Five Bihar ministers not celebrating Nitish victory

PATNA - Their chief minister has pulled off a stupendous victory in Bihar, but it is not celebration time for five legislators of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), who lost despite being ministers.

The defeat of Ramnath Thakur, Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha, Ramanand Singh of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Ramnarain Mandal and Avadesh Narain Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surprised many in the two ruling parties.

“A defeat despite a huge wave in favour of their parties indicate they were unpopular in their respective constituencies,” a BJP leader said.

The NDA bagged 206 of 243 seats. Wile the JD-U upped its tally from 88 in 2005 to 115 now, the BJP increased its numbers from 55 to 91.

“There is no celebration, saheb was defeated,” a staffer at Thakur’s official residence told IANS here Thursday.

Thakur, who was information and public relations minister, is the son of former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur who was the political guru of many top politicians of today. He lost the electoral battle for the Samastipur assembly seat.

The response was more or less similar at the houses of his other four ministerial colleagues who lost.

“We are frustrated, there is no joy despite the NDA returning to power,” a JD-U worker close to Kushwaha said.

Kushwaha, the rural development minister, was defeated in Jagdishpur assembly constitueny and transport minister Ramanad Singh was defeated in the pol for the Parbatta seat.

Bihar’s animal husbandry minister Ram Narayan Mandal was defeated in Banka constituency and labour minister Awdesh Narayan Singh was defeated in Dehri assembly constituency.

JD-U leader Shayam Rajak, who won the polls in Phulwarisharief, said it was unfortunate that some ministers had tasted defeat.