RJD fields Lalu Prasad’s wife Rabri, daughter for Lok Sabha elections
Rabri Devi will contest from her husband's bastion Saran while Misa Bharti will be fielded from Pataliputra
Patna: In its first list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Thursday decided to field supremo Lalu Prasad’s wife Rabri Devi and eldest daughter Misa Bharti from Saran and Pataliputra constituencies.
In the first list of 25 candidates released on Thursday, Rabri Devi, a former chief minister, seeks to retain her husband’s bastion in Saran which he had to vacate after being convicted in the fodder scam last year.
The surprise element in the list was Misa Bharti. Though her candidature has come as a major surprise to one and all within the RJD and outside, Prasad said the decision was taken on popular demand from his supporters and the voters of that constituency. “Maine parivar ko ticket dene ka dushsahas kiya hai (I have dared to give tickets to my family members)," he said.
To woo his traditional support base of Yadavs and Muslims, Prasad has given tickets to eight candidates from his caste and six from the minority community.
From Madhubani parliamentary seat, which was a bone of contention between RJD and Congress till inking of seat-sharing agreement on Wednesday, Prasad has fielded the party’s prominent Muslim face Abdul Bari Siddique, who is the leader of the RJD legislature party in the assembly.
Journalist Pragati Mehta, a political greenhorn, would contest from Munger while former minister in the Nitish Kumar government Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha from Ara Lok Sabha seat.
Kushwaha, a senior JD(U) leader, joined the RJD on Thursday evening. Former union ministers A.A. Fatmi and Md. Taslimuddin will contest from Darbhanga and Araria respectively.
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