Shahnawaz Hussain, Mukesh Sahani file nomination for Bihar council by-polls

BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussainand Bihar minister Mukesh Sahani on Monday filed theirnomination papers for by-elections to two seats of the statelegislative council.

Hussain, one of the party's national spokespersons,and Sahani, who heads NDA constituent Vikassheel Insaan Party,were accompanied by a host of leaders of the ruling coalitionincluding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs TarkishorPrasad and Renu Devi, and state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal.

Polling is scheduled for January 28 though with noother candidate in the fray, the duo is likely to be declaredelected unopposed on January 21, which is the last date forwithdrawal of nomination papers.

While Hussain has filed nomination for the seatvacated by former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, now a RajyaSabha member, Sahani is seeking election from the berthvacated by former minister Binod Narayan Jha, who has beenelected to the assembly.

When asked by journalists about the probability of hisinduction in the state cabinet headed by Nitish Kumar, Hussainquipped, ''I have to work with him in any case. He is headingthe NDA team in Bihar. I have worked with him in the past. Iwas Union Minister of State for Food Processing and thedepartment was later merged with agriculture which he washandling back then.'' Kumar, who stood beside Hussain during the interactionwith the media, laughed heartily.

Hussain also said ''it is wrong to say that I havereturned to state politics. There is no question of returningsince I never left Bihar. Even when I had ceased to be an MP,I stayed very much here''.

Hussain had made his electoral debut in the 1999 LokSabha polls when, at a young age of 31, he caught attention byvirtue of wresting Kishanganj seat from RJD's Mohd Taslimuddin enjoyed tremendous popularity in the areaand was known for using strong-arm tactics in politics.

The feat earned Hussain a berth in the Union councilof ministers though he lost the seat to Talimuddin in the 2004Lok Sabha polls which also saw the BJP-led NDA lose power atthe Centre.

Two years later, he was back as the MP from Bhagalpurwhich was vacated by Sushil Kumar Modi who became the DeputyCM in 2005. Hussain retained Bhagalpur in 2009 but lost itfive years later and the seat went to the JD(U) in thesubsequent general election.

Modi, whom Hussain had succeeded as the Bhagalpur MPand will likely do so again in the legislative council, saidabout the development ''I welcome Syed Shahnawaz Hussain'sentry into the state legislature. His greater involvement herewill strengthen the party, especially in the Seemanchalregion''.

Seemanchal comprises densely-populated, Muslim-dominated districts like Kishanganj, Araria and Katihar in thestate's north-east. The BJP has sought to make serious inroadsin the area with emphasis on issues like illegal immigrationfrom Bangladesh.

The area lies in the vicinity of West Bengal where theBJP has high stakes in the assembly polls in a few months.

Politics in Seemanchal has of late got highlypolarised with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM making an entry andwinning five seats in the assembly polls held recently.