Shahnawaz, three others eye BJP ticket for Araria

PATNA: Former Union minister and three-time BJP MP Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and three other senior party functionaries are in the race to contest from Araria constituency in Lok Sabha byelection.
The three others in the race are former Araria MP Pradeep Kumar Singh, former BJP MLA from Narpatganj Janaradan Yadav and the party’s present treasurer and MLC Dilip Jaiswal. Jaiswal had unsuccessfully contested the neighbouring Kishanganj parliamentary constituency in 2014.
The Araria parliamentary seat fell vacant after its sitting MP Mohammad Taslimuddin died in Chennai on September 17 this year following prolonged illness.
“After Taslimuddin’s death, all the three – Singh, Yadav and Jaiswal – started seeking the party’s nomination for the vacant Araria seat,” said a state BJP source, adding Shahnawaz has been frequenting the Araria district regularly.
Shahnawaz, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kishanganj (1999) and Bhagalpur (2006, 2009), lost the Bhagalpur seat in 2014. He is currently the BJP’s national spokesman and has also found place in the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC).
“It is natural for the ticket aspirants to become active. The state election committee will shortlist the names after the EC declares the byelection schedule for the Araria seat. The final call will be taken by the party’s CEC,” state BJP spokesman and former MLA Prem Ranjan Patel said.
State BJP sources said the EC is expected to announce the schedule for Araria and eight other vacant parliamentary seats in the country after the declaration of results of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections on December 18.