Patna,(BiharTimes): As the BJP gears up to pick up the challenge thrown by RJD chief Lalu Prasad a new name has emerged for the chief ministerial nominee.

The man is none other than Lalu’s former Hanuman or Man Friday and now Union minister of state, Ram Kripal Yadav.

As there is a strong lobby working against Sushil Kumar Modi within the party the name of Ram Kripal suits them. SuMo is not acceptable to this section of the BJP as they feel that it was none else but he who, as the deputy chief minister of Bihar, first floated the name of Nitish Kumar as the prime ministerial candidate, when most partymen were rooting for Narendra Modi.

So staunch NaMo loyalists are bound to corner the leader of opposition in the state legislative council. It all started when the two ministers, Giriraj Singh and Ram Kripal, who were together in Patna, were approached by Zee Purvaya reporter for their view on the chief ministerial candidate of the party in Bihar.

While Ram Kripal replied that BJP is the party full of leaders and anyone can take the responsibility when the time comes Giriraj Singh was much more specific.

“We have a number of leaders who can be the CM nominee: Ram Kripal Yadav, Nand Kishore Yadav, Sushil Modi, C P Thakur etc. Narendra Modi can chose anyone of them to fulfil his vision,” he said.

However, he hastened to repeat the name of Ram Kripal Yadav again.

“Ram Kripal is a towering personality, much taller than those who ruled Bihar 10 years back,” he said. Giriraj’s emphasis on Ram Kripal is being taken seriously as he has always been against Sushil Kumar. Political observers are of the view that Giriraj has not made an off the cuff remarks, but he has the backing of a strong ection of the party too.

It seems that the party wants to woo Yadav voters by projection Ram Kripal as JD(U)-RJD combine is putting up a non-Yadav, that is Nitish Kumar, as its candidate. So it may be that Giriraj is floating his name at the behest of Narendra Modi or top BJP leadership to test the political waters of the state.

Commenting on the development Dr Ajay Alok, spokesman of the JD(U), said that Sushil Modi would be the worst losers. A strong section of BJP leaders have been opposing him ever since he called Nitish Kumar a prime ministerial material.

Meanwhile, another Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that the BJP victory has become certain after the announcement of alliance between JD(U) and RJD.

On his party’s CM nominee he said that the chief ministerial candidate is announced only when there is dispute, for example, between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad. “In our case there is no such dispute so there is no need of announcing any CM candidate,” he said.