Patna: Two new faces are set to go to the Council from the JDU, as the party announced the names officially on Sunday evening. Chief minister Nitish Kumar will retain the seat being the party president and the Bihar chief minister. 
JDU state unit president Bashishtha Narayan Singh announced the names of Rameshwar Mahto and Khalid Anwar. Mahto is a businessman, whereas Anwar runs a Urdu daily. 

In the entire scenario, Sanjay Singh, the chief spokesperson of the party and the JDU’s face in the media not retaining his seat, tells Nitish’s helplessness. It is Sanjay who always stood like a rock beside Nitish under all circumstances — be it attacking the BJP when the JDU was part of the Grand alliance with the RJD and the Congress or be without the RJD, attacking RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. 

Not a single day passed when Sanjay did not issue a press statement attacking then Opposition leader Sushil Kumar Modi and now Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. Once when the media asked Nitish over Sushil’s attacks on him, the chief minister had replied: “What can I say about him? Sanjay Singhji is enough to give replies to Sushil Modiji.” 

Sanjay, who always played the role of a shield for Nitish, has now become a scapegoat. Dal sources said Nitish dropped Sanjay to please Sushil and the BJP leaders because Sanjay was the most lethal spokesperson in terms of attacking the BJP leaders during their days in opposition. 

A Rajput by caste, Sanjay was elected an MLC when he was in the LJP from 2006 to 2009 but after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, he joined the JDU. In 2012, Sanjay became a nominated MLC with Nitish’s blessings. The most important point in the entire scenario is that the JDU could not bargain for the fourth seat, which Nitish desperately wanted. Once again, the BJP took an upper hand and managed to get the third seat in the form of Sanjay Paswan apart from Modi and Mangal Pandey retaining their seats. 

Congress candidate

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday approved the candidature of Prem Chandra Mishra as the party candidate for the Legislative Council. 

Mishra is an AICC spokesperson, who is the sole Congress candidate in the state Upper House polls.