PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said that he would not campaign in favour of RJD candidates in the ensuing by-election in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly seats in the state due to his health condition. The election is scheduled to be held on November 3.
However, he said that other leaders of JD(U) would campaign in favour of grand alliance candidates. Nitish was hurt during an inspection of 'Chhath Ghats' in the state capital recently.
On Wednesday, he showed injuries inflicted on his chest and ankle during an inspection of Chhath ghats on a steamer. He later preferred to travel in a car for the purpose. Nitish along with deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav were scheduled to address an election meeting in Ghowari under the Mokama assembly constituency on Thursday. Nitish's decision has come as a major embarrassment for RJD, which is a major ally of the grand alliance in Bihar.
A few sources said that Nitish skipped the election meeting to avoid embarrassment as some top BJP leaders had raised questions over his decision to campaign for RJD candidates in the by-poll.
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi had earlier said that while RJD candidate from Mokama Neelam Devi is the wife of muscleman Anant Singh alias Chhote Sarkar, Mohan Gupta, who is contesting from Gopalganj, was associated with the illicit liquor trade.
The animosity between Nitish and Anant Singh is an open secret. The relations between CM and ‘Chhote Sarkar’ turned sour after the latter's house was raided at Patna district's Ladma village in which an AK-47 rifle and explosives were recovered. After this, Anant Singh was booked under Arms Act and was convicted to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by an MP/MLA special court.
It all happened when Nitish was sharing power with BJP, making the relationship between JD (U) leader and Anant Singh more bitter. JD (U) national president and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, who also has his political rivalry with Anant Singh, has already started campaigning in the Mokama assembly constituency in favour of the RJD candidate.