PATNA: The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani received a severe jolt on Wednesday when its three MLAs quit the party and extended their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The VIP is an ally of the ruling NDA comprising BJP, Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Hindustan Awami Morcha (HAM). VIP chief Mukesh Sahani is animal husbandry and fisheries resources minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet.
The VIP MLAs, Raju Singh, Swarna Singh and Misrilal Yadav, informed the assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Singh about the move. Two deputy chief ministers—Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi—besides state chief of the BJP Sanjay Jaiswal were also present there.
The development came hours after the VIP chief visited Muzaffarpur to attend the filing of nomination of Geeta Kumari, who has been fielded as official nominee of VIP for by-election to Bochaha assembly seat. The seat fell vacant after the death of VIP MLA Musafir Paswan.
Earlier in the day, BJP MLA from Bisfi Haribhushan Thakur Bachol had asked Sahani to resign from the minister's post. Sahani was on the target of the BJP leadership ever since he fielded candidates against the BJP in seven seats in the upcoming legislative council election in the state.
On Monday, he announced the candidature of Geeta Kumari for by-election to Bochaha assembly seat to be held on April 12. Geeta is the daughter of former minister and eight time former MLA Ramai Ram. On Wednesday, she filed her nomination papers in the presence of Sahani.
Moreover, Sahani's outbursts against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath had irked the BJP leaderships. Though Sahani didn't win any seat in the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, he earned the wrath of his alliance partner in Bihar.
“Now Sahani's ministerial berth is under threat,” a senior BJP leader said. His tenure as MLC will come to an end in July this year.