Das has held Jamshedpur East seat since 1995 but in this election, he is being challenged by his former minister and BJP rebel Saryu Rai.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to campaign against his Jharkhand counterpart and BJP leader Raghubar Das who is facing a tough challenge from rebel candidate and former minister Saryu Rai in the assembly election.
Das has held Jamshedpur East seat since 1995 but in this election, he is being challenged by Saryu Rai who was the food and supply minister in the BJP Cabinet till Sunday.
Kumar, said to be a close friend of Saryu Rai, is likely to join him on the campaign trail, Zee Media reports said.
This will put the BJP in a fix as it shares power with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JDU) in neighbouring Bihar.
Mr Rai is considered close to Nitish Kumar as they participated in the Jayaprakash Narayan Movement in the 1970s. Rai, a former journalist known as an anti-corruption campaigner, was instrumental in exposing fodder scam in Bihar which led to the jailing of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Even though he was a minister in Raghubar Das's government, he did not enjoy a friendly relationship with the chief minister and often criticised his own government over alleged corruption.
The Congress, which is a part of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance in the state, has fielded its star spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh against Das.
However, JMM working president Hemant Soren has reportedly hinted at making Saryu Rai's case as an issue of honesty versus corruption against the BJP. He has also appealed all non-BJP parties to support Rai in the fight against Das.
Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in five phases, beginning from November 30, and the counting of votes will take place on December 23.
The five-phase polling will be held November 30, December 7, December 12, December 16 and December 20.
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