Rift in RLM comes into open over Saran teachers’ seat

Patna: Internal differences within the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) became public on Tuesday over the party’s stand in the legislative council elections, with three of the four RLM MLAs openly backing Ram Pukar Sinha against the NDA nominee in the Saran teachers’ constituency.RLM national general secretary and Madhubani MLA Madhav Anand on Tuesday reiterated his support for Sinha, the party’s state general secretary, and said he had conveyed his position to party chief Upendra Kushwaha.The other two MLAs backing Sinha are RLM state president and Dinara MLA Alok Kumar Singh and Bajpatti MLA Rameshwar Mahto. All three attended Sinha’s nomination-filing event in Saran on Monday.Referring to Kushwaha’s remark on Monday that several people were becoming “politically intoxicated” during the Oct 23 election for eight council seats in Bihar, Anand said, “Yes, I am ‘madhosh’ and I will continue to be so for the sake of party workers as many times as required.”Anand said party workers had repeatedly complained that they were not receiving due respect, prompting the three MLAs to support Sinha. He said they would actively campaign for Sinha in Chhapra and work for his victory.Anand maintained that their support for Sinha did not mean they were breaking the alliance. “An alliance is possible only if the party survives,” he said, adding that protecting the party and its workers was equally important.The development has made the Saran teachers’ contest particularly intriguing as the NDA has fielded JD(U)’s Anand Pushkar. RLM had earlier staked a claim to the seat, but the NDA’s seat-sharing strategy favoured BJP and JD(U) candidates only.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Patna | Silver Rate in Patna | Bank Holidays in Patna | Public Holidays in Patna | Patna AQI | Weather in Patna | Petrol Price in Patna | Diesel Price in Patna | CNG Price in Patna | LPG Price in PatnaStay updated with the latest Patna news. Download the TOI App.