The RJD on Saturday received a shot in the arm when former JD(U) MLA Ajay Pratap (L) joined the Lalu Prasad Yadav party.
Ajay joined the RJD at a poll rally organised in favour of the its candidate from the Jamui Lok Sabha constituency Archana Ravidas. Former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also addressed the gathering. Ajay is brother of a minister in the Nitish cabinet, Sumit Kumar Singh, an Independent MLA. Their father and former minister Narendra Singh had influence in Jamui. Ajay belongs to the upper Rajput caste, which has a sizeable population there.
With Ajay joining the RJD, the party candidate from the Jamui Lok Sabha constituency, Ravidas is likely to get Rajput votes. From NDA, LJP(R) chief and MP from Jamui Chirag Paswan has fielded his brother-in-law Arun Bharti.
BJP MLA Shreyashi Singh, who is daughter of former union minister late Digvijay Singh, another prominent Rajput, is also striving hard to woo upper caste votes in Jamui, going to the polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha election.
At the poll rally, Tejashwi contended that RJD chief Lalu Prasad had fielded a local candidate from Jamui. He alleged on the other hand, the NDA had converted Jamui Lok Sabha constituency into its laboratory, changing its candidates every time.
Indirectly taking a dig at Chirag, he said that the candidate winning the election last time did not stay in the constituency and shifted to another constituency (Hajipur). He indirectly took a dig at LJP(R) candidate Bharti, contending that he would call him only mehman (guest) as after the poll, he would not be found in the constituency.
