Bihar’s ruling party, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Wednesday released a list of all 115 party candidates for the upcoming Assembly poll, and among them was the name of the former minister in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet Manju Verma, who had to resign after her husband’s name had come up in the Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case involving 34 minor girls.
In the list, Ms. Verma’s name figured on serial number 64 to contest from the Cheria-Bariyarpur Assembly constituency of Begusarai district. Ms. Verma was the social welfare minister in Mr. Kumar’s cabinet but after her husband Chandrashekhar Verma’s name figured in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case related to the sexual and physical abuse of 34 minor girls, she had to resign from the cabinet. She was also arrested under the Arms Act in November 2018, when the police had conducted a raid at her house in connection with the shelter home abuse case, and was sent to jail. Later, she was granted bail by the Patna High Court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was investigating the Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case, had conducted a raid at the Vermas’ ancestral house. As many as 50 illegal cartridges were recovered from the residence. Ms. Verma, along with her husband Chandrashekhar Verma, was later booked under the Arms Act at the Cheria-Bariyarpur police station in Begusarai district. Ms.Verma was also suspended from the JD(U).
Recently, Ms. Verma was seen standing in a long queue outside the JD(U) headquarters, where party president and CM Nitish Kumar was meeting party leaders who wanted to contest the upcoming Assembly poll.
In the JD(U)’s list of party candidates for the Assembly elections, most of the candidates have been repeated. The result of the three-phase poll is scheduled to be announced on November 10.
