Aurangabad: RJD Nominates Abhay Kushwaha Against BJP’s Three-Time MP Sushil Kumar Singh

Bihar’s Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency will witness an electoral clash between three-time BJP MP Sushil Kumar, Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Sunesh Kumar, and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Abhay Kumar Kushwaha.

The former MLA from Tikari constituency in the Gaya district of Bihar, Kushwaha, was a Janata Dal (United) member, where he served as the district president and the secretary of the party for Gaya district. In 2018, he became the state president of the youth wing of the party, replacing MP Santosh Kushwaha. In the 2020 assembly elections, the party fielded Kushwaha from Belaganj instead of Tikari.

Due to growing discontent with the party, Kushwaha joined RJD.

The current RJD candidate is not new to controversies, though. Before the 2015 state assembly elections, Kushwaha made headlines after a video of him dancing with a bar dancer and showering money on her went viral. Kushwaha was criticized by the media and the opposition, which had a field day with the video, for his obscene behavior as a political candidate. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Kushwaha was revealed to have a total of 14 criminal cases lodged against him, including allegations of looting and obstructing government contract work, reported Dainik Bhaskar. He was among the politicians with the highest number of criminal cases.

Apart from being a politician, Kushwaha is also a businessman who owns the Ply and Bricks plant. He is married to Kumari Anjali Bharti, with whom he has two children.

The Mahagathbandhan candidate is pitted against the BJP’s Sushil Kumar Singh, the incumbent MP from Aurangabad constituency. Singh won the Lok Sabha seat in 2014 with 3 lakh votes, beating Congress candidate Nikhil Kumar, who won 2.4 lakh votes. Singh retained his seat in 2019 as well, with 4.3 lakh votes.

The Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency comprises Vidha Sabhas such as Kutumba, Aurangabad, Rafiganj, Gurua, Imamganj (SC reserved), and Tikari.