PATNA: Patna's RJD MP Ram Kripal Yadav may not contest the coming Lok Sabha polls with his party chief Lalu Prasad himself intending to contest from
Pataliputra constituency. Former RJD MP Vijay Singh Yadav has gone on record to say that Lalu will contest from Pataliputra as well as from Saran which the railway minister currently represents in the Lok Sabha. Ram Kripal, one of the most vocal MPs in the Lok Sabha and one of the most accessible persons in Bihar politics, is reported to have turned down the party offer to contest from Patna Saheb. The RJD is now toying with the idea of fielding a leading physician of the city from Patna Saheb, the constituency from where the BJP is likely to field cine star Shatrughan Sinha. The sudden `exit' of the sitting MP from the poll scene has left his followers hurt. "If leaders like Kanti Singh, Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav and Raghunath Jha can be accommodated, why not Ram Kripal Yadav?" one of them asked and added Ram Kripal stood by Lalu both in good times and bad times. The reluctance of the Patna MP to contest from Patna Saheb is quite understandable. The Patna Saheb Lok Sabha seat is an overwhelmingly urban constituency in which 12 lakh voters live in the urban area and just four lakh in the rural areas. The caste composition of the constituency also makes it an unsafe seat for the RJD with Kayasthas, Bhumihars, Brahmins, Rajputs, Kurmis, Koeris and Baniyas dominating this new constituency. Even while winning the Patna seat, Ram Kripal led only in the three rural segments - Bikram, Danapur and Phulwarisharif, and trailed in the urban segments of the constituency. The three Assembly segments where Ram Kripal used to maintain comfortable lead have now been included in the new Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency. While Ram Kripal's supporters ruled out the possibility of their leader revolting against the party leadership, some of the party heavyweights expressed surprise over Lalu's move to contest from Pataliputra at the cost of Ram Kripal. "The anti-RJD forces will resort to aggressive voting if Lalu contests from Pataliputra. They may not be that aggressive against Ram Kripal because of his accessibility to all sections of the society," said a senior RJD leader. Party sources said Lalu has promised to vacate one seat for Ram Kripal if, of course, he wins from both the constituency. But that, as of now, appears to be a small consolation for the Patna MP's supporters.
Source : The Times Of India
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