The RJD has fielded another muscleman as its candidate in the Lok Sabha election, again proving that the nexus between politics and muscle power cannot be wished away. The party has given ticket to Vijay Kumar Shukla aka Munna Shukla. He will contest from Vaishali.
His name figured in the lynching of the then district magistrate of Gopalganj G Krishnaiah in 1994 during the funeral of Shukla's elder brother Chhotan Shukla, another don in north Bihar. Shukla was also accused in the murder of former minister Brij Bihari Prasad as the latter was a suspect in Chhotan's murder.
Patna High Court, however, acquitted Shukla in 2014. The RJD gave ticket to another strongman Surendra Yadav facing criminal cases. He has represented Belaganj assembly seat in Gaya for seven terms on Janata Dal and RJD tickets.
Yadav is contesting from Jehanabad. Similarly, husbands of two RJD candidates Bima Bharti and Anita Devi have criminal antecedents. While Bharti's husband Awadhesh Mandal was arrested under the Arms Act recently, Anita's husband Ashok Mahto had a shady past. Mahto married Anita recently to field her as he cannot fight due to conviction.
Meanwhile, RJD has not announced its candidate from Siwan. Former assembly speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary has started campaigning. Party leadership is trying to convince former RJD MP and muscleman late
Md Shahabuddin's wife Hena Shahab to withdraw from poll. She has already filed her nomination as an Independent from Siwan, which will go to poll in phase six on May 25.
