Patna, Oct 21 (IANS): Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor on Monday accused land and sand mafia of creating obstacles for Lieutenant General SK Singh's candidacy in the Tarari Assembly by-election.

“If a person stands against the system, the sand mafias who are looting thousands of crores will create obstacles. Jan Suraaj will not back down and General SK Singh will definitely fight to uproot the land and sand mafia from Tarari,” said Kishor.

He added that even if he is not allowed to contest the by-election, a promising candidate from Tarari will still contest on behalf of Jan Suraaj.

“We are fighting our battle, and the situation will become clear by tomorrow or the day after,” said the Jan Suraaj chief.

The district administration of Bhojpur had previously raised concerns about SK Singh's name missing from the voter list, making him ineligible to contest according to Election Commission rules.

As per the rules, a candidate must be registered as a voter in an Assembly constituency of the state to be eligible to contest state elections.

Kishor highlighted Singh’s significant military service, including leadership roles in Siachen and Operation Parakram, and his connection to Tarari, where he owns land and property.

He expressed frustration that Singh is being barred from contesting due to his name not being listed in the Bihar voter roll, despite having filled Form 8A to transfer his voter registration back to Bihar.

“Singh’s name was removed from the Bihar voter list after his wife’s death and he moved to Noida, where he voted in 2024. The district administration and Election Commission officials are using this technicality to prevent Singh from running,” Kishor alleged.

Kishor vowed to overcome these democratic obstacles, emphasising that such challenges are part of the political process.

He also challenged RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying he (Prashant Kishor) would personally contest against him if Yadav decided to contest from Ramgarh in the by-election.

“Ajit Kumar Singh, the RJD candidate and son of party state president Jagadanand Singh, would perform poorly, possibly finishing third or fourth in the election. The contest in Ramgarh is a choice between the son of a powerful leader and the son of a common man,” he said.

Kishor further announced the names of five potential candidates for the Jan Suraaj in Ramgarh: Vinayak Prasad Jaiswal, Shamim Ahmed, Anand Singh, Sushil Kushwaha, and Ramnarayan Ram.

The final candidate will be selected after internal discussions. Kishor also revealed that Jan Suraaj candidates would file their nominations in Belagnj and Imamganj on October 24, and in Tarari and Ramgarh on October 25.