Patna
Nine senior BJP leaders, who were expelled by the party's state president Sanjay Jaiswal for six years, joined LJP and are seeking support of voters in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP in a damage control exercise had exeplled Rameshwar Chaurasiya, Rajendra Singh, Usha Vidyarthi, Anil Kumar, Ravindra Yadav (sitting MLA), Shweta Singh, Indu Kashyap, Ajay Pratap (former MLA), and Mrinal Sheklhar (sitting MLA). In the constitutencies going to poll in the first phase on October 28, the new entrants to LJP claimed during their mass contact programmes they have deserted BJP as they were humiliated by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
Former national secretary of the BJP Rameshwar Chaurasiya, who is contesting as an LJP candidate from Sasaram, was more vocal against Sushil Modi and alleged that the deputy CM was helping the JDU at the cost of BJP. Usha Vidyarthi, former member of the State Women's Commission, is telling voters in Paliganj that her election would help strengthen the hands of the PM. Senior RSS leader Rajendra Singh, who rebelled against BJP and joined LJP, is contesting from Nokha. He too said his victory would mean more support to Modi.
Deputy CM Modi has clarified LJP was no longer a part of NDA in Bihar and the expelled candidates can not claim votes in the name of PM Narendra Modi.
On the other hand, JDU state president Bashistha Naraian Singh also expelled 15 party leaders for defying party discipline. They were denied tickets by JDU but they joined he LJP and RJD and now contesting the assembly elections. Those expelled for six years include former ministers Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha, Dadan Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Paswan, former MLAs Ranvijay Singh and Sumit Kumar Singh, former district presidents Amresh Chaudhury (Rohtas) and Shivshankar Chaudhury (Jamui), and Kanchan Gupta, former president of JDU Mahila Morcha.
