Patna, April 1 (IANS) Slain Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh's son Indu Bhusan, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Patliputra constituency in Patna, has queered the pitch for the BJP.
Indu Bhusan, who is a candidate of the Desi Kisan Party, is eyeing the support of farmers, particularly of his castemen - landed upper caste Bhumihars - who are considered pro-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Indu Bhusan's supporters are also hopeful of getting the support of another upper caste, Rajput, in this semi-urban and rural constituency.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has pitted his elder daughter Misa Bharti from Patliputra constituency in Patna as a party candidate. She is facing BJP's Ram Kirpal Yadav, Lalu's close confidante and senior RJD leader who quit after being denied a ticket to contest. He then joined the BJP.
Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United candidate and sitting MP from Patliputra is Ranjan Prasad Yadav. In the last Lok Sabha polls, Ranjan defeated Lalu Prasad by over 25,000 votes.
Indu Bhusan's father Brahmeshwar Singh contested the 2004 Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate from Arrah but was defeated.
"BJP's worry lies in the fact that the party was sure of overwhelming support of Bhumihar community but Indu Bhusan's entry will damage it. He is likely to divide their votes in his favour. After all, he is son of slain Ranvir Sena chief," said Sanket Kumar Singh, a businessman in Bihta, near Patna.
Sanket, a supporter of the Ranvir Sena, an upper caste militia, is not alone. Hundreds like him have extended their support to Indu Bhusan at the cost of the BJP, their first choice before he entered the fray.
"We will vote for Indu Bhusan because he represents our caste...," said Ramesh Sharma, a farmer of Naubatpur.
Indu Bhusan heads the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtrawadi Kisan Sanghathan, a political outfit of the outlawed Ranvir Sena that was founded by the slain Ranvir Sena chief.
"I have decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls in view of demand of the supporters," Bhusan told IANS here.
The contest is among three formidable Yadav candidates of the RJD, BJP and ruling JD-U in Patliputra. They are all vying for the majority vote of their castemen, about 35 percent of 16 lakh strong electorate.
"Yadav's vote will be divided among the three. BJP was confident of hundred percent support of Bhumihars. (But) with Indu Bhusan in the fray, he will take away at least a quarter of their support and that will put BJP in trouble," Sharma said.
Ishan Kishan's first reaction came out when he was not selected for the Asia Cup
Ishan Kishan's first reaction has come to the fore after he could not make it to the Indian team
Ukraine Conflict News: The dispute between Ukraine and Russia has torn the world. All the countri
The floods in Pakistan have left many stories of devastation. Homes, roads, schools, and hospital
National Youth Day 2024: India is a young country. Today is National Youth Day. National Youth Da
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested in the Delhi Excise Scam case, had filed a petitio
RH 200 Sounding Rocket: 200th consecutive successful launch of ISRO's RH 200 sounding rocket
ISRO's versatile sounding rocket RH-200 on Wednesday registered its 200th consecutive successful
Woman, her four children murdered in Meerut
Lucknow, Jan 27 (IANS) A woman and her four children were among the six people hacked to death i
Charge increased on main accused Chauvin, 3 other policemen will also be tried
Washington. The third-degree charge of murder on police officer Derek Chauvin, the main accused i
Yash starrer KGF-2 got a tremendous opening in India. The film earned 42.90 crores on the third d
Pm Modi Speech on No Confidence Motion: The motion of no confidence brought against Prime Ministe
