Faced with a strong disapproval of his candidate among his own community in this Yadav citadel, RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav today made a last-ditch effort to win over the voters of Madhepura.‘‘They are all trying to snatch the government from us,’’ Laloo said to his audience in an appeal necessitated by the large-scale dissent against the RJD candidate, Siyaram Yadav, from the constituency.Siyaram, a watchman who made it big in the last decade by starting a dance troupe that is accused of promoting obscenity, was Laloo’s surprise for the voters here. But the RJD chief fears his decision may prove costly for the party now that a large number of Madhepura’s Yadavs — who take pride in their educational and intellectual achievements — have refused to accept Siyaram as their leader.‘‘Your vote is for me, Laloo Yadav. The candidate is not important, the government is,’’ he said.Laloo’s appeal seemed to have worked, going by the response from the massive crowd at Gellarh village, 30 km away from the town.‘‘Laloo has given us a voice and the dignity to live. And I will vote for him not for 15 years, but all my life,’’ Giridhar Yadav, 70, says. ‘‘We can’t care less about what he has not given us. Nobody will anyway give us anything. I still struggle for my day’s food but nobody dares humiliate me now, thanks to Laloo,’’ another pitches in.At the end, most of them agreed with Laloo it was the RJD’s election symbol, the lantern, that mattered and not the candidate. However, the sentiment was not quite universal. There were still some who disagreed with Laloo. ‘‘By giving a ticket to someone like Siyaram, Laloo has compromised the honour and dignity of our community,’’ says Ramadhar Mandal, a lawyer. ‘‘This place has had leaders like B.P. Mandal, and look what Laloo is contributing to the Yadavs,’’ he fumes. M.N. Mandal, son of B.P. Mandal of the Mandal Commission, is the JD(U) candidate in Madhepura.The dance troupes are looked down upon by many here as an inferior profession, and RJD MP from Madhepura, Pappu Yadav, has gone as far as to say that Laloo is ‘‘giving tickets to pimps’’. Pappu’s wife Ranjita Ranjan is campaigning for an Independent candidate, Prof Chandrashekhar, here.But the man at the centre of the controversy is hardly bothered. ‘‘I have been a worker of the party ever since its formation and people are supporting me,’’ says Siyaram.RJD has replaced its sitting MLA, Rajendra Yadav, in Madhepura to beat the anti-incumbency wave but that doesn’t seem to have paid off. Of the five Assembly segments in the district, the RJD had won four in 2000, but this time the party looks set for a tough battle. Formidable Independents, after having been denied RJD tickets, are harming the party’s prospects in Uda Kishanganj, Alam Nagar, Kumar Khand constituencies of the district.Last week, disgruntled RJD supporters burnt effigies of Laloo and CM Rabri Devi in Madhepura. ‘‘Even when Laloo Prasad lost the Lok Sabha elections in 1999 from Madhepura, there was no popular anger against him. Things are different this time around,’’ says Chandan Yadav.In an effort to calm the ruffled feathers here, Laloo said: ‘‘I am also human and may have erred. Some have got tickets, some have not, but vote only for RJD.Trust me.’’
