‘Nitish Kumar's defeat, not of alliance’: Ex RJD MLA on Kurhani bypoll result

RJD's Anil Sahni was disqualified as Kurhani MLA after being convicted and sentenced to three years in jail in a case of fraud probed by CBI.

Published on: Dec 9, 2022, 13:09:47 IST

By HT News Desk

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Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Anil Sahani whose disqualification necessitated bypoll in Bihar's Kurhani Assembly constituency said that the defeat wasn't of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) but of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Blaming the bypoll defeat on JD(U)'s choice of candidate, Sahani said that fielding a non-EBC candidate in an Extremely backward Class seat was a mistake.

File photo of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar (ANI)

The former MLA further stated that Mahagathbandhan candidate got the vote because of Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

“It isn't the defeat of Mahagathbandhan, it's defeat of CM Nitish Kumar as non-EBC candidate was chosen for EBC (Extremely backward Class) seat. The vote we got was due to Dy-CM Tejashwi Yadav,” Anil Sahani said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Kurhani Assembly seat defeating the Janata Dal (United) by 3,645 votes. BJP's Kedar Prasad Gupta won the bypoll by securing 76,722 votes, while JD (U)'s Manoj Kushwaha Singh got 73,073 votes.

Sahni, who has been convicted and sentenced to three years in jail in a case of fraud probed by CBI, demanded Nitish Kumar's resignation.

“The way Tejashwi Yadav sacrificed the party symbol (for bypoll), Nitish Kumar should also resign from the CM post and make Tejashwi Yadav the chief minister for strengthening 'Mahagathbandhan',” the former MLA added.

Former deputy chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi also demanded Nitish Kumar's resignation over the bypoll defeat.

"After the defeat in Gopalganj and now in Kurhani Assembly Bypoll Nitish Kumar should resign. In the 2014 Lok Sabha Election, Nitish Kumar was reduced to two seats in Bihar and then had to resign, similarly, he should accept that his popularity has decreased," Sushil Modi told ANI on Thursday.

"Nitish Kumar's core voters are mostly from backward caste and most of them have chosen BJP, though crores of rupees were distributed the day before polling night and yet JDU lost the election," he added.

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