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Journalism of Courage
Almost three years after his death, strongman Mohammed Shahabuddin continues to wield influence in the Siwan Lok Sabha seat of Bihar, a region which gave India its first President Dr Rajendra Prasad and became synonymous with notoriety during the 1990s and early 2000s.
However, will that translate into votes for his wife Heena Sahab is the question. Heena lost the last three elections from Siwan, which votes on May 25. But this time there is a difference: it is the first election since the death of Shahabuddin in May 2021, while still in Tihar Jail, where he was imprisoned following conviction in over half-a-dozen cases, including kidnap and murder.
Shahabuddin was the Siwan MP four times between 1996 and 2009. After his conviction, Heena was fielded by the RJD in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, but lost to Independent Om Prakash Yadav. In 2014, Om Prakash, now a BJP candidate, again defeated Heena, fielded again by the RJD. In 2019, Heena again tasted defeat on the RJD ticket, this time at the hands of the JD(U)’s Kavita Singh.
This time, Heena is in the fray as an Independent from Siwan, taking on former Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary of the RJD and Vijayalakshmi Devi of the JD(U). The latter two are new to the seat, further spicing up the Siwan contest.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Heena says, “I am only saying that I am a daughter of Siwan. People have tried others and now they should give me an opportunity (to serve them).”
The JD(U) dropped its sitting MP Kavita Singh, belonging to the Rajput community and the wife of bahubali leader Ajay Singh, to field Vijaylakshmi, a local Kushwaha leader and the wife of former MLA Ramesh Kushwaha.
Ramesh was previously associated with the CPI(ML), the Left outfit with a significant presence in the region till Shahabuddin’s rise. A member of the Rashtriya Lok Manch (RLM), founded by prominent Kushwaha leader Upendra Kushwaha, he only recently crossed over to the JD(U).
The RJD, on the other hand, dropped Heena to field Choudhary, a Yadav, who is believed to have enjoyed Shahabuddin’s patronage. Choudhary says he is determined to keep his campaign positive. “I am talking about what our leader Tejashwi Yadav has done for the youth. He has given them over four lakh jobs. Our supremo Lalu Prasad is the champion of social justice,” he says at a public meeting in Siwan.
However, Heena’s presence means both the RJD and JD(U) are nervous about their electoral calculations. Rakesh Singh, a Rajput voter in Darounda, gives Heena a good chance. “She is still popular among Muslims and a section of the non-OBC Yadavs, Dalits and upper castes, while the JD(U) is banking solely on the Narendra Modi factor. Also, the NDA’s Rajput voter base is upset over the denial of a ticket to Kavita. We also remember that Shahabuddin always stood by us in our long fight against CPI(ML) cadre.”
Vijaylakshmi believes people will look past that and vote for the NDA for development. “Modi has introduced many welfare schemes for women. Our leader Nitish Kumar has done a lot for women empowerment over the last 18 years,” she says.
Siwan has an electorate of around 18 lakh. Apart from around 3.5 lakh upper caste votes, including two lakh from the Rajput community, the constituency has around 3.25 lakh Muslim voters and about 2.5 lakh Yadav voters. Kushwahas and other Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) make up 1.25 lakh and 2.5 lakh votes respectively.
Keeping this arithmetic in mind, Heena has spent a significant amount of time in areas where upper castes are seen to be concentrated even as her rivals have restricted their campaigns mostly to urban-centric areas. On May 16, Heena campaigned in Darounda, mostly in Rajput and EBC-dominated areas. She then criss-crossed through Janipur, Izra and Siswakalan villages before reaching Padadi-Bhesauda village.
In the Darounda Assembly, indications of Ajay Singh turning rebel are seemingly clear as his elder brother Vijay has been campaigning with Heena. The Assembly segment was previously represented by their mother Jagmato Devi, and is currently the only one of the six under the Siwan Lok Sabha constituency held by the NDA.
The RJD holds three (Siwan, Raghunathpur and Barharia) while the CPI(ML) holds two (Ziradei and Darauli).
At a stopover in Rai Ke Bangara, Heena, who has polished her oratory skills, tells voters: “I come from a family that does not take vows or make promises but just delivers. The slogan – Mohammed Shahabuddin zindabad – is enough to keep me going.”
