Lalu's Madhubani seat pick may split minority votes

MADHUBANI: By fielding a Muslim candidate against Union minister and Congress candidate Shakeel Ahmad in Madhubani, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad has invited the wrath of Muslims in this prestigious Mithilanchal seat.
Lalu has put up a strong candidate, Bihar RJD chief Abdul Bari Siddiqui, against Ahmad, and paved the way for a split in Muslim votes. Initially, it was thought that fielding of Siddiqui was yet another Lalu masterstroke to defeat the Congress in what is seen as the party's "safest seat".But now RJD finds itself at the receiving end of Muslim anger. Mohhammad Akhtar of Chhatwan-Lakshmipur village says, "Why did Lalu field Siddiqui from Madhubani? Only to divide Muslim votes and help BJP? This will not happen. We are solidly behind Shakeel Saheb."
The village, a part of Keoti assembly segment of Darbhanga, has been clubbed with Madhubani parliamentary constituency after delimitation. Alam, of the same village, says, "Agar Lalu-Paswan-Mulayam gathabandhan bana sakte hain aur jisme Babri Masjid ko todane wala Kalyan Singh shamil ho, toh Musalman Congress ki taraf kyon nahi za sakta hai (if Lalu-Paswan-Mulayam can ally with Kalyan Singh who oversaw the demolition of Babri Masjid, then why can't Muslims tilt towards Congress)?"
Sipping tea at a roadside shop near Hazari Pul, a little ahead of Chhatwan, Parvez Asharaf says, "Siddiqui is likely to garner the same number of Muslim votes by which Shakeel would have actually won." For his part, Shakeel Ahmed says, "There's no contest for me except from BJP. RJD and other candidates are slogging for second and third positions." The crack in Lalu's Muslim-Yadav (MY) votebank is seemingly obvious in Madhubani, which is going to favour BJP candidate Hukumdeo Narain Yadav.