Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Satyendra Shah from the Sasaram assembly constituency was arrested moments after filing his nomination papers on Monday for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections. Police detained Shah outside the returning officer’s office on the basis of a court warrant related to a 21-year-old case, according to Sadar DSP (Forest) Dilip Kumar.
The arrest came on the last day of filing nominations, adding to the political drama surrounding the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). In another development, Congress candidate Aditya Kumar Raja from Lalganj withdrew his nomination, signalling efforts to ease internal friction within the alliance. Following his withdrawal, the RJD named Shivani Shukla, daughter of local strongman Munna Shukla, as its candidate from the seat.
However, dissent within the alliance continues to grow. Purnia MP Pappu Yadav criticised the RJD’s ticket distribution process, claiming it undermines the coalition’s unity.
“Does fielding duplicate candidates in 12 constituencies make the alliance work? Congress should decide,” Yadav said. “The way tickets have been distributed is completely wrong. I have repeatedly said the alliance should be withdrawn. It’s being weakened deliberately.”
Yadav added that only the Congress appeared to be following the alliance’s principles, particularly in its focus on extremely backward castes and SC-ST communities.
