Bihar Assembly Polls: Lalu Prasad’s home town in news for Congress-JD(U) ‘bonhomie’

Gopalganj district in Bihar is primarily known for two reasons: Annual floods, and for being the home town of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. The former Bihar Chief Minister was born at Phulwaria in Gopalganj. But more than these two reasons, the district, these days, is in the news for a Congress MLA (in the outgoing Assembly) leaving his seat for a JD(U) candidate.

The Congress MLA from Bhore in Gopalganj, Anil Kumar, has decided not to contest the 2020 Assembly polls in Bihar after the JD(U) fielded IPS officer-turned-politician Sunil Kumar from the reserved constituency.

The reason: Sunil, an IPS officer of 1987 batch, who superannuated two months back and joined the JD(U), is younger brother of the Congress legislator Anil Kumar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has fielded Sunil, who, till July, was Bihar’s Director General (Homeguards), as the JD(U) candidate from Bhore constituency.

Once this was formally announced, the Congress MLA Anil Kumar was caught on the horns of a dilemma. Anil eventually decided to opt out of electoral fray as he wanted his younger brother Sunil to make a successful debut as a JD(U) leader.

Anil, who earlier was a Rajya Sabha member and enjoys very cordial relations with Lalu Prasad too, reportedly told the Congress high command that he won’t contest the 2020 Assembly elections at all.

Amid seat-sharing among the constituents of the Mahagathbandhan, this constituency in Gopalganj district has now eventually gone to the CPI-ML, the most effective Left party in the state, which recently joined the Grand Alliance.