In Hajipur, Paswan's legacy under challenge from Lalu's RJD

Neither of them are in fray in Hajipur parliamentary seat but LJP chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and RJD chief Lalu Prasad's influence hangs heavy over the Bihar constituency and the fight there is, in essence, between them.

Undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Ranchi after convicted and sentences in fodder scam cases, Lalu Prasad is hundreds of miles away from Hajipur and Paswan is not contesting the polls - for the first time since 1977. But it is their popularity that will help their respective party candidate to get elected.

While the Lok Janshakti Party has fielded Paswan's younger brother Pasupati Kumar Paras, a Bihar Minister and LJP's state President, from the constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes, the RJD party candidate is sitting legislator Shiv Chandra Ram.

Paswan, who won Hajipur for the first time in 1977 with a margin of 4.24 lakh votes - a feat that established a Guinness World Record, had contested nine times from the constituency subsequently and lost only twice.

In 1984, he was uprooted in the Congress wave in wake of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and in 2009, defeated by former Bihar Chief Minister and veteran socialist leader Ram Sundar Das.

Das had won the seat in 1991 too, when Paswan had shifted to the Rosera constituency. He was Paswan's principal rival in Hajipur until his death in 2015.

Paswan's brother Paras is banking on name, fame and image of his elder brother among people, particularly in his Paswan caste, who have sizeable population as well as the upper caste and extremely backward class support base of allies Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-United, respectively.

"Paras' advantage is Paswan as he is banking heavily on his brother's charisma. He has no personal connect with Hajipur... it is a disadvantage for him," Mahendra Kumar Singh, a retired government school teacher, said.

On the other hand, RJD's Ram, who is the sitting legislator from Raja Pakar assembly segment of Hajipur, is banking on Lalu Prasad's loyal support base among his castemen Yadavs, who have a sizeable population there, followed by support of Muslims, and Dalits, particularly those of the Ravidas, Mallah and Kushwaha communities.

For Ram, it is a plus point that the RJD won three of six assembly seats that comprise the Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency in the 2015 Assembly polls.

And besides that, the other two sitting RJD legislators are none other than Lalu Prasad's sons Tej Pratap Yadav (Mahua) and Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur). Raghopur was earlier represented by Lalu Prasad's wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi.

It now remains to be seen who will support of the people in Hajipur in his absence of Paswan - whether brother Paras will take forward his legacy or Ram will strike a chord in the name of Lalu Prasad.

Hajipur will go to polls on May 6 in the fifth phase of the elections.

--IANS

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