North India Statesman
News India Live, Digital Desk: The stage for the next political battle has started in Saran, one of the hottest seats of Bihar, which we also know as Chhapra. To break into this impenetrable fort of veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is now preparing to make a move which can create an earthquake in the politics of Bihar. The news is that RJD, superstar of Bhojpuri cinema Khesari Lal Yadav Can make Ko as its candidate from Saran.
The news of Khesari’s entry has completely heated up the political equations of Chapra. This is not just a strategy to field a celebrity, but there is a deep game of caste mathematics hidden behind it, in which a ‘rebel’ leader can also play an important role.
What does RJD expect from Khesari?
Saran Lok Sabha constituency is considered Yadav and Rajput dominated, and the entire political game hinges on this.
- Yadav grip on vote bank: Khesari Lal Yadav comes from Yadav community. RJD believes that with the arrival of Khesari, about 4 lakh Yadav voters of the area will completely unite in favor of the party, which is also the core vote bank of RJD.
- Magic of Stardom: Khesari Lal Yadav is not just a leader of one caste, but a superstar whose fan following is among the youth in every class and caste. RJD hopes that Khesari’s stardom will attract votes of other communities, especially extremely backward (EBC) and youth, apart from Yadav votes.
How will caste equation work?
Saran’s election mathematics is very interesting.
- Yadav Voter: About 4 lakhs. (RJD’s biggest base)
- Rajput Voter: Around 3.5 lakhs. (BJP’s strong base due to Rajiv Pratap Rudy)
- Vaishya Voter: Around 2.5 lakhs. (Traditionally considered a BJP voter)
- Other: Apart from this, there is also a good number of Brahmin, Bhumihar and Muslim voters, who can change the course of any election.
Till now, Rajiv Pratap has been winning here with the help of Rudy Rajput votes and strong support of Vaishya votes. RJD’s plan is that if Khesari Yadav wins the votes outright and Muslim and EBC votes are added to it, then the contest will become very tough.
Rebel leader Rakhi Gupta can spoil BJP’s ‘game’
There is another big twist in this whole equation- Rakhi GuptaRakhi Gupta, who comes from Vaishya community, is a rebel leader of BJP. In the last elections, he had shown his strength by contesting as an independent candidate. Even if she contests in the next elections, she can create big trouble for BJP.
Rakhi Gupta can make a big dent in BJP’s traditional Vaishya vote bank. If this happens, BJP’s votes will be divided, which can directly benefit the RJD candidate. RJD’s strategy is this: on one hand strengthen the Khesari Yadav-Muslim-EBC equation, and on the other hand cut into Rakhi Gupta BJP’s votes.
So what will happen to Rohini Acharya?
Amidst this political turmoil, the biggest question that arises is what will happen to Dr. Rohini Acharya, the current MP of RJD and daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav? There has been no official statement from RJD in this regard, but it is being discussed in the political circles that in view of the results of the last elections and the changing caste equation, the party is looking for a face who can give a tough competition to Rajiv Pratap Rudy in his stronghold.
Overall, the discussion on the name of Khesari Lal Yadav has made the politics of Chhapra very interesting. Now it remains to be seen how successful this ‘superstar’ move of RJD is and whether it will be able to penetrate one of the strongest forts of BJP or not.
