Munger: In a dramatic political development on the eve of the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, Jan Suraaj suffered a major blow as its Munger candidate Sanjay Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, just a day before polling.
Singh, who was contesting on a Jan Suraaj ticket from the Munger Assembly constituency, joined the BJP in the presence of party candidate Kumar Pranay, dealing a symbolic setback to Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party, which has been campaigning as an alternative to traditional political fronts in the state.
At an event held in Munger, Sanjay Singh was welcomed into the BJP fold by District President Arun Poddar, District In-Charge Vikas Singh, Regional In-Charge Rajesh Jha, and Preeti Singh, among other NDA leaders.
Speaking after joining the party, Singh said, “The development of Bihar and the country is possible only under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The idea of Jan Suraaj was good, but the public trusts the BJP’s model of development.”
The move has intensified political discussions in Munger ahead of the polls. The constituency, which goes to vote on November 6, is seeing a multi-cornered contest between the BJP, Jan Suraaj, and AIMIM.
BJP’s Kumar Pranay, who holds a master’s degree, is the party’s official candidate from Munger. Jan Suraaj’s Sanjay Singh, who has an M.A. and LLB, was seen as a credible independent voice until his defection. Meanwhile, former minister Monazir Hasan, contesting from AIMIM, holds a PhD and is expected to split a section of the minority vote.
