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All the major political parties in Bihar, be it the ruling Janata Dal-United Bharatiya Janata Party combine or the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Lok Janshakti Party combine, face gradual revolt within their respective rank and file over denial of party nominations to prospective candidates of their choice.
The ruling JD-U which released its first list of 54 candidates for the 92 seats going to polls in the first and second phase in Bihar on October 21 and October 24, is grappling with dissent over allotment of tickets to the kin of the rebel leaders, party sources said. After the party's Lok Sabha member from Muzaffarpur Captain Jai Narain Nishad slammed the party leadership for refusing his request for giving a ticket to his son to contest the assembly polls, another MP Purnamasi Ram has announced that he will campaign for the Congress "as the tickets have been distributed without consultation with MPs".
Similarly, another MP Upendra Kushwaha has purportedly resigned as national general secretary of the party in protest against his being ignored for consultation on ticket distribution for some seats in Vaishali and Samastipur. As the ruling party released its list on Tuesday, a group of party workers held demonstration at their office charging the leadership with neglecting the genuine party workers in allotment of tickets and symbols to those who recently switched over to the party from the RJD and LJP. While two sitting MLAs-- Dilkeshwar Kamat and Manzar Alam have been denied tickets in Tuesday's list, the party has given tickets to five turncoats mostly from RJD and LJP.
Sitting RJD MLA Bima Bharati and sitting LJP MLA Izhar Ahmed who recently parted ways with their respected parties and switched over to the JD-U have also been rewarded with the party nominations. "There is nothing like revolt in the party... it is just a matter of time and anger will vanish", JD-U spokesperson Sanjay Singh claimed. Though no senior leader from the BJP has not risen in revolt showing anger over the release of the first list of 87 candidates, hundreds of party workers had yesterday demonstrated before the party office here for denial of tickets to the man of their choice.
Similarly, though the RJD and LJP have allotted symbols for several candidates for the first and second phase polls in Bihar, they are yet to officially announce the list as they still face revolt from within. A group of RJD youth workers have burnt the effigy of Lalu Prasad near the party office charging him with "neglecting genuine party workers." The LJP has also seen signs of revolt with several leaders and office bearers of its minorities cell and weaker section cell joining the ruling JD-U recently.Sitting party MLAs Izahar Ahmed and Achyutanand Singh too parted ways with the LJP and joined ruling JD-U and BJP, respectively. "Our house has remained in order always", RJD secretary general Ramkripal Yadav, MP, however claimed.
Soon after the Congress released its list of candidates in New Delhi, about a dozen office-bearers of its West Champaran district committee tendered their resignations in protest against the alleged preference of outsiders over loyalists in the selection of candidates for Chanpatia, Nautan and Bettiah assembly seats, a senior party leader confirmed. The party is also grappling with the revolt by its senior leader Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav who had recently announced that he would quit as vice chairman of the Congress election campaign committee following denial of tickets to his supporters in the first list.