Date: 
17.09.2010

The assembly polls in Bihar are inching nearer and parties have put on their thinking caps as they draw up the list of candidates.

But for all their claims of "clean politics" and that they would not let any person with a criminal background contest elections, it's a given that tainted candidates would take the field in several constituencies, cutting across party lines.

Leading the list is the ruling Janata Dal (United) or the JD (U), which is set to add to its candidate list the names of a number of criminals-or their kin, in case they have been debarred from contesting elections.

Most of these bahubalis (strongmen) are known to wield considerable clout in their respective constituencies.

Take the case of sitting legislators such as Vijay Kumar Shukla (better known as Munna Shukla) and Ranvijay Kumar.

Both are lodged in jail in connection with different murder cases but that is unlikely to act as an impediment in their assembly poll ambitions.

Shukla, who represents Lalganj in the state assembly, was sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Brij Bihari Prasad, a minister during the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rule. Brother of slain Muzaffarpur gang lord Chotan Shukla, he was earlier awarded a life-term for allegedly lynching Gopalganj district magistrate G. Krishnaiyyah but was later acquitted by the Patna High Court.

Knowing that he would not be able to contest the polls because of his conviction, Shukla has already issued an "open letter" to the electorate of his constituency to elect his wife, Annu Shukla, in his place.

"My wife Annu is a confirmed JD (U) nominee from Lalganj. Please vote for her and support her just the way you have backed me," he wrote from the Hajipur district jail.

Shukla announced his wife's candidature even before the JD (U) could release its first list of candidates. Then again, given Shukla's clout in the area, the party may not be in a position to deny a ticket to his wife, political observers said.

The JD (U) also has to chew over the fate of Goh MLA Ranvijay Kumar, who has been in jail for the past three years in connection with a murder case.

Then there are bahubali MLAs such as Anant Singh and Manoranjan Singh Dhumal and Sunil Pandey-all with a slew of criminal cases lodged against them.

Singh, on his part, seems to have it for granted that he would be getting a party ticket from Mokama. So confident is he that the JD (U) cannot afford to replace him from the seat that he has already started his poll campaign in his constituency. He spends more time in Mokama than Patna now and has also launched a number of welfare projects, shortly before the model code of conduct came into force.

On the other hand, Dhumal, the JD (U)' s Baniapur legislator, is the alleged kingpin of a kidnappers' gang but was released from prison on bail a few months ago. Dhumal has no reason to lose sleep over his ticket either, for he is known to be close to chief minister Nitish Kumar.

But the party's biggest dilemma is bound to be Piro MLA Sunil Pandey.

Pandey was suspended from the JD (U) after he threatened some media men in a drunken state at a posh hotel in 2006. He was also sentenced for life in the neurosurgeon Dr Ramesh Chandra abduction case by a lower court. Recently, however, the high court acquitted him. But other criminal cases remain.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad is especially curious to see if Nitish gives a ticket to Pandey, scoffing on the CM's claim that they would field only clean candidates.

But it's not like the RJD is practising what it's preaching.

Tainted legislators such as Surendra Prasad Yadav and Rajesh Roshan alias Bablu Dev find themselves on the RJD's list of likely candidates.

The party will also probably field Heena Shahab, the wife of jailed former MP Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Lalu's ally, Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, has no qualms in giving tickets to politicians with criminal antecedents or their kin, either.

Controversial MLA from Mahnar Rama Kishore Singh will get a ticket, and so will Veena Singh, the wife of former MP Suraj Bhan.

The BJP's sitting MLA from Hajipur, Nityanand Rai, has also been accused in a murder case.

The Congress has of late been harping on its resolve to refuse tickets to tainted elements. But it apparently has a different opinion about the kin of bahubalis . Lovely Anand and Ranjita Ranjan, wives of jailed leaders Anand Mohan and Pappu Yadav respectively, are strong contenders for the party tickets in the assembly polls. So is Sadhu Yadav, Lalu Prasad's brother-in-law.

City: 
Patna
Source url: 
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-parties-fall-back-on-crooks/1/112956.html
Author: 
Giridhar Jha
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