Ex-JDU minister joins RJD

Under constant attack from several quarters for snapping ties with the Congress in Bihar,RJD chief Lalu Prasad has something to cheer about....

Under constant attack from several quarters for snapping ties with the Congress in Bihar,RJD chief Lalu Prasad has something to cheer about with three prominent JD(U) leaders joining his party.

After Lalu obliged JD(U) rebels Rambadan Rai and Lallan Paswan with RJD tickets from Munger and Sasaram respectively,it was the turn of Nagmani who resigned as agriculture minister in the Nitish Government to extract his pound of flesh in times of shifting loyalty.

Lalu on Wednesday announced the candidature of Nagmani from the Chatra (Jharkhand) parliamentary seat that he had won in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.

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We are enthused at the homecoming of Nagmani and other leaders (to RJD). They returned because of Nitishs arrogance and non-democratic functioning of the JD(U).

Though the former agriculture minister had sought the Ujiyarpur seat,the RJD had already fielded Alok Mehta from there. Nagmani,who has also been with the Samata Party,RJD,BJP and the LJP,said: Whichever party I join forms the Government. The Kushwaha leader,who has openly vowed to damage the JD(U) vote bank,claimed to have over two lakh supporters among his caste.

Earlier,Chenari (Bhabhua) MLA Lallan Paswan quit JD(U) to join RJD to get ticket opposite Congress sitting MP Meira Kumar. Rambadan Rai,who was a JD(U) MLC,deserted Nitish Kumar to get a RJD ticket from Munger. He is pitted against JD(U) state president Ranjiv Ranjan alias Lallan Singh.

JD(U) has also fielded RJD rebels Jay Narain Nishad and Manganilal Mandal from Muzaffarpur and Jhanjharpur respectively.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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