Saran's High-Profile Clash: BJP's Incumbent MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy Vs RJD's Rohini Acharya Yadav

For the fourth time in a row, incumbent MP of Saran and three-time parliamentarian, Rajiv Pratap Rudy faces a member of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav’s clan for the Saran parliamentarian seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

All the way back in 2009, BJP member Rudy faced political stalwart Lalu Prasad himself in the race to win the Saran (formerly known as Chapra) Lok Sabha seat. However, the people chose RJD over the saffron party. In 2014, Rudy’s opponent was Lalu Prasad’s wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, who lost the seat by a margin of 40,000 votes.

In the subsequent election, Rudy again defeated RJD’s Chandrika Roy, the father-in-law of Lalu’s son, Tej Pratap Yadav. With a substantial margin of 1.38 lakh votes, Rudy won a second term.

Eyeing a hat-trick, Rudy is pitted against Lalu’s daughter, Rohini Acharya Yadav, although the former claims that his fight is with Lalu Prasad and not Rohini. Rudy, an active airline pilot, claims that Lalu Prasad is “obsessed” with nominating his family members against the sitting MP to see him defeated. “His daughter is like my daughter,’ the BJP candidate told The Hindu while referring to Rohini.

RJD’s Rohini Acharya, who made headlines for donating her kidney to an ailing father, was based in Singapore before she moved here recently. She has the support of notable political figures from her family – Tejashwi, Lalu Prasad, and Rabri Devi – who have been canvassing the grounds. Rohini has also made an impression with her sharp criticism of PM Modi and his ruling government, as well as the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar.

When it comes to the people of Saran, there is widespread anger towards Rudy, who is considered to be inaccessible. The locals complain of a lack of development in terms of no proper education or healthcare and a lack of sanitation and sewage facilities in Saran. Additionally, sand mining, once the biggest generator of wealth in the region, has been shut down and moved to Arrah, reports The Wire.

At the same time, caste plays a crucial role in Bihar politics, with dominant groups including Yadavs, Bhumihars, Vaishyas, Kushwahas, Rajputs, and more having a strong influence on the electoral results. While the RJD aims for the non-Yadav OBC votes by highlighting the plaguing unemployment and development issues, the BJP banks on the Modi brand since Rudy remains unpopular among the locals.