Bihar by-polls: Nomination of BJP leader's son draws flak

Patna, April 27 (IANS) The nomination of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader C.P. Thakur's son as the party's candidate for the May 9 by-polls to the Bihar legislative council has drawn criticism from others in the party, with one leader terming it "unacceptable".

"It was wrong to nominate C.P. Thakur's son Vivek Thakur as the party's candidate. Dynastic politics is unacceptable in BJP as the party's essence is against promoting family members," Ramkishore Singh, former party legislator and spokesperson, told IANS here Saturday.

Vivek Thakur filed his nomination papers as the BJP candidate for a seat in the Bihar Legislative Council Friday.

"I directly blame party's senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi for this. He is bowing before C.P. Thakur to keep him in good humour," said Ramkishore Singh, who aspired to become the party candidate for the Bihar Legislative Council.

He said that he has written a letter to the BJP national president Rajnath Singh in this connection. "I have informed him (Rajnath Singh) about my opposition to (Vivek) Thakur's nomination."

Another senior party leader, who did not wish to be identified, said that several committed workers of the party have been ignored while declaring Vivek Thakur's candidature to the state legislative council. "It will send a wrong massage among party workers," he said.

The by-elections were necessitated following the death of three legislators -- Badshah Prasad Azad and Ramchandra Prasad of Rashtria Janata Dal (RJD) and Ramashraya Prasad Singh of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

The JD-U has nominated former minister Manzar Alam and Raj Kishore Kushwaha as its candidates for the remaining two seats in the legislative council.

All the three candidates of the BJP-JD-U ruling coalition are set to be elected unopposed as the opposition parties do not have enough numbers in the assembly to send their candidates to the legislative council.

Vivek Thakur's term will expire next year as he has been nominated against the vacancy caused by the death of Badshah Prasad Azad, whose term was to end in 2014.