File photograph used for representational purposes only
Credit: PTI
Patna: Former Bihar MLC Manorama Devi will be JD(U)'s candidate in the upcoming bypolls to Belaganj assembly seat, the party said in a statement on Monday.
She will take on RJD newcomer Vishwanath Kumar Singh, who aims to retain the seat vacated by his father, Surendra Prasad Yadav, following his election to the Lok Sabha from Jehanabad.
Manorama Devi, whose late husband Bindeshwari Yadav was a former chairman of the zila parishad in Gaya and a local strongman, has been fielded to upset the 'MY' (Muslim Yadav) combine that has been carefully nurtured by Lalu Prasad, RJD's founding president and arch rival of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
A controversial figure who had been politically sidelined since the end of her second consecutive term in the legislative council in 2021, Manorama Devi recently made headlines when the NIA raided her home to investigate alleged Naxal links of her late husband, who passed away four years ago.
Additionally, both her husband and son, Rocky, were implicated in a road rage case that gained attention in 2016, and she faced accusations of liquor law violations shortly after the state enacted prohibition.
Belaganj, part of Jehanabad Lok Sabha constituency and located in Gaya district, is now poised for a three-cornered contest with Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj having already announced a Muslim candidate, Khilafat Hussain, a local academic.
The bypolls are scheduled next month in four assembly seats of the state, with JD(U) contesting just one.
The BJP has named its candidates for Ramgarh and Tarari, while Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is reportedly set to field his daughter-in-law, Deepa, from Imamganj, which became vacant after his election to the Lok Sabha from Gaya.