- By Aditya Jha
- Sun, 19 Oct 2025 10:29 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bihar Election 2025: In a dramatic turn of events, Arjit Shashwat Choubey, son of senior BJP leader Ashwini Choubey, decided not to contest the Bihar Assembly election from Bhagalpur as an Independent candidate. Choubey had arrived at the district collectorate to file his nomination papers on Saturday; however, he decided not to contest after receiving a short phone call. He awkwardly left the spot after the call ended, leaving the supporters and mediapersons in doubt and clueless. Choubey later clarified that the phone call was from his father, who instructed him to not file the nomination and to stay loyal to the BJP.
While providing details, the 43-year-old leader stated that he decided to contest the polls as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket from the BJP. However, his father asked him to support the candidate the party has chosen and to not file the nomination. The BJP leader also stated that he was under constant pressure from the top leadership after his announcement to contest the polls. Choubey later stated that he could not avoid the instructions from his parents and the top party leaders.
“My father told me, ‘You are in the BJP and will remain in the BJP,’" Choubey told the reporters. “Today, my father and even my mother spoke to me. It was an instruction from the BJP’s top leadership," he added. “How can I disobey them? I cannot rebel against my party or my country," Choubey emphasised. Earlier last week, he expressed disappointment after the BJP fielded Rohit Pandey from Bhagalpur, a stronghold of Choubey family.
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While Ashwini Choubey represented the constituency from 1995 to 2010, the BJP fielded Rohit Pandey from Bhagalpur in the 2020 polls. While Pandey received a minor defeat by the Congress leader Ajeet Sharma, the party has again shown faith in him, leading to disappointment among the supporters of the Choubey family.