On Friday morning, the counting of votes has started at Raghunathpur, and with it, a greater attention was given to the young man at the centre of one of the most controversial candidacies in Bihar, Osama Shahab. His rallies are silent, even subdued. He does not shout much and rarely makes grand promises. He doesn’t need to. His surname speaks most in this part of Siwan.
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Who is Osama Shahab?
Osama is the son of the late Mohammad Shahabuddin, the former Siwan MP whose shadow looms long over Bihar’s political memory.
Shahabuddin was convicted in multiple criminal cases, including a double murder, before dying of COVID-related complications in 2021.
This is the first Assembly election in Bihar without Shahabuddin in the frame. Yet Osama takes his place as RJD’s candidate in Raghunathpur. The party even convinced its sitting MLA, Hari Shankar Yadav, who won the seat twice, in 2015 and 2020, to step aside for the don’s son.
BJP president JP Nadda, addressing virtual rallies, accused the RJD of trying to resurrect “jungle raj,” the era when law and order had collapsed and a kidnapping industry flourished.
“Bihar witnessed 'jungle raj' under the RJD regime. There was complete anarchy in the state. Law and order had collapsed, and along with that, an industry of kidnapping started growing here,” he said.
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“Siwan had witnessed the terror of Sahabuddin, and once again, RJD nominated his son in the assembly polls. Lalu Prasad's party wants to bring 'jungle raj' back to Bihar.”
Notably, the Friday morning trends indicate that JD(U) is ahead of 71 seats in Bihar. BJP comes second, having 67 seats, and RJD has 61.
