Patna, Oct 8 : For decades, Bihar was known as a state where the neta- gangster nexus was a winning combination for elections.However, that is not the case anymore and strongmen have become political pariahs.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will decide the fate of ‘bahubalis’ (strongmen)like Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Anand Mohan Singh among others and Hina Sahab the widow of late Mohammad Shahabuddin.
These ‘bahubalis’ were well known in Seemanchal, Kosi and Siwan districts in the 1990s, and were facing a number of criminal charges, including for murder.
However, the situation is now changing in Bihar and those very political parties which used to accommodate gangsters in the past are now trying to maintain distance from them.
As a result, strongmen or their family members are planning to contest the Lok Sabha elections on their own, and not with the support of prominent political parties like the BJP, RJD or the JD(U).
Pappu Yadav, a four-time MP who was facing charges for the murder of Leftist leader Ajit Sarkar in 1990 before being acquitted in the case, has announced that he will contest elections from Purnea Lok Sabha constituency which comes under the Seemanchal region.
Pappu Yadav’s outfit, the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) has done good work for the people of Bihar, especially during the pandemic, in a bid to give his image a makeover.
“I always talk about development and provide help to the poor people of the state.I was never involved in Hindu-Muslim politics and I have a bond of brotherhood with you.During the pandemic, when thousands of people were trapped in Kota and other places of the country, I ensured their safe passage back home to Bihar,” Yadav said recently after announcing his decision to fight the Lok Sabha elections from Purnea.
Despite Pappu Yadav’s desperate bid to whitewash his image, the RJD and the JD(U) refused to make him a part of the Mahagathbandhan, and finally the strongman was forced to go his own way.
Similarly, Anand Mohan Singh, the strongman of Saharsa in Kosi region of Bihar was convicted in the Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah lynching case of 1994 and was recently released from jail after the Nitish Kumar government changed the jail manual.
He met the Bihar Chief Minister recently but what transpired during the closed door meeting with Nitish Kumar remains under wraps.
However, sources say that Anand Mohan Singh wants a JD(U) ticket for his wife Lovely Anand from Saharsa or Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency.Whether he will be successful in his endeavour or not, only time will tell.
Hina Sahab, the wife of slain strongman-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin on Friday hinted that she would contest the Lok Sabha election from Siwan.
“Every person in Siwan is a part of my family and if they would like me to contest the Lok Sabha election in 2024, I will go for it,” Hina Sahab said.
The Shahabuddin family comes into the limelight during every election in Siwan.Shahabuddin himself was a two-time MLA and four-time MP from Siwan.
He was facing many criminal charges, including the gruesome murders of three brothers with acid.He was very close to Lalu Prasad Yadav and held the number two position in the RJD during the Rabri Devi government’s rule till 2005.
Hina Sahab contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, 2014 and 2019 and lost each time.Interestingly, this happened at a time when Shahabuddin was still alive and in jail for numerous murder cases.
After Shahabuddin’s death the family of Lalu Prasad Yadav started maintaining distance from his family.In fact, Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav did not even go for his burial to Delhi.
Interestingly, Chirag Paswan met Hina Sahab and her son Osama Sahab recently, but he has also not announced that he would be giving her a party ticket.Chirag Paswan just said that he has old family ties with Shahabuddin and Hina Sahab and hence he went there to meet her.
Bigger parties like the RJD and the JD(U) know that the tag of ‘Jungle Raj’ is the biggest issue in Bihar and because of it the RJD has been out of power since 2005.It may be an alliance partner in the Bihar government but it has not been able to come back to power on its own since 2005.
Tejashwi Yadav is now leading the RJD and he does not want to carry the burden of the ‘Jungle Raj’ tag that his father and mother carried from 1990 to 2005.Hence, the entry of Pappu Yadav or Hina Sahab is next to impossible in the RJD right now.
The JD(U)’s ‘Sushasan Babu’, Nitish Kumar, too, wants to retain his clean image and hence he has not given any indication that he wants to include Anand Mohan in the party.
Sources say that Nitish Kumar may use Anand Mohan as a ‘Vote Katwa’ to hurt the BJP as the strongman belongs to the Rajput caste which is loyal to the BJP in Bihar.
The leaders of the RJD and the JD(U) know too well that if they give tickets to Pappu Yadav, Anand Mohan or Hina Sahab, they would give the BJP the stick of‘Jungle Raj’ to beat them with.
On its part, even the BJP does not accept any such leader who is capable of dominating at the state or central level in the organisation.
However, the fact remains that though Pappu Yadav, Anand Mohan and Hina Sahab may not be accepted by the mainstream political parties, they still have sizable vote banks in their respective regions.They may not win elections on their own but they are very capable of playing the role of ‘Vote Katwa’ to hurt the candidates of major political parties.
ajk/rad
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