Patna: In a move that has stirred political debate in Bihar, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded Amit Kumar, known as Bachcha Rai, accused in the high-profile toppers scam, from the Mahua assembly constituency in Vaishali district. Rai filed his nomination papers on Thursday after being inducted into the party by AIMIM state president Akhtarul Iman on August 28. Photographs of Rai meeting AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi during the latter’s visit to Seemanchal in late September went viral, fuelling speculation about his candidacy.
The Mahua seat is currently held by Mukesh Roshan of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), who will face Tej Pratap Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad, in a bitter contest. Tej Pratap, who first won Mahua in 2015, was expelled from the RJD following internal family conflicts. In 2020, he shifted to Hasanpur in Samastipur district, where he secured victory. His intention to return to Mahua has been long discussed within political circles.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) contender for Mahua is Sanjay Singh of Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-R), representing the Rajput community. Notably, Roshan, Tej Pratap Yadav, and Rai all belong to the Yadav community in this Yadav-dominated constituency, which also has a substantial Dalit population. The last day for filing nominations is tomorrow, with the first phase of voting scheduled for November 6.
