PATNA: In a major setback for Bihar’s ruling JD(U), its MLA and late Araria MP Mohammad Taslimuddin’s son Sarfaraz Alam on Saturday defected to the main Opposition RJD after resigning both from JD(U) and the state Assembly.
Sarfaraz Alam, the JD(U) MLA from Jokihat, will contest as an RJD candidate in the bypoll for Araria Lok Sabha constituency, slated to be held on March 11. The development, coming a day after the schedule for bypolls was announced by the Election Commission, is seen as a major morale booster for the embattled RJD, led by jailed Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Minutes after resigning from JD(U) and the Assembly, Alam met RJD national vice-president and former CM Rabri Devi at her residence. With Devi, who is Lalu’s wife, giving the go-ahead for his candidature for the Araria seat, he joined RJD in presence of national vice-president Shivanand Tiwari.
“There was tremendous pressure on me from the people of Araria to join my late father’s party and work for them. The people of Araria and Seemanchal region of Bihar love secularism,” said Alam. “Projects planned and started by my father in Araria have remained unfinished. My mother wanted me to join RJD and fulfill the people’s aspirations,” he added.
Araria, bordering Nepal, has about 41 per cent Muslim voters. Taslimuddin, an RJD veteran and former Union minister, had won the seat in 2014 LS polls by a margin of 1.46 lakh votes, beating his nearest rival Pradeep Kumar Singh of BJP. Taslimuddin’s death in September 2017 has necessitated the bypoll, for which filing of nomination papers will begin from February 20.
JD(U), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said Alam’s departure would have no impact on the party. Bihar’s NDA government has a thin majority of 130, just nine more than the magic figure of 122 in an Assembly of 243 legislators. Alam was suspended from JD(U) in January 2016 for allegedly abusing a couple in a drunken condition while travelling in Rajdhani Express train.
Sources said Alam switched over to RJD because JD(U)’s ruling ally BJP put “insurmountable pressure” on it to allow one of its leaders to contest in Araria bypoll as the NDA candidate. Despite Nitish Kumar having been keen on fielding a JD(U) leader in Araria, BJP reportedly wants to field senior leader and former Union minister Syed Shahanwaz Hussain from the seat.
After Alam’s defection, JD(U) gave BJP a free hand over the three bypolls in Bihar – for Araria LS seat and Assembly seats of Jehanabad and Bhabua. “JD(U) will not field candidates for all the three bypolls because all these seats fell vacant due to the death of sitting lawmakers,” said JD(U) state chief Bashistha Narayan Singh.
Meanwhile, Congress also dropped its claim for Araria seat. “Araria was held by an RJD leader. So its natural that RJD field a candidate there,” said state Congress chief Kaukab Quadri on Saturday.