Jharkhand polls: Rebel BJP leader Saryu Rai files nomination against CM Raghubar Das from Jamshedpur East

Rebel BJP leader Saryu Rai on Monday filed his nomination from Jamshedpur East seat as an independent candidate against Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

He said that he raised the issue of corruption for the past five years but the government did not take any action.

"I have been raising the issue of corruption for the past 5 years but no action was taken. Instead, my ticket was put on hold," Rai told ANI.

"Such a situation arose that I had to fight against the Chief Minister. BJP Parliamentary Board did not announce the candidate for my constituency. Jamshedpur unit party chief announced who will contest. What does this mean?" asked Rai.

 

"I have resigned as a minister and legislator. I have not given the resignation from the BJP's membership. The BJP should decide how it will go," he said.

Rai, who was a minister in Raghubas Das government, attacked the Chief Minister over the ownership rights to the people living in unauthorised colonies.

"The government said that there is a CNT Act. That is why property rights to people cannot be given. Raghubar Das has been raising the issue of ownership of jhuggi-basti since 1995. Did he not know this before?" he further asked.

The party Congress has fielded Prof Gourav Vallabh from Jamshedpur East.

Raghubar Das first won the Assembly election from Jamshedpur seat in 1995 in undivided Bihar, a seat which he went on to win five more times.

Das went on to become the first non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand and the only one to complete his full term.

Jharkhand will go to polls in five phases from November 30. The first phase of polling will be held on November 30, the second phase on December 6, the third phase on December 12, the fourth phase on December 16 and the last phase on December 20.

The Congress has forged an alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the state to defeat the incumbent BJP.

In 2014, the BJP, which won 43 seats, formed the government along with All Jharkhand Students' Union (AJSU), which had won 5 seats under the leadership of Raghubar Das.