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Patna, Oct 15 (IANS) In a dramatic escalation of internal discord within the ruling Janata Dal (United) ahead of the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar, outspoken Gopalpur MLA Gopal Mandal has announced to contest as an independent candidate after being denied a party ticket.
Meanwhile, the party has pinned its hopes on newcomer Bullu Mandal to capture the stronghold of Bhagalpur district, sharpening the rift in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s camp as the NDA finalizes the seat-sharing deal.
Four-time MLA Gopal Mandal, known for his outspoken rhetoric and past controversies – from parading in his undergarments in a train to accusing colleagues of extortion – staged a high-profile dharna outside Kumar’s residence on Tuesday.
Refusing to move for hours, he was eventually taken away by the police under tight security. Speaking exclusively to IANS after the protests, Mandal drew criticism, claiming that the ticket was “in my pocket” until senior JDU leaders “hijacked” Kumar and misled him to favor upper caste loyalists.
Rejecting the party’s proposal, Mandal announced, “I will contest the election as an independent. I will seek nomination after consulting a pundit.”
“I am a bit arrogant; whatever I want to say, I say it directly. Now only upper caste people sit with Nitish Kumar, no backward caste people sit with him.” In a shocking revelation, the flamboyant MLA admitted to carrying a “pistol and rifle” for self-protection, underscoring the volatile undercurrents in Bihar’s political landscape.
“If Nitish Kumar had been around, he would have told how it was rejected. I am not competing with anyone; I am confident that I will win.”
The resentment intensified soon after the NDA’s announcement on Sunday, in which JD(U) and BJP were allotted 101 seats each, with LJP(RV) getting 29 seats. Gopalpur, a key backward caste stronghold, falls under this high-stakes bargaining, where Mandal’s expulsion signals a strategic turn towards new faces like Bullu Mandal, against whom the party sees as a safe bet. anti incumbency.
Mandal’s announcement led to widespread unrest; JD(U) MP Ajay Kumar Mandal wrote a resignation letter to Kumar, expressing grief over his being left out of the deliberations on tickets for the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituencies.
“Regrettably, I was not consulted,” he wrote, highlighting alleged insults against long-serving backward caste leaders. Despite the uproar, JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha dismissed the episode as opposition-inspired “rumours”, and insisted that Kumar was “absolutely happy” and the NDA was united.
An offer from the RJD tempted Mandal, but he rejected it: “I still have faith in Nitish Kumar.” Yet his words reflect long-held loyalties tempered with betrayal, as he eyes a lone-wolf campaign that could split votes and embarrass the NDA in the November 6-11 elections.
Experts have warned that this could expose flaws in Kumar’s backward caste integration, especially after his third coalition change in a decade. With Mandal’s arsenal of bravado and local clout, Gopalpur is emerging as a flashpoint in Bihar’s hotly contested electoral arena, where personal vendettas threaten to upend larger strategies.
–IANS
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