quota of 26 in Bihar for Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) that joined the Mahagathbandhan on Friday, four years after it exited the alliance on a bitter note.
The Mukesh Sahani-led VIP will contest the Gopalganj, Motihari and Jhanjharpur seats. Sahani, an EBC leader who projects himself as “son of Mallah”, returned to the Mahagathbandhan after being cold-shouldered by the BJP-led NDA.
Sahani had walked out of Mahagathbandhan before the 2020 Assembly polls and had won four seats as an NDA ally. Later, its three MLAs switched to the BJP and one legislator died.
VIP can shift a good chunk of Mallah votes to the INDIA bloc in constituencies such as Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Khagaria, Motihari and Jhanjharpur. Sahani is most likely to contest from Jhanjharpur.
Welcoming Sahani’s decision to return to Mahagathbandhan, leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said: “We are very happy that Mukesh Sahani is now with uw. Sahani has taken an important decision at a time we all are trying to save democracy and the Constitution.”
Sahani said that his fight for ensuring a separate quota for Mallahs or Nishads will continue. “Our immediate job is to ensure the defeat of the BJP and make Rahul Gandhi PM of India,” he said.
Meanwhile, in election season of crossovers, JD(U) Minister Maheshwar Hazari’s son Sunny Hazari on Thursday joined the Congress with hopes of getting party ticket from Samastipur from where LJP has fielded Sambhavi Choudhary. Maheshwar Hazari defended his son saying he was “free to join the political party of his choice”.
Sunny Hazari, like Sambhavi Choudhary, is a third-generation politician. His grandfather Ram Sevak Hazari was an MP.
“If I get an opportunity to contest from Samastipur, it will be a huge honour for me and my family,” Sunny said. Congress, which will contest nine Lok Sabha seats, has so far announced candidates for three seats — Bhagalpur, Katihar, and Kishanganj.