Bihar Assembly Election: Nitish avoids speaking anything against friend-turned-foe Sharad Yadav

Nitish Kumar addressed a rally in Bihariganj assembly seat from where veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav's daughter Subhashini Yadav is in the fray on Congress ticket

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday addressed a rally in Bihariganj assembly seat from where veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav's daughter Subhashini Yadav is in the fray on Congress ticket, but refrained from speaking anything against his former party colleague.

Kumar addressed a rally at SBJ High School in Udakishanganj block in Bihariganj constituency where his party nominee Niranjan Mehta is pitted against Subhashini Yadav among others. Bihariganj seat in the Madhepura district will go to vote in the last phase on November 7.

In his speech, Kumar listed achievements of his successive governments in the state and also made a scathing attack on his main RJD rival, but avoided saying anything either against Sharad Yadav or his daughter.

Subhasini Yadav has taken a plunge into electoral politics in the ongoing Bihar polls. She has said she is entering in the electoral battle to save her father's political legacy.

Sharad Yadav, who won Lok Sabha election from Madhepura four times in the past and also lost from there for an equal number of times, is admitted to a hospital in Delhi for past many days. After the break-up of the Janata Dal, Sharad Yadav had sided with Nitish Kumar.

He served as its president after George Fernandes till 2016 when Nitish Kumar took over from him as the JD(U) national president. Subsequently, Sharad Yadav fell out with Kumar and returned to Lalu Prasad. He contested 2019 Lok Sabha elections on the RJD ticket from Madhepura but lost to Dinesh Chandra Yadav of the JD(U).

In 2014 too he was defeated by Pappu Yadav who at that time was with Lalu Prasad and Yadav was a nominee of Kumar's party. Subhashini Yadav is trying to hold the political ground of her father, who had made Yadav caste dominated Madhepura his political field after Mandal movement.

The author of the Mandal commission report B P Mandal hailed from Madhepura. The report which was implemented during V P Singh government at the entre provided reservation to the OBC in the government jobs along with the SCs and STs.

Congress got Bihariganj constituency in the seat-sharing and has given ticket to Sharad Yadav's daughter from there. JD(U) has renomited sitting MLA Niranjan Mehta from the seat. Kumar iterated his "jungle raj" barb on the RJD and reminded people how the NDA government which took over the reins of the state from them in 2005 end improved law and order situation substantially.