Bihar leader Pappu Yadav, who merged his Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) with the Congress, has decided to contest from the Purnea seat in north Bihar. He will file his nomination on April 4.
In Bihar, the INDIA bloc has struck a deal in which the RJD will contest 26 seats, the Congress nine and the Left parties five. Purnea has gone to the RJD. However, there has been an ongoing tussle over the seat in the INDIA bloc even though RJD chief Lalu Prasad gave Rupauli MLA Bima Bharati the nod to contest from there. Mr. Yadav too has been staking claim to contest from Purnea. Before merging his party with the Congress, he met Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in Patna.
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On Monday, Mr. Yadav posted a message on X saying, “For the convenience of my friends of Purnea Lok Sabha constituency spread across the country and those who want to participate in my nomination, instead of April 2, the date of filing my nomination is April 4. Requesting all to join and bless me. In Bihar, RJD is the big brother in the INDIA alliance. I am requesting RJD chief Lalu ji to reconsider the Purnea seat in the interest of alliance and leave it for Congress.”
While speaking to the press in Purnea, Mr. Yadav said people of Purnea are ‘not anyone’s slaves’. “The people love the son of the soil, not the one living in Delhi and Patna. I am requesting with folded hands to consider me. I urge not to consider this request as my weakness,” Mr. Yadav said.
Earlier in the day, Ms. Bharati visited the RJD office and met party state president Jagdanand Singh. She requested Mr. Yadav to support her in the election and be present when she filed the nomination.
“Pappu Yadav is like my guardian. I will request him to support me in Purnea,” Ms. Bharati said.
