Patna: Come elections and they wing their
way to greener pastures. Quite a good number of these
migratory political turncoats who had a field day in Bihar,
struck good ticket deal as rival parties vied with each other
to court them to bolster their electoral prospects, fell by
the wayside this time.
The Congress, which put up a dismal performance this
time by winning only four seats, had rewarded a battery of
turncoats from RJD with the party tickets.
Nagmani, who had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha
polls from Chatra in Jharkhand on RJD ticket in 2009, suddenly
switched loyalty to Congress to secure party nomination from
Morwa, but he failed to emerge victorious.
He was earlier Agriculture Minister in the Nitish Kumar
cabinet which he quit before the Lok Sabha poll and crossed
over to the RJD.
His wife Suchitra Singh, was also a minister in the
Nitish Kumar ministry before she paved the way for Nagmani,
contested from the Congress, but did not manage to scrape
through from a seat in Jehanabad.
Congress also received a shot in the arm with former MP
and RJD MLA of outgoing assembly Anil Kumar joining the party.
The grand old party nominated Anil Kumar from Bhore, but he
finished poor third.
The ruling JD(U) too had its share of losses in
electoral sweepstakes with RJD accommodating many turncoats,
including sitting JD(U) MLAs Rampravesh Rai, Kedar Nath Singh,
both staunch supporters of former MP Prabhunath Singh, besides
its senior leaders like Veena Sahi and Reyazul Haque Raju. But
only Kedarnath Singh won while the others lost.
The RJD had also nominated three JD(U) leaders Mohammed
Nematullah from Barauli, Babar Azam from Amaur and Durga
Prasad Singh from Ujiarpur with RJD nomination. But All the
three lost.
Lalu Prasad had also fielded sitting JD(U) MP Monazir
Hassan`s wife Sabrnam Parveen from Munger, who too lost to
JD(U).
Similarly, the JD(U) was also not not left behind in the
poaching game. The party fielded sitting RJD MLAs Rajesh Singh
from Balmikinagar, Giridhari Yadav (Belhar), Srikant Nirala
from Maner, Bima Bharati from Rupauli and Ramlakhan Mahato
from Ujiarpur, in recognition of their switching sides.
While Rajesh Singh Giridhari Yadav and Bima Bharati came
out with flying colours, other two were defeated by their RJD
rivals.
The ruling party also put up Izahar Ahmed, lone muslim
legislator in LJP, from Gaurabauram. He won.
Former CPI MP Subodh Rai was JD(U) candidate from
Sultanganj and won. The party also rewarded Sarfarj Alam with
a ticket from Jokihat, who romped to victory.
Alam is son of former Union minister Md Taslimuddin, who
had recently resigned from the RJD and joined Nitish Kumar`s
JD(U).
BJP too registered entry of leaders mostly from LJP and
RJD. The party rewarded with its nomination to sitting LJP MLA
Achyutanand Singh from Mahnar, who wrested the seat from LJP`s
Ramakishore Prasad Singh.
Another LJP leader Ranagangeshwar Singh was the BJP
candidate from Mohidinagar and won.
The BJP`s also granted Sudhakar Singh, son of RJD lok
sabha member from Buxar Jagdanand Singh, with the party ticket
from Ramgarh, a pocket-borough of his father, but he failed to
make it.
PTI
