The Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar is abuzz with talks that party chief Lalu Prasad is likely to field two of his daughters in the Lok Sabha election.
Mr. Prasad could field eldest daughter Misa Bharti from Patliputra seat again and second daughter Rohini Acharya from Saran, said party sources. If Ms. Acharya contests the poll, she will be the sixth member of Lalu’s family to enter politics after Mr. Prasad, wife Rabri Devi, elder daughter Ms. Bharti and sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. Singapore-based Ms. Acharya had donated one of her kidneys to Mr. Prasad in December 2022 and since then has been active on social media on issues regarding her parents and the party. She was also present on the dais along with Mahagathbandhan leaders during the recently held Jan Vishwas rally in Patna on March 4, 2024. At the rally, Mr. Prasad formally introduced Ms. Acharya to the gathered partymen, saying she had saved his life by donating her kidney.
Ms. Acharya will likely face BJP’s sitting MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy at Saran. With a sizeable Yadav population, Saran has been a RJD stronghold and Mr. Prasad had represented the seat several times. Mr. Prasad was MP from Saran Lok Sabha constituency till 2013 when he got disqualified following conviction in a fodder scam case. Later, Mr. Rudy defeated a RJD candidate and became the constituency’s MP.
Ms. Bharti might get the ticket again from Patliputra against BJP’s likely candidate and sitting MP Ram Kripal Yadav. Earlier, the name of strongman-turned-politician Ritlal Yadav was doing the rounds as RJD candidate from Patliputra but party sources said Mr. Yadav is keen on fielding Ms. Bharti. “I personally believe that the elder sister [Ms. Bharti] must take the call”, Mr. Ritlal Yadav, party MLA from Danapur, which is a part of the Patliputra constituency, told mediapersons on Friday. When asked about his personal choice, Mr. Yadav said, “How does it matter if the brother or sister [Ms. Bharti] contests?”
Meanwhile, though no formal announcements have been made, Mr. Prasad may have started shortlisting candidates for the election. Photographs of Mr. Prasad giving party symbols to some leaders have been shared on social media. Senior leader Jai Prakash Yadav was seen taking party symbol from Mr. Prasad and other family members in one of such social media post. Mr. Jai Prakash is the likely RJD candidate from Banka. Names of candidates for various other seats have also come out.
Also on Friday, one of the three Left parties part of the Mahagathbandhan, the Communist Party of India (CPI), announced three-time MLA from Bachhwara Assembly constituency in Begusarai, Awadhesh Kumar Rai, as candidate for the Begusarai LS seat. The announcement came after CPI national general secretary D. Raja met Mr. Prasad earlier in the day. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the CPI’s candidate, former Jawaharlal Nehru University Student’s Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar, was defeated by BJP candidate Giriraj Singh by over 2 lakh votes. Mr. Kumar now has joined the Congress and his name was doing rounds as the Mahagathbandhan candidate from Begusarai but CPI seemingly scuttled his chances by announcing the candidature of Mr. Rai in the traditional CPI stronghold.
Meanwhile, the name of BJP Rajya Sabha member Rakesh Sinha is being spoken about as potential National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from Begusarai alongside Mr. Giriraj Singh. Mr. Sinha hails from Manserpur village under Balia panchayat of Begusarai district.
