Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Bhai Dinesh has begun a protest inside the RJD state office in Patna on Friday under the apprehension that he would be denied a ticket to contest Bihar assembly polls in favour of another leader. The leader has threatened to immolate himself if he does not get to keep his seat.
Dinesh is the MLA from the Jagdishpur assembly seat in Bhojpur district and won the seat in 2010 as an RJD candidate despite a wave in favour of then chief minister Nitish Kumar. The RJD had won only 22 assembly seats in last polls and Bhai Dinesh was one of the MLAs of the party.
It has been rumoured that the RJD is likely to field Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha from Jagdishpur seat.
“I have begun the dharna in the RJD office premises itself as I fear that the party will deny me a ticket this time. This is my protest to save democracy. I will go on a hunger strike on Saturday and if denied the ticket by Laluji I will end my life here by immolating myself on Sunday,” Dinesh said.
He said that he is joined by dozens of his party supporters and sympathisers from his assembly constituency.
The RJD is likely to release its first list of candidates on Saturday in Patna. The party is contesting 100 of 243 assembly seats.
The RJD is part of the grand alliance of the Janata Dal-United and the Congress. The JD-U is contesting 100 seats while Congress is fighting for 40 seats.
Image: The kurta-clad RJD MLA Bhai Dinesh sitting on dharna. Photograph: M I Khan
