Assam MP seeks third LS term from Valmiki Nagar in Bihar
Former ULFA militant Nabi Kumar Sarania seeks third term in Lok Sabha from Valmiki Nagar, Bihar after rejection in Kokrajhar, Assam.
Two-time MP from Kokrajhar in Assam, Nabi Kumar Sarania (52), is seeking his third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha from Valmiki Nagar constituency in Bihar.
Sarania, a former militant with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), filed his nomination from Valmiki Nagar on May 6, days after his nomination from Kokrajhar was rejected.
The former militant, whose candidature here has been cleared after scrutiny, has already begun campaigning in the constituency which has a vast population of tribals, like Kokrajhar, besides Dalits.
“Valmiki Nagar shares a lot of similarities with my constituency. After being ruled out of Kokrajhar race, I was deluged with offers to contest from Valmiki Nagar seat as people here are fed up with the NDA and same set of opposition leaders. Therefore, they want me to uproot the existing political syndicate here, which coincidentally happens to be the constituency number one in our country,” said Sarania.
“I was a mere 20 year-old in 1989 when the circumstances forced me to join ULFA for the cause of my people. I became the battalion commander there. In 2014, I severed my ties with ULFA after realising the futility of guns in restoring peace,” said Sarania, who won the Lok Sabha elections from Kokrajhar as Independent in 2014 and went on to form a political party — Gana Suraksha Party — after retaining the seat in 2019.
The MP suspects a foul play behind the cancellation of his nomination. “It’s the handiwork of the ruling NDA to save its candidate from being defeated again,” said Sarania.
The former rebel is livid at the plight of Valmiki Nagar constituency.
“During campaigning, I was surprised to see poverty people are afflicted with. The road network, health centres and educational institutions are in very poor shape. The scheme of tap water is practically non-existent,” he said, while sitting MP and JD-U leader Sunil Mahato of being silent on issues related to tribals and Dalits.
Bettiah’s additional district magistrate (ADM) and returning officer of Valmiki Nagar LS seat, Rajeev Kumar, said, “Nabi Kumar Sarania, who hails from Assam, is one among the nine contestants form Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat. He is a sitting MP as well and comes under the X- category of security.”
“He is having criminal antecedents,” the ADM said, feigning his ignorance about his association with ULFA.
RJD has fielded one Deepak Yadav, managing director of a sugar mill at Bagaha. Yadav, who hails from Haryana, had fought the 2019 LS polls as a BSP candidate and polled a little over 60,000 votes to finish third. Later, he joined BJP but quit the party to be inducted into RJD just ahead of the ongoing elections.