UP Elections 2017: Lalu Prasad enters scene, seeks votes for son-in-law Rahul Yadav
BULANDSHAHR: Making his political debut from a seat which saw one of the thinnest victory margins in 2012 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh at just 123 votes, Samajwadi Party candidate Rahul Yadav would certainly welcome all the help he can get from his father-in-law Lalu Prasad.
Sikandrabad, a dusty constituency near Bulandshahr, seems to be tilting towards the BSP candidate Mohd Imran, the only Muslim candidate in the fray. On Wednesday, RJD president Lalu Prasad made a pitch for his son-in-law in the constituency and specifically appealed to the Muslim voters who make up almost 40% of the electorate here. A Muslim leader was also called on stage to recite a dua (prayer) for Rahul, who introduced his father-in-law and elaborated on CM Akhilesh Yadav’s vision of youngsters having a laptop in one hand and a smartphone in the other – the freebies promised by SP.
Also read : BJP will finish at no. 3 from top or no. 1 from bottom in UP: Lalu Prasad Yadav
Rahul is married to the RJD chief’s daughter Ragini and got the ticket from Akhilesh Yadav this time. At a recent rally in Bulandshahr, Akhilesh exhorted Rahul to call Lalu to campaign for him. The 33-year-old businessman, who studied hotel management in Switzerland and has declared assets worth over `20 crore, is banking on his youth appeal but the Muslim support holds the key on this seat. Not many people in this constituency know about Rahul since he lives in Ghaziabad.
“Last time, both the SP and BSP had Muslim candidates here and the Muslim voters got split between the two parties – gifting a narrow victory to BJP’s Bimla Singh Solanki,” a local journalist said. Rahul’s father contested from here on a Congress ticket last time but ended up a poor fourth.
Also read : UP Elections 2017 - Muslim weight lends strength to SP, Congress in riot-hit belt
Saleem Akhtar Khan, the BSP candidate who came second last time but has been denied a ticket this time by party chief Mayawati, is campaigning for Rahul though. “Rahul is like my son. I survived the shock of losing by just 123 votes but will not be able to survive another shock if Rahul loses. So, all of you vote for him,” Khan told the crowd.
Also read: UP Elections 2017 - BJP banks on most backwards to take it forward in Meerut belt
Rahul would hope Lalu Prasad’s whirlwind chopper campaign on Wednesday would tilt the scales for him on Saturday when Sikandrabad goes to the polls in the first phase of the seven-phase election. Prasad’s other son-in-law in UP, Tej Pratap Yadav, is already an MP.
Sikandrabad, a dusty constituency near Bulandshahr, seems to be tilting towards the BSP candidate Mohd Imran, the only Muslim candidate in the fray. On Wednesday, RJD president Lalu Prasad made a pitch for his son-in-law in the constituency and specifically appealed to the Muslim voters who make up almost 40% of the electorate here. A Muslim leader was also called on stage to recite a dua (prayer) for Rahul, who introduced his father-in-law and elaborated on CM Akhilesh Yadav’s vision of youngsters having a laptop in one hand and a smartphone in the other – the freebies promised by SP.
Also read : BJP will finish at no. 3 from top or no. 1 from bottom in UP: Lalu Prasad Yadav
Rahul is married to the RJD chief’s daughter Ragini and got the ticket from Akhilesh Yadav this time. At a recent rally in Bulandshahr, Akhilesh exhorted Rahul to call Lalu to campaign for him. The 33-year-old businessman, who studied hotel management in Switzerland and has declared assets worth over `20 crore, is banking on his youth appeal but the Muslim support holds the key on this seat. Not many people in this constituency know about Rahul since he lives in Ghaziabad.
“Last time, both the SP and BSP had Muslim candidates here and the Muslim voters got split between the two parties – gifting a narrow victory to BJP’s Bimla Singh Solanki,” a local journalist said. Rahul’s father contested from here on a Congress ticket last time but ended up a poor fourth.
Also read : UP Elections 2017 - Muslim weight lends strength to SP, Congress in riot-hit belt
Saleem Akhtar Khan, the BSP candidate who came second last time but has been denied a ticket this time by party chief Mayawati, is campaigning for Rahul though. “Rahul is like my son. I survived the shock of losing by just 123 votes but will not be able to survive another shock if Rahul loses. So, all of you vote for him,” Khan told the crowd.
Also read: UP Elections 2017 - BJP banks on most backwards to take it forward in Meerut belt
Rahul would hope Lalu Prasad’s whirlwind chopper campaign on Wednesday would tilt the scales for him on Saturday when Sikandrabad goes to the polls in the first phase of the seven-phase election. Prasad’s other son-in-law in UP, Tej Pratap Yadav, is already an MP.
