Former Bihar MP Rajesh Ranjan, widely known as Pappu Yadav, has submitted his nomination as an independent candidate from Purnea after being refused a ticket by the Congress party. This decision has stirred controversy, with the Congress asserting its support for their coalition partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Purnea.
In the seat allocation agreement within the INDIA bloc, Purnea was assigned to the RJD, which is contesting 26 out of Bihar’s 40 seats, while the Congress is contesting nine. The remaining five seats were allotted to the Left parties.
Just before filing his nomination, the disgruntled Congress leader expressed, “I will remain loyal to the party till my last breath.”
Displaying visible emotion, Pappu Yadav raised questions about the Congress leadership and expressed regret that despite his keen interest in representing Purnea, he was consistently denied a ticket. He openly pondered over the reasons for this treatment, considering his dedication and contributions to the region.
“Why was I repeatedly told to contest from Madhepura or Supaul? Even before my party merged with the Congress, I had met Lalu Yadav and expressed my inability to leave Purnea,” Mr. Ranjan said, tears welling up.
Pappu Yadav had previously won the Purnea seat three times in the 1990s. He noted that many have attempted to derail his political career, but the people of Purnea have consistently supported him.
