Ex-minister Saryu Roy claims closeness with Nitish could have

Former Jharkhand minister Saryu Roy, who filed nomination papers against Chief Minister Raghubar Das from Jamshedpur (East) seat on Monday, said his closeness with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could be one of the reason for BJP denying him the ticket.

At least three members of the BJP Parliamentary Board, that approved candidates list, told me that release of my book by Nitish Kumar in 2017 was strongly resented and probably this cost me the party nomination, Roy told PTI.

Roy said he was at loss to understand this because Kumar had returned to the NDA fold in July 2017 and formed a coalition ministry in Bihar.

There was no word on Roy's claim from the BJP side.

Asked for his reaction on Roys allegations that he was denied ticket following his closeness to Bihar chief minister, BJPs General Secretary Dipak Prakash said, "I cant comment on this as it was the decision of Parliamentary Board of the party."
Asked for his reaction over Roys decision to take on the chief minister, BJPs state unit president Laxman Gilua said, "The thumb rule of the party is that any BJP worker contesting against the partys official candidate is expelled for six years automatically."