Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister Mukesh Sahani in the Nitish Kumar government, three MLAs from his party have been sacked from the Bihar cabinet after joining the BJP. Bihar Governor Fagu Chauhan has approved Sahni’s removal after submitting a recommendation to Sahni’s ally BJP.
The move comes after Bihar’s political drama in which all three of Bihar’s Sahani’s developing Insan Party (VIP) MLAs have defected to the BJP. Sahni is a member of the Legislative Assembly from one seat, whose term expires in July this year Since Sahni lost his assembly seat, the BJP has helped him get elected from the vacated seat of one of his own members.
The drama unfolded when Sahni’s VIP not only contested the UP elections against the BJP but also campaigned loudly against the party. Sahani, a former Bollywood set designer, repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the Assembly election campaign in a neighboring state where his party contested more than 50 seats but sank without a trace.
The BJP central leadership took note of Sahani’s statement and the report claimed that the party was planning to work against Junior Mitra after the UP elections.
Moreover, all three of the VIP MLAs had previously been associated with the Saffron Party. Things turned ugly in the run-up to the Bochahan assembly by-election in Bihar where voting was supposed to take place after the seat became vacant following the death of VIP MLA Musafir Paswan.
The BJP, without consulting its junior ally, has declared former MLA Baby Kumari as its party candidate, saying it has rejected seats from VIPs. Sahni has also chosen Geeta Devi, daughter of former minister Ramai Ram, as his candidate.
Last Sunday, Sahani was sacked by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar under pressure from the BJP. According to high-level sources, Kumar had recommended Sahani’s expulsion from the cabinet to the Governor in the evening, following a written submission to the BJP influence, the Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister was given an ultimatum to withdraw the recent notification immediately. .
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