With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the suspense over the candidature of two don-turned-politicians in Bihar — Anant Singh and Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav — from the Congress party continues.
Both the leaders recently claimed that they would contest the general election from Munger and Madhepura constituencies respectively, on Congress tickets. The State unit of the Congress, however, has expressed “ignorance” about any such development.
Mega roadshow
Mr. Anant Singh, 51, a three-time MLA from Mokama constituency against whom 16 criminal cases are pending, had organised a mega roadshow on January 18 from Barh to Munger, where he reached in a cavalcade of over 500 cars and SUVs, and declared that he would contest the parliamentary polls from Munger on a Congress ticket. The former don is also known as “ Chhote Sarkar ” in his area of influence between Barh and Munger.
He won the Assembly elections in 2005 and 2010 on Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) ticket, but quit the party when it joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 2014. He won the 2015 Assembly election as an Independent candidate despite being in jail in connection with an abduction-murder case. He is currently out on bail.
“Yes, I have had talks with the Congress leaders in Delhi and I will contest the poll on a Congress ticket. Even if I am denied the ticket, options to contest as an Independent candidate are open for me,” he said during the roadshow. The posters and billboards adorning the 130-km-long route of his roadshow carried photographs of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, imprisoned RJD chief Lalu Prasad and other grand alliance leaders.
Missing from the posters was the photograph of the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and Mr. Lalu Prasad’s younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, who had earlier ruled out Mr. Anant Singh’s entry into the RJD. “We cannot have bad elements like Anant Singh in our party,” he had said.
Speaking to The Hindu, senior State Congress leader and party’s Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Singh said: “If an MLA or MP wants to come to the Congress accepting the party’s ideology and principles and has faith in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, we will welcome him.” When asked about Mr. Anant Singh’s criminal profile, he said: “Why raise finger at the Congress when Anant Singh has twice been elected on JD(U) ticket and his brother has long been an RJD leader?”
State Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha and party spokesperson Prem Chandra Mishra claimed to be unaware about any such development. “It may be going on at the level of the central party leadership,” Mr. Mishra told The Hindu .
RJD’s opposition
Rumours are also rife about expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav, who is named in 24 criminal cases, contesting the upcoming LS polls as a Congress candidate from Madhepura seat. His wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a Congress MP from neighbouring Supaul constituency. Mr.Pappu Yadav had recently said that he was in touch with central Congress leadership in Delhi. However, sources said, the biggest obstacle in his entry into the Congress is its alliance partner RJD. “Lalu Prasad and his family members don’t want Pappu Yadav in the grand alliance,” a source said.
