BJP picks Shahnawaz as Bihar MLC candidate

Hussain was a Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

His candidature was confirmed by BJP national general secretary and party headquarters in-charge Arun Singh. This is Hussain’s first attempt in electoral politics after he unsuccessfully contested the Bhagalpur seat in the 2014 general elections.

He lost by a narrow margin to RJD’s Shailesh Kumar. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP decided to give the Bhagalpur seat to the JD (U) as part of the seat-sharing arrangement.

Since then, Hussain has been working as one of the BJP’s national spokespersons. While Hussain was not available for comment, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand told The Indian Express: “We welcome the decision of the Central leadership. Hussain’s vast Parliamentary experience would be useful in Bihar Upper House and the level of debate would rise with his presence.”