Jharkhand’s disappointed NRI Rajya Sabha nominee Anshuman Mishra, who had the support of the BJP and its MLAs till a day ago, on Wednesday faced black flags from party cadres in Ranchi after he spoke out against senior BJP central leaders.
Mr Mishra, now known in Jharkhand’s political circles as the “BJP’s official candidate contesting as an Independent,” appeared unmoved even after the BJP central leadership decided that the party’s all 18 MLAs would abstain from voting. Mr Mishra claimed he had the written support of 20 MLAs including many from the BJP and that he hoped to win “on the basis of the people’s wishes as reflected through the MLAs”.
“Leaders in the BJP who have reached 75 to 80 years of age and are devotees of Jinnah must now think of their retirement instead of worrying and beating their chests in their hunger for power,” Mr Mishra said earlier.
Significantly, the BJP’s decision to stay away from voting angered its Jharkhand ruling ally JMM, which threatened of undesirable consequences apparently to their ruling coalition.
In the event of Mr Mishra withdrawing his nomination, which appeared likely from his changing stance, the JMM wants the BJP MLAs to vote for its official candidate Sanjeev Kumar, a Supreme Court lawyer who defended JMM supremo Sibu Soren in his murder trials. BJP youth wing BJYM’s activists protested with black flags on the streets of Ranchi after Mr Mishra spoke against the party’s senior central leaders.