On campaign trail, Nitish makes news for wrong reasons; PK alleges BJP poaching his candidates

Patna, Oct 21 (PTI) Poll-bound Bihar saw its longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hitting the campaign trail on Tuesday, albeit on the wrong foot, as awkward behaviour at one of the election rallies had the opposition alleging that the septuagenarian was mentally unsound.

Kumar, who at 75 years of age, is running for a record fifth consecutive term in office, kicked off his campaign with rallies in Meenapur and Kanti assembly segments of Muzaffarpur district, where he read out, mostly, from a written speech.

Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor came out with a fresh, sensational allegation against the BJP, claiming that leaders of the saffron party, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, were directly involved in poaching his candidates.

At Meenapur, the crowds were amused when the chief minister fumbled while pronouncing the name of local JD(U) candidate Ajay Kushwaha and added the prefix ‘Shri’, the Hindu equivalent for mister, to the name of Rama Nishad, who is contesting from the adjoining constituency of Aurai on a BJP ticket.

Kumar quizzically told the people if they assured him that they would vote for the NDA, he would like to garland the candidates, in advance, to celebrate a certain victory.

When the JD(U) supremo turned towards Nishad with a garland in his hands, she flinched, apparently mindful of the local Hindu traditions which forbid a woman to accept such a gesture from a man other than her husband.

JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha tried to restrain Kumar by catching hold of the CM’s hand, only to be rebuffed.

“You are a strange man. Why are you catching hold of my hand?” snapped Kumar, before placing the garland around the neck of Nishad, who acquiesced with a sheepish smile.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the NDA’s principal challenger, latched on to the opportunity to target the CM.

Yadav shared the video clip on X, with the remark “indeed, this is a strange man! If the chief minister is in sound health, why does he behave like this after reading from a written speech?” However, Independent MP from Purnea Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who has come to enjoy some clout in the state Congress, insisted that there was nothing odd about Kumar’s behaviour.

“Do devotees not place a garland around the neck of idols of goddesses? You will see filth if you have a filthy mind,” he told reporters.

“I do not think Nitish Kumar is going to remain in the NDA for long. It is only the Congress, which can give him the respect he deserves,” he claimed.

RJD sources said Pappu Yadav, who has never been on good terms with Tejashwi Yadav, was trying to belittle the latter by praising the arch rival.

Of late, differences between the RJD and the Congress, alliance partners for nearly three decades, have come to the fore, preventing the INDIA bloc from coming up with a cohesive seat-sharing formula. Moreover, in a number of seats, both parties have ended up fielding candidates.

Prashant Kishor, who has been insisting that the elections are going to be a contest between the NDA and his one-year old party, with INDIA bloc “relegated to the third spot”, alleged at a press conference that at least three candidates of Jan Suraaj Party have been “allured or intimidated” to pull out of the contest.

Kishor waved photographs of the candidates, who either withdrew nomination papers or failed to turn up for filing these, with Amit Shah and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the BJP’s in-charge for the polls, among others.

“Tomorrow, we will be approaching the Election Commission. If a voter is prevented from exercising his franchise, it is a crime as per the Representation of People Act. We would like to know if there is no provision against thwarting candidates from entering the fray,” said the former poll strategist.

“I am aware that the EC will do nothing. It will do the bidding of the party in power at the Centre. The BJP has been able to win elections in Bihar by raising the bogey of a return of ‘jungle raj’ under RJD president Lalu Prasad. Now, that the Jan Suraaj Party has thrown a credible alternative, the BJP is jittery,” he asserted.

The travails of a new player like the Jan Suraaj Party make it clear that “there is no level playing field”, alleged Kishor, who, added that he will hit the campaign trail from Wednesday. PTI TEAM NAC RBT