PATNA: For voters of Bihar’s Saran Lok Sabha constituency (Chapra before 2008 delimitation), the contest between RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad’s family and BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy is nothing new. In the past two polls, it was a direct fight between Rudy and RJD candidates linked to the Lalu family. In 2014, Rudy trounced Lalu’s wife and ex-Bihar CM Rabri Devi by 40,000 votes while in 2019, he sent Chandrika Rai, father-in-law of Lalu’s son Tej Pratap Yadav, packing, raising his margin to 1.38 lakh votes.
This time, there is a lot of interest in the Saran joust as Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya is making her electoral debut. A medical doctor, Rohini is settled in Singapore. She was in the news in 2022 when she donated one of her kidneys to her ailing dad, an act that won her praise even from Lalu’s rivals.
To return the favour, Lalu is working hard to get Rohini elected. Despite health issues, he has addressed a number of rallies and held meetings with RJD cadre. He has deeper connect in the constituency, which he represented four times till he was disqualified in 2013 following his conviction in the fodder scam.
Rohini has an uphill task to defeat Rudy, a veteran who has worked with both Atal Bihari and Narendra Modi as a Union minister. But the Lalu scion is confident. “I am not a novice. I am aware of what’s happening in Bihar. I have learnt the nuances of politics from my father, who is also my political guru,” she told this paper.
As for Rudy, he is showcasing his work for the region besides riding on the Modi image. But he acknowledges the Lalu factor. “It’s not Rohini in the fray. The real opponent is Lalu, who is fighting from behind the scenes,” Rudy said.
Rohini is relying on RJD’s traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank and EBCs. She has the daunting task of carrying forward her father’s legacy. But Saran’s political landscape is no longer the same as during the Lalu reign.