Fernandes says he will contest from Nalanda

Times of India Reports:

RAJGIR (NALANDA): Though he has been in poor health of late and is neither the national president of JD(U) nor convener of NDA, octogenarian
socialist leader George Fernandes is ready to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
Fernandes, who arrived here on Wednesday to participate in the three-day state JD(U) workers’ camp, told TOI he would contest from Nalanda. Walking briskly with his supporters and aides, Fernandes said on the sidelines of the ongoing camp, “Yes I will fight elections.” When someone suggested that he re-contest from Muzaffarpur, Fernandes reiterated, “From Nalanda.”

Fernandes is the sitting MP from Muzafarpur and represented Nalanda thrice since 1996 but had to move to Muzaffarpur in 2004 when Nitish Kumar desired to contest from both Nalanda and Barh. Nitish lost Barh and won the Nalanda seat which he later vacated after becoming the Bihar chief minister in November 2005.

Later, the relations between Fernandes and the Nitish-Sharad duo soured and the former was unceremoniously removed from the party chief post about three years ago and from the post of the NDA convener not long ago. For all practical purposes, Fernandes had been sidelined. And observers say that it is to give a message to workers of the party as also others that he is still very much in active politics and his links with the party are intact that he expressed his desire to contest from Nalanda.

Moreover, it is well known that he was never so keen on Muzaffarpur, and a wish to return to the old favourite seat might have prompted him to come to the party meet, said observers.

Originally the Nalanda seat belonged to BJP, but it was taken away from the party in 1996 when Fernandes planned to contest from here.

The Nalanda Lok Sabha seat has been lying vacant after JD(U) MP Ram Swaroop Prasad joined RJD last year. He had violated the JD(U) whip during a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha in July 2008 and was subsequently disqualified from the House.

The presence of Fernandes at the JD(U) camp was a pleasant surprise for many partymen who later mobbed him with a lot of complaints about the neglect of party workers.