Lalu shortlists candidates, may field daughter Rohini from Saran Lok Sabha seat
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.
Singaporebased 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.
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 threetime 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.