Nitish’s 88-yr-old leaves Paswan smiling

“At 88,Ram Sunder Das,the oldest candidate in the fray from Bihar,hardly impresses anyone,” says Pankaj Kumar,adding that Nitish’s reasoning might have been that Das won from Hajipur in 1991 when Paswan stayed away. In the election that followed,he had given Paswan a close race,losing by just over 46,000 votes — a credible performance in a constituency known to return the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader by margins of lakhs.

However,Das is a also a three-time losing candidate from Hajipur — in 1998 by 1.86 lakh votes (to Paswan),and in 1999 (5,027 votes) and 2004 (14,801 votes) as a Samajwadi Janta Party (Rashtriya) candidate. “He is doing well in some pockets only as Nitish Kumar’s man,” Kumar says.

Says Shyam Kishore Singh of Ghatoro village,along the Hajipur-Lalganj road: “We are caught between two development men — Ram Vilas Paswan and Nitish Kumar. Had there been a young and fresh JD(U) face here,the fight would have been interesting.”

Realising the Nitish factor,the LJP president has put a brave front,publicly talking of “improving my record” and of the contest being only a “Paswan versus Paswan” fight. “I do respect Das but he is not a fit opponent at 88,” Paswan says.

However,the nervousness shows in his vigorous campaigns,and the decision to fly in budding actor-son Chirag for roadshows. He talks of his father’s promise of getting light to every Dalit home,and as he pays whistle-stop tours around the Dalit villages,many voters are impressed. “See,we will have a Bollywood hero in Chirag from the Dalit community of Bihar,” says one.

Paswan has been trying hard to win over the support of the upper caste,especially Rajputs and Brahmins who have 2.75 lakh votes. Of the 12.84 lakh voters in the constituency,the Extremely Backward Class and Scheduled Caste have 4.7 lakh votes. There are 1.25 lakh Muslim voters,followed by 90,000 Paswan and 86,00 Ravidas voters. The Hajipur parliamentary seat comprises Hajipur,Mahnar,Rajapakad (earlier Jandaha),Mahua,Lalganj and Raghopur.

While the Congress too is in the race,with Dasai Choudhary,few give the party any chance. “It is more or less between Paswan and Das here. It will be interesting to see if Das can narrow Paswan’s margin of victory,” says Sunil Kumar Yadav.

Paswan was instrumental in bringing a railways zonal office to Hajipur,besides getting the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) and an upcoming steel factory at Mahnar,he says.

Interestingly,there is some disappointment about Paswan’s decision to align with Lalu Prasad Yadav,with his supporters refusing to consider the national perspective. “He does not need Lalu to win. He is a record-maker on his own. We are a bit disappointed at the LJP tying up with the Rashtriya Janata Dal,” says Pankaj Kumar,a Hajipur resident.

But Paswan is drawing heart from the huge numbers turning up for his rallies. Last week,seeing the numbers at Jandaha,he beamed: “I am overwhelmed… They are all my people.”