After 3 years, Shahabuddin’s wife returns to RJD with son Osama

Hena walked out of the RJD after the death of her husband in 2021. She contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate from Siwan and finished as the first runner-up ahead of RJD candidate Awadh Bihari Choudhary. Her candidature divided votes, making it easier for JD(U)’s Vijay Lakshmi Kushwaha to win the seat by a margin of over 90,000 votes.

Hena has lost from Siwan four times since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Before her, Shahabuddin had represented the seat four times till 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

“They (Hena and Osama) would help us fight strongly against communal forces… BJP and RSS… Late Shahabuddin was a founder member of RJD formed in 1997. Now that his family is back with us, it would further strengthen the party,” Lalu told mediapersons at his 10, Circular Road residence in Patna.

Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav also welcomed Hena and Osama to the RJD and said their presence would immensely benefit the party.

Hena, sources said, is now looking forward to the 2025 Assembly polls in which her son is most likely to contest. An RJD leader said, “With BJP leader Giriraj Singh raising pitch of Hindu consolidation with his recent Hindu Swabhiman yatra, and new political entrant Jan Suraaj Party of Prashant Kishor looking to split Muslim votes, the RJD has to look for consolidation of Muslim votes. Hena Shahab may not be able to regain her husband’s political turf, but she is still a force to reckon with.” The leader said Hena would influence Muslim votes in neighbouring districts of Gopalganj and Siwan in the 2025 Assembly polls.

Hena reportedly fell out with the RJD in 2020 when some of her candidates were not given tickets from Siwan constituencies in the Assembly polls that year. The RJD too faced a Catch-22 situation with Siwan witnessing Muslim versus Yadav battle as against his tested Muslim-Yadav (MY) combination elsewhere.

Siwan strongman Shahabuddin dominated the politics of the region from early 1990s till 2004. His influence started dwindling following his convictions in over half a dozen cases after 2008. He was disqualified from contesting the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, prompting the RJD to field Hena from the Siwan Lok Sabha seat. She lost the election to Independent candidate Om Prakash Yadav. In 2014, Om Prakash, then a BJP candidate, again defeated RJD candidate Hena. In 2019, Hena again tasted defeat on the RJD ticket, this time at the hands of JD(U)’s Kavita Singh.