Patna: Former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav on Monday said he will file his nomination papers for Purnea in Bihar later this week, and urged RJD president Lalu Prasad to forego the Lok Sabha seat for ally Congress.
Yadav, who joined the Congress less than a fortnight ago, made the announcement on X, a day before Bima Bharti, the RJD candidate, was likely to file her nomination from the seat.
Yadav, who has merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress, wrote "people from across the country, hailing from Purnea, want to join me during filing of nomination papers. For their convenience, proposed date has been deferred, from June 2 to June 4".
Neither the RJD, which has been distributing tickets, nor the Congress has formally declared candidates for any of the 40 seats in Bihar.
However, a seat-sharing formula was announced only after filing of nomination papers for the four seats going to polls in first phase was over.
Purnea, according to the formula made public several days after Bima Bharti, a JD(U) turncoat, announced having received the RJD ticket from Lalu Prasad, was predictably among the 26 seats claimed by the party.
The seat-sharing plan came as a huge setback to Yadav, who had been for months running a campaign ‘Pranam Purnea’, seeking to rebrand himself in the constituency he had represented thrice in the 1990s.
Yadav, who had earlier hoped that the Congress would back him for a "friendly fight" in Purnea, added in his post on X: "I once again urge RJD chief Lalu Prasad to review his decision on Purnea and give it up for the Congress, in larger interests of the coalition".
Sources in the state unit of the Congress said they were not aware whether Yadav was throwing his hat in the ring with the high command's approval, but if he was doing so of his own accord, disciplinary action would follow.
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