Pappu gets a push as Purnea RJD leader workers vow support

Pappu Yadav on way to file his nomination for Purnea Lok Sabha seat on April 4.

Five-time MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who is in the fray for the Purnea Lok Sabha seat as an Independent, appears to be gaining in support from the local cadres of the RJD, who have ditched their party’s nominee Bima Bharti in his favour.

Yadav, who joined the Congress last month but found himself stranded when the seat was allotted to Lalu Yadav’s party as part of seat sharing deal in the opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar, got a shot in the arm on Thursday when RJD’s national vice president Devendra Yadav landed in Purnea and openly extended his support to him.

Purnea district RJD vice-president Birendra Yadav, who has already joined Pappu Yadav’s campaign along with his supporters, said there was no alliance left in Purnea.

While the Congress has officially maintained a studied silence on the matter, many of the party’s supporters on the ground are campaigning for Pappu Yadav.

RJD nominee Bima Bharti, a five-time MLA, is a recent import from JD(U).

Sitting JD(U) MP Santosh Kumar is seeking a third term in the Lok Sabha from Purnea, which goes to vote on April 26 in the second of the seven-phase parliamentary polls being held in the country.

There are over 22 lakh voters in Purnea.

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