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In Bihar, first family comes first
If Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav?s relations have their way, the party?s list of candidates could turn out to be a family affair.
If Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav’s relations have their way, the party’s list of candidates for the general elections could turn out to be a family affair. Three brothers-in-law and a nephew want nominations.
One of chief minister Rabri Devi’s brothers, Subhash Yadav, is not content with his seat in Bihar’s legislative council, he wants to go to the Lok Sabha. That’s not all Subhash wants — he also wants his nomination from the prestigious Patna constituency. But he has a fight on his hands. Former MP Ram Kripal Yadav is also making a pitch for the constituency.
Many party workers feel Ram Kripal would be the better choice because he has a cleaner image as well as a mass base. Ram Kripal is keeping a low profile, while Subhash is running a high-velocity campaign for the nomination.
But there’s a catch. There are rumours that Laloo Prasad’s nephew, Nagendra Rai, also wants the Patna nomination, though he denies this. He admits that he wants to join mainstream politics soon, and says he wants the Vaishali nomination when he gets into the fray.
Subhash’s younger brother Sadhu, who is already an MLA, also wants a ticket to the Capital — from Gopalganj. But he has strong competition. Senior leader Abdul Ghafoor might get the nomination, party leaders say.
Also in the fray is Raghunath Jha, who held the Gopalganj seat in the dissolved Lok Sabha. He has recently joined the RJD.
The eldest brother-in-law, Prabhunath, also wants the Gopalganj nomination. But he is very much the dark horse, with a track record in politics is more or less non-existent.
