Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor`s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on Tuesday claimed that BJP`s top leaders were intimidating and pressuring his party candidates with an intention to stop them from filing nomination papers or withdraw their nominations for the upcoming Bihar assembly election.
The state polls will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11 while results will be declared on November 14. The last date for filing nomination papers for the second and final phase ended on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, Kishor alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah kept his party candidate from Danapur, Akhilesh Shah with him all day and prevented him from filing his nomination. He also accused BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan of playing a key role in intimidating and forcing his party candidate from Brahampur Satyadeo Tiwari to withdraw nomination papers, releasing a photo of him with Tiwari. He claimed that similarly the party candidate from Gopalganj, Shashi Shekhar Sinha, a prominent doctor and the son-in-law of a prominent Gopalganj leader Raghunath Pandey, was approached by local BJP leaders. He alleged that BJP leaders pressured him to withdraw his nomination.
Kishor said that BJP had a reputation of forming the government, even when it had not received the people's mandate. “BJP, which has so far labeled Jan Suraj Party a vote-cutter (vote katwa) party, is now most afraid of it,” he contended.
On Jan Suraaj Party candidate from Danapur not filing nomination paper, Kishor said that BJP leaders claimed RJD goons had taken him hostage but he was with Shah, and Bihar's election in-charge, Dharmendra Pradhan, exposing the BJP's tactics and character once again. “We will complain to the Election Commission about this,” he added.
