AAP-style newbie, independents add flavour to Bihar polls

PATNA: A small political outfit modelled on AAP is making its debut in Bihar elections, while a journalist seeking civic changes in the capital, along with a string of other independent candidates is testing fortunes in the hustings.

Styled as ' Gareeb Aadmi Party (GAP)' and barely a year-old, the Delhi-based new outfit says that like the 'Aam Aadmi Party' it seeks to offer an "alternative politics" and is asking voters to "mind the GAP" between "Modi camp and Nitish-led grand alliance".

"We are fighting this polls with all our might and spirit and have fielded candidates for 19 seats including Digha, Danapur, Bankipur and Kumrahar, Phulwari, Patna Sahib in Patna district. Our candidates are also in the fray in Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Hajipur as well.Two of our candidates are also competing against Laluji's two sons in Mahua and Raghopur constituencies," GAP's national state president, Shyam Bhartiya told PTI.

The new party was founded in March, towards the fag end of the Lok Sabha polls last year, and it even fought on 11 seats then, albeit unsuccessfully.

Bhartiya, who rebelled from the AAP, said, "I still believe in the vision with which AAP was formed, so we chose to name it as GAP."

"We fought in UP, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, among other places, and though we failed to win any seat, our performance as a debutant was encouraging, and so, we decided to enter Bihar polls representing the common man. And, even if we can win one seat in Bihar, it will be a moral victory for us," he said.

Incidentally, the party's Bihar president Dilip Kumar Singh, rebelled from RJD to join GAP, and he says the "whistle party symbol" is for "driving the political thieves away".

Patna goes to polls on Wednesday, along with five other districts - Bhojpur, Vaishali, Buxar, Nalanda, Saran -- in the third phase of the high-octave Bihar elections, which will span 50 crucial constituencies.

AAP is not in the fray in the Bihar polls.

Dust will settle this evening in the six districts and loudspeakers and megaphones will fall silent, after the high-decibel political campaign ends ahead of the October 28 polls.

But, amid political giants like Modi-Shah-led NDA and Nitish Kumar-led "Grand Alliance", a journalist has decided to enter the battlefield, asking people to "reject political shenanigans" and vote for a pro-development candidate.

42-year-old Brajesh Mishra, editor of a small city-based monthly has plunged into the political battle from the crucial Kumrahar seat, which has a maximum number of 34 candidates, among all seats in Patna district.

"Our issues are quite simple but these are nagging problem of the area - waterlogging due to poor drainage and provision of water - And, Mishraji before entering politics has been campaigning for the welfare of people and betterment of civic issues by holding several dharnas," an official from his office in Ashok Nagar East area said.

Mishra today held a roadshow in his constituency before curtains come down on the poll campaigns.In Kumrahar, he faces BJP MLA Arun Kumar Sinha and a Congress candidate in Atiq Haider from the 'Grand Alliance', himself a former MLA.

Mishra is riding on 'camera symbol' and so, chorus of "camera chap zindabad!" rent the air as his small group of supporters hold the roadshow.