In This Bihar Seat, NDA Leaders Extend Support To Independent Candidate

NDA leaders in Bihar have pledged support to an Independent candidate in the Marhaura assembly constituency Saran district in the absence of the alliance's own representation on the seat.

The candidature of the LJP(RV) nominee, Seema Singh, from the seat was "rejected due to technical reasons".

While talking to reporters here, Chief Whip of the LJP (RV), Arun Bharti, said, "Following the rejection of the nomination of our candidate, we have found Ankit Kumar, son of a farmer, belonging to the extremely backward classes (EBC), who we will support in full measure."

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, "It holds immense symbolic importance that we are supporting an EBC candidate against the INDIA bloc, which only knows how to steal titles." He was ostensibly referring to the alleged use of the title 'Jan Nayak' for RJD leaders. Jan Nayak is a title attributed to former Bihar CHief Minister Karpoori Thakur, who was also an undisputed EBC icon.

Kumar said that "NDA works on the principles of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur. It was Narendra Modi who awarded the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur ji."

BJP national secretary Rituraj Sinha said, "We have pledged support to an EBC candidate without any political background in Marhaura where candidates from a single family have been winning elections for five terms." He said, "This time around, while the NDA will form the government in Bihar, Marhaura will break the shield of dynastic politics." 

He was referring to the Rai family, the members of which have occupied the MLA post in the constituency that falls in Saran district of Bihar for quite a long time. Jeetendra Kumar Rai of the RJD is the sitting MLA from the seat.

Rituraj further remarked that as the elections are approaching, there is an increasing "clarity" among people who are progressing with the "notion of development under Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)