Protests Erupt At Nitish Kumar’s Residence As JD(U) Leaders Denied Tickets
Security was significantly tightened outside Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s official residence in Patna on Tuesday after a large group of Janata Dal (United) leaders and workers gathered to protest being denied tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections. Police cordoned off the area to control the growing crowd, but many disgruntled leaders staged a sit-in, demanding to meet the Chief Minister.Among the protesters was former legislator Gopal Mandal, who has held the Gopalpur seat for four consecutive terms.
He began a dharna outside the residence, vowing not to leave until he met with Nitish Kumar. “I came here to meet the Chief Minister and will remain seated until I meet him and be assured about getting the ticket. I will wait for him, and I believe my ticket will not be denied,” Mandal told reporters. Workers from other constituencies, including Kurtha, Nabinagar, and Darbhanga, also joined the protest, escalating the pressure on the party leadership.
The discontent within the JD(U) is not limited to ticket aspirants. In a show of dissatisfaction, sitting JD(U) MLA from Bhagalpur, Ajay Mandal, submitted a letter offering to resign from his parliamentary seat, citing that he had been overlooked in the candidate selection process in his constituency.
The protests highlight the fallout from the National Democratic Alliance’s recently finalized seat-sharing agreement. Under the pact, both the BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, a significant drop from the JD(U)’s previous dominance. The remaining seats in the 243-member assembly have been allocated to smaller allies, forcing the JD(U) to drop several sitting MLAs and aspirants, which has now resulted in open rebellion.
