Son denied poll ticket, miffed Bihar BJP chief resigns

PATNA - The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Bihar unit president C.P. Thakur Friday resigned from the party post after his son was denied a ticket to contest the upcoming state assembly elections. His supporters too launched protests.

Thakur told reporters here that he has sent in his resignation to BJP national president Nitin Gadkari but was yet to receive any response.

“I have resigned from the party post for several reasons, including my being ignored and negliged as the state party president by the party leadership,” Thakur said.

Thakur’s son Vivek was denied ticket to contest the polls from Bankipur constituency in Patna.

Thakur said there were several other issues as well that prompted him to resign, and added that he would not participate in the election campaign for the BJP.

“I have decided not to participate in the campaign for now,” he said.

Hundreds of his supporters gathered at his residence here and shouted slogans against Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, accusing him of sidelining Thakur as he belonged to the powerful Bhumihar caste.

Angry supporters even roughed up BJP leaders Sanjay Jha, Harendra Pratap and Nitin Naveen, who visited Thakur to urge him to rethink his decision to resign.

Thakur’s resignation comes a day before top BJP leaders were likely to start their poll campaign in the state.

Bihar will elect a 243-member assembly in staggered polling that begins Oct 21 and ends Nov 20. The results will be known Nov 24.