Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain along with Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) party chief Mukesh Sahani filed nomination as National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidates for the Bihar Legislative Council polls in presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday. BJP gave the names of Hussain and Sahani for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections.
The announcement marks Hussain's return to electoral politics, albeit to the state level, for the first time since 2014 when he lost the Lok Sabha election from Bhagalpur. He was not given a ticket in the 2019 polls.
Speaking to the media after filing of nomination, Hussain thanked the party leadership.
"I am grateful to the party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and party president JP Nadda for giving me this responsibility. I hope to do all my duties with more diligence," he said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar congratulated both leaders and said the NDA is working as one unit in Bihar.
"I congratulate both leaders as they have been chosen as candidates for elections to Bihar legislative council and they will be elected as members of Bihar legislative Council. We are all working together in Bihar," the CM said.
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Rajya Sabha member Sushil Modi and current deputy Chief Ministers Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi were also present on the occasion. Modi, who also served as former Deputy minister, exuded confidence that Hussain will emerge victorious in MLC polls and NDA will strengthen its hold in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region.
Responding to opposition's 'outsider' jibe, Shahnawaz Hussain said that he is emotionally attached with Bihar and will continue fulfilling his responsibilities for the state, adding that he will work from Bihar even if he is not present in the state.
Shahnawaz Hussain is the Muslim face of BJP in the Modi cabinet and the party seems to have awarded him for his campaigning in the Jammu and Kashmir for the District Development Council (DDC) polls.
On the other hand, Sahani was reluctant to file his nomination as an MLC candidate but was later convinced by Home Minister Amit Shah.
The term for the two seats vacated by the BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Vinod Narayan Jha will be completing on July 21, 2022.
Polling for 12 legislative council seats in Uttar Pradesh will be held on January 28. The win of BJP candidates in these seats is all but certain owing to the party's strength in respective state assemblies.
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With agency inputs
