Patna: The CPI(ML) has named former
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Dhananjay Kumar among its 20 candidates, marking the entry of another student leader from JNU into Bihar’s electoral fray.
Dhananjay, pursuing PhD on theatre studies from JNU and hailing from Gaya, belongs to the dalit community. He has been fielded from the Bhore (reserved) constituency in Gopalganj district, replacing Jitendra Paswan, who was recently arrested after filing his nomination papers. Dhananjay, son of a retired policeman and a homemaker, will take on JD(U) minister Sunil Kumar.
Of the three Left parties, only the CPI(ML) and
CPM have reached an understanding in the INDIA bloc. The CPI, which has fielded its candidates on four seats where the
Congress has also entered the poll fray, is hoping that the dispute with the grand old party would be resolved at the coordination committee meeting to be held on Saturday night or Sunday.
Four CPM candidates— sitting MLAs Ajay Kumar (Bibhutipur) and Satyendra Yadav (Manjhi), along with Shyam Bharti (Hayaghat) and Raja Mangal Prasad (Pipra)—have filed their papers for the four seats allotted to the party.
Earlier, Umadhar Prasad Singh—who had once drifted into Naxalism before emerging as a leading voice for workers of the closed Ashok Paper Mills—was twice elected from Hayaghat, a constituency that once served as a CPM stronghold. Although the CPM had staked its claim to the Matihani seat in Begusarai district, the RJD retained it in exchange for Hayaghat.
Dhananjay is the third former JNUSU president who has also entered electoral politics after Kanhaiya Kumar of Congress party and Aisha Ghosh of the CPM.
Earlier, two-time former JNUSU president from Bihar, Chandrashekhar Prasad, had entered active politics in Siwan in the late nineties and was shot dead in 1997. The incident had resonated across the country and aroused anger, including from film-maker Mahesh Bhatt who wanted to make a biopic on him.
A CPI(ML) communique said the party has fielded 14 candidates for the first phase and six for the second. Of the total 20 candidates, 18 have already filed their nomination papers. All the 11 sitting MLAs have been retained, including Ram Bali Singh Yadav for the Ghosi seat in Jehanabad district.
Having done higher secondary from Sainik School Telaiya, Hazariba...
Read MoreHaving done higher secondary from Sainik School Telaiya, Hazaribagh (now in Jharkhand), graduated in history from Patna College. Started as a freelance journalist for Free Press Journal (Mumbai) from Patna, and then joined The Times of India, Patna, as a staff reporter, got promoted to senior reporter, and later, briefly functioned as news editor. In reporting, initially covered districts like Darbhanga and Bhagalpur on events and various aspects, and then from Patna, have covered state politics, political parties, elections, state assembly, government, cabinet, departments like finance, irrigation and a few others, also CM, occasionally PM's tours, and social issues. Have written two books -- first, Bihar in Messianic Times, second, The First Address, on the Governor House (Bihar), commissioned by the Response (Advertisement) wing of The Times Of India, Patna.
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