New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to step in to secure the victory of the party’s candidates in multiple constituencies in Bihar, which is shaping up to be one of the toughest electoral contests the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has faced in the state.
After the BJP announced its final list of 18 candidates on Wednesday, voices of discontent have emerged within the organisation against multiple “parachute” nominees candidates perceived as outsiders brought in by the leadership, bypassing long-serving local workers. Many in the party believe that this approach has “robbed the rightful chance” of dedicated grassroots members.
The strongest protests are being witnessed in Alinagar, a constituency in Darbhanga district, where the BJP has nominated 25-year-old Maithili folk singer Maithili Thakur. Thakur, who joined the BJP only last week, was granted a ticket despite opposition from local leaders, including Sanjay Kumar Singh alias Pappu Singh, the general secretary (Organisation) of the BJP in Darbhanga.
Singh, whose name was the only one recommended by the district unit to the central leadership, has publicly criticised the decision.
“The workers and the people are not going to accept an outsider. Since the time the seat has come into existence post the delimitation, there has not been a BJP MLA. In 2020, the VIP candidate, who was part of the NDA, won however, his behaviour towards BJP workers has not been good despite joining the BJP later. I contested as an independent in 2020 and joined the BJP three years ago. The organisation said that this time we will have a local candidate from the party. I was the only name on the panel that was sent to Delhi. All surveys confirmed that I am the strongest candidate; every central observer was told that I am the popular guy. Our Member of Parliament, seven blocks, and the state president everyone forwarded my name. Yet an outsider was given the ticket,” Singh told The Sunday Guardian.
On whether he will contest as an independent, Singh said that he will decide “as per the decision of the voters and the workers.”
Alinagar has a sizable Muslim and Brahmin population. Thakur, a Brahmin, hails from Uren village in Benipatti block of Madhubani district. Her candidature has prompted coordinated protests from block presidents of the BJP across the area, including Purushottam Jha (Tardih East), Pankaj Kanth (Tardih West), Sudhir Singh (Ghanshyampur East), Chandan Kumar Thakur (Ghanshyampur West), Ranjit Kumar Mishra (Nagar Mandal), Ganga Prasad Yadav (Alinagar West), and Lal Mukhiya Ji (Alinagar East).
Thakur did not respond to The Sunday Guardian’s messages seeking comment.
Similar resentment is being reported from Buxar, where local BJP workers have opposed the nomination of former IPS officer Anand Mishra, describing him too as a “parachute” candidate. Mishra had left Jan Suraaj Party a few months ago and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Buxar as an independent after being denied a BJP ticket. He polled 46,000 votes, securing a 4 percent vote share, and finished fourth.
Sources said Mishra’s candidature was backed by sections of the RSS leadership, which views him as having a clean and accessible image.
Buxar has long been represented by former Union Minister Ashwini Choubey, who was denied a ticket in 2024. His supporters and loyal voters, angered by this decision, had reportedly contributed to the BJP’s defeat in the constituency. Choubey, who has been sidelined by the state BJP leadership, has also seen his son Arjit Shashwat Choubey denied a ticket from Bhagalpur for the upcoming polls.
It is understood that Ashwini Choubey is likely to keep himself away from canvassing for BJP candidates this time, while Arjit is expected to contest as an independent.
Like Alinagar, Buxar too will go to poll in the first phase of polling on 6 November.
Party sources acknowledged that both “celebrities” Maithili Thakur and Anand Mishra described by cadres as “parachute candidates” will have to depend heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal popularity and campaign presence to overcome local resistance and secure their victories.
