Katihar: Saurabh Agarwal, son of Legislative Councilor Ashok Agarwal and Mayor Usha Agarwal, has announced he will contest the Bihar assembly elections from Katihar as a candidate of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), part of the Grand Alliance. The move comes despite his parents’ strong ties to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Ashok Agarwal, a two-time independent winner of the Legislative Council elections, is widely regarded in Bihar, particularly in the Seemanchal region, as a powerful BJP figure. His wife, Usha Agarwal, also secured the mayoral seat as an independent candidate, bolstered by the couple’s association with the BJP’s voter base.
The political realignment has created an unusual situation: the husband and wife remain aligned with the BJP, symbolised by the party’s lotus, while their son campaigns on the VIP’s boat symbol. Despite the family divide, Usha Agarwal has publicly expressed support for her son, offering him her blessings with “Vijayi Bhava.”
Ashok Agarwal responded to his son’s decision, stating that he remains committed to the BJP and was unaware of the internal opposition emerging within his family. He affirmed he will continue to perform any role assigned to him by the party.
