The Samajwadi Party promptly offered Umashankar Akela a ticket from Barhi (Representational)
In the high-stakes world of politics, leaders frequently change parties in the hope of securing a ticket. In Jharkhand, a dramatic instance of this was seen late on Thursday night, when the Congress party denied a ticket to one of its sitting MLAs, only for him to switch sides within hours.
On Thursday night, the Congress released its second list of candidates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections around 11.30 pm. In a surprise move, the name of incumbent Barhi MLA Umashankar Yadav Akela was replaced by Arun Sahu, creating last-minute upheaval.
Two days prior, Umashankar Akela had announced his intention to file his nomination as a Congress candidate, after having received assurances that he would be the party's choice. A rally and procession had already been planned by the local Congress unit in preparation for his nomination.
When Umashankar Akela learned of his exclusion late at night, he decided to act swiftly. He travelled nearly 170 km from his residence in Chauparan to Daltonganj, where he met with Samajwadi Party (SP) state President Keshav Yadav (also known as Ranjan Yadav) at around 4 am and joined the Samajwadi Party.
The Samajwadi Party promptly offered him a ticket from Barhi, allowing him to return to his constituency and file his nomination later that day.
Umashankar Akela has now accused the Congress of selling party tickets, alleging that he was asked to pay Rs 2 crore for his ticket and was dropped when he refused.
He criticised the Congress for ignoring loyal party leaders, saying that "honest leaders are being sidelined."
Meanwhile, the SP's state President Keshav Yadav has asserted that the party's support will be essential in forming the next government in Jharkhand.
Friday is the last date for filing nominations for Jharkhand elections, the voting for which will take place on November 13 and 20, with counting scheduled for November 23.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)