NDA allies in spot over ticket distribution

The top brass of NDA allies RLSP and LJP saw emotional outbursts from party members while announcing their respective candidate lists on Monday for the Bihar Assembly polls.

Union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha was left speechless when ticket-seeker Ashok Gupta poured his heart out at a press conference over not finding his name in the list of 17 candidates announced for the polls. Gupta cried and threw himself on the floor before reporters.  

“Baap re baap! Loot liya,” he wailed, leading to another awkward scene as party volunteers tried to take him away from the venue.  Gupta said he had paid for a ticket to contest from  Narkatiaganj constituency, but was denied a ticket.  Gupta later claimed he had provided funds to the party before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The RLSP, which will field candidates from 23 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, is also facing flak from one of its MPs. Rama Singh has threatened to play spoilsport after being ignored in the ticket distribution, especially as his wife was reportedly denied candidature this time. 

He has threatened to campaign against the party even if it invites action against him.

Kushwaha himself played the victim card, protesting against the BJP for giving a ticket to a candidate different from the one agreed upon during negotiations, and said he would take up the issue with saffron party chief Amit Shah.

“I strongly object to the BJP's third list. We were kept in the dark as the Minapur Assembly constituency in the Muzaffarpur district was allotted to a family member of the sitting BJP MLA,” he told reporters. In its third list of 11 candidates announced on Sunday, the BJP’s Ajay Kushwaha will contest from Minapur. In the last Assembly elections, Dinesh Kushwaha had won from Minapur on a Janata Dal (United) ticket, but switched to the BJP in August.

“We wanted the seat for one of our founding members, but categorically said that the RLSP won't have any problem if the ticket was given to the sitting MLA. We were assured by the BJP leadership that the ticket would be given only to the sitting MLA, but the party on Sunday fielded one of his family members,” said Kushwaha. The RLSP is yet to announce candidates for six more seats.

The drama in the RLSP comes a day after LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan’s son-in-law Anil Kumar Sadhu sobbed on news channels after being denied ticket.