Ujiyarpur MP Nityanand Rai is new Bihar BJP president

Law Kumar Mishra

Patna: In a sudden move, BJP president Amit Shah on November 30, 2016, morning announced appointment of its Lok Sabha member from Ujiyarpur in Samastipur district Nityananad  Rai, 50, as Bihar unit chief replacing Mangal Pandey. Rai, was MLA from Hajipur between 2000 and 2014,when he was elected to Lok Sabha.

The demand to remove Mangal Pandey as state party chief was gaining momentum since the BJP’s poor show in 2015 assembly elections. Pandey, who returned from  New Delhi on November 29 after attending the meeting of party presidents of different states, was also not aware of his removal. He reached BJP office the same evening, but did not inform his colleagues about Rai’s appointment. Pandey is considered a loyalist of Sushil Kumar Modi, former deputy chief minister.
There were three names under consideration to replace Pandey-Ashiwni Kumar Chaubey, senior MP and former minister, Sanjeev Chaurasiya,MLC and an RSS activist, and Nityananad Rai. The choince fell on Rai, an Yadav leader. With the appointment of Rai, the dominance of OBCs and backward caste leadership in Bihar BJP has been confirmed. Leader of opposition in Bihar assembly Prem Kumar is from OBC(Chandrawasnhi), Sushil Kumar Modi, leader of opposition in Vidhan Parishad is OBC (Baniya).

RSS repressentative in the BJP’s Bihar unit,Nagendra Ji , who is general secretary(organisation), is also likely to be changed as he is also being held responsible for BJP’s defeat in assembly elections. In selection of candidates and strategy planning in campaign, Nagendraji played a key role, party sources said here.
Upper castes in BJP have been marginalised ultimately in the caste ridden Bihar, feel the political observers.They said both in the
organisation and the legislature wings, the BJP has sidelined the forward caste leaders gradually.