Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya kicked off her election campaign on Tuesday with a road show. Though no official announcement has been made as yet, it is understood that she will be the RJD’s candidate from the Saran Lok Sabha seat, contesting against sitting BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Ms. Acharya is the second daughter and the fourth of the nine children of Mr. Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi — both former Chief Ministers — to enter the political arena. “After taking the blessing of my parents, now I am going to the people’s door,” she posted on X.
Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had accused Mr. Yadav of selling the Lok Sabha ticket to his daughter in lieu of her donation of a kidney to him.
‘Ground-level connect’
Ms. Acharya launched her election campaign from Bajrang Chowk in Sonepur, after which she passed through Parmanadpur, Naya Gaon, Sitalpur, and Dighwara. After offering prayers at the Maa Ambika Bhavani temple in Aami, she reached Chhapra via Doriganj.
“Rohini Acharya’s victory as the RJD candidate is certain in the Saran Lok Sabha seat. Those who are flying in the sky are now challenged by the people connected with the ground. This time, Rajiv Pratap Rudy should forget the dream of scoring a hat-trick,“ RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singhsaid.
After a night’s rest in Chhapra, Ms. Acharya will visit all the six Assembly constituencies that fall under the Saran Lok Sabha seat. She will be doing door-to-door campaigns apart from road shows, Mr. Singh said, adding that as she was getting a lot of public support, it would take a lot of time for her to cover all these places.
Earlier on Monday, Ms. Acharya and her family offered prayers at the Baba Hariharnath temple in Sonepur and took blessings of Lord Shiva.
‘Bihar’s daughter, Singapore’s bahu’
The Saran seat was once a stronghold of Mr. Yadav’s family. The RJD supremo himself had won the seat, first in 1977, then in 1989, 2004, and 2009. In 2014, however, his wife unsuccessfully contested the election from Saran; in 2019, Chandrika Rai, Mr. Prasad’s samidhi, was defeated by Mr. Rudy.
Both of Bihar’s Deputy Chief Ministers, Mr. Choudhary and Mr. Vijay Kumar Sinha, slammed Mr. Yadav for giving a ticket to his daughter. “Lalu Prasad’s family does not respect the daughter of Bihar, as Bihar’s daughter got married and became the daughter-in-law of Singapore. Let the people of Bihar decide who is a true Bihari. Will they go with her who is settled in Singapore, and serving the people over there?” Mr. Sinha asked.
Mr. Sinha also claimed that the NDA would win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. On April 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off the party’s election campaign in Bihar from Jamui, he said.
Mr. Choudhary also made a sarcastic remark, asking Mr. Yadav why his five other daughters were not contesting the election. “Till now, he has fielded two sons and two daughters in the election. He should tell when he is bringing the remaining five sisters into politics. The people of Bihar are watching how he is bringing all the people of his family into politics one by one,” Mr. Choudhary said.
