In the heart of Bihar's political arena, Lalu Yadav's family has been the stronghold. In these Lok Sabha elections, Lalu remains at the helm of the opposition alliance. His daughter Rohini Acharya marks her electoral debut, challenging for the Saran seat. Her opponent is BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy, known for previously defeating Lalu but losing to Rabri Devi, setting the stage for an intense contest.
Starting his political journey from Taraiya in 1990, Rudy stepped into the Lok Sabha fray from this bastion of Lalu in 1996, triumphing during an era when Lalu was the undisputed power center of Bihar's politics. Despite BJP's trust in Rudy in 1998 elections, Hiralal Rai reclaimed the seat for RJD. However, Rudy bounced back in 1999, making his way to the Lok Sabha once again.
Source: aajtak
In 2004, looking to reclaim his lost stronghold, Lalu himself contested from the Saran (formerly Chapra) seat and bested BJP's Rudy by nearly 60,000 votes. Despite Lalu's victorious run in 2009, the scenario changed dramatically in 2014 when his conviction in the fodder scam barred him from elections. Stepping into the fray, his wife Rabri Devi didn’t manage to secure a win against Rudy.
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While Lalu canvassed, rallying leaders and activists, the results tilted towards Rudy, who defeated Rabri Devi by a margin of 40,948 votes. The 2019 elections saw Rudy against Lalu's kin, Chandrika Rai. Rudy emerged victorious with a significant lead of 138,429 votes.
Source: aajtak
Rudy has faced off against Lalu Yadav twice, Rabri Devi once, and Lalu’s relative Chandrika Rai. With elections against these family members, Rudy faltered against Lalu but hasn't lost to any other family relative.
Rudy-Lalu's Record Standoff
The Saran Lok Sabha constituency, formerly known as Chapra, holds an interesting record. Both Rudy and Lalu have represented this seat four times each in Parliament. Lalu held the seat in 1977, 1989, 2004, and 2009; while Rudy represented it in 1996, 1999, 2014, and 2019.
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With Lalu stepping away from electoral politics, Rudy seeks his fifth term from this seat. Facing him is Lalu's daughter, Rohini Acharya. Will she follow in her father's footsteps to defeat Rudy, or will she be added to the list with Rabri Devi and Chandrika Rai? June 4th will reveal the verdict. For now, Rohini's candidacy has turned the Saran seat into Bihar's hotspot.
