Denied tickets for Lok Sabha polls, 22 leaders quit Chirag Paswan's LJP: ‘He preferred outsiders’
Accusing Chirag Paswan of ‘selling tickets for money,’ the leaders, who resigned simultaneously, also declared they will support the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc.
In a setback to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, as many as 22 leaders of Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) resigned from the party after they were denied tickets to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with one leader even accusing Paswan of ‘selling tickets for money.’
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The leaders, who resigned simultaneously, also declared they will support the state's opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) which is part of the larger I.N.D.I.A bloc.
Ex-MP Renu Kushwaha, who is among those who resigned from the Paswan-led party, said that when it comes to ticket allocation, preference should be given to party workers over ‘outsiders.’
“Tickets were given to the outsiders, which means that there are no able people in your party. Are we the labour class people who will work for you, make you a leader? We are not here to serve as labourers,” a miffed Kushwaha said.
Among other notable names to exit LJP (Paswan), Satish Kumar, its now former national general secretary and an ex-MLA, remarked that the party workers were 'stunned.'
“The people who used to raise slogans of ‘Hail Chirag Paswan,’ day and night, and hoped for a new Bihar, have been betrayed, their aspirations were crushed. Now to save the country, the INDI alliance has to be supported. Now we will support the INDI alliance,” Kumar stated.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Singh, LJP's secretary, organisation, who also quit, alleged that Paswan ‘sold the tickets.’
“He played an emotional game with the people. He got five seats due to our hard work, but he sold the tickets. The people will now give him an answer,” Singh said.
Under the NDA's seat-sharing agreement, LJP (Paswan) will contest on five of Bihar's total 40 seats: Vaishali, Hajipur, Samastipur, Khagaria, and Jamui. While Chirag himself will stand from Hajipur, Arun Bharti will contest from Jamui, Rajesh Verma from Khagaria, Shambhavi Choudhary from Samastipur, and Veena Devi from Vaishali.
(With ANI inputs)
