Bihar: Ex-MP Mohd Shahabuddin's Wife Hina Shahab, Son Osama Join RJD

Hina, who had recently contested the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent from Bihar’s Siwan, was welcomed into the party by Tejashwi Yadav.

Late RJD leader and Bihar former MP Mohd Shahabuddin's Wife Hina Shahab, along with her son Osama Shahab, joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday. Hina, who had recently contested the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent from Bihar’s Siwan, was welcomed into the party by Tejashwi Yadav, the political heir of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.

According to a report by news agency PTI, Yadav asserted that bringing in the late leader’s family would "help us in our fight against communal forces represented by BJP and RSS". Both Hina and her son joined the RJD at 10 Circular Road, the official residence of former Bihar CM Rabri Devi in Patna.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and several other senior party leaders attended the event. During the occassion, Prasad said, “Late Shahabuddin's family was always part of the RJD. They have come closer and will further strengthen the party."

Tejashwi Yadav Distance From Hina After Criticism For Supporting 'Bahubalis'

Shahabuddin, once a powerful gangster-turned-politician, held an unbroken record in his Siwan stronghold until a 2007 murder conviction disqualified him. He passed away in 2021 while serving a life sentence in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

Hina had contested the Siwan seat multiple times on an RJD ticket, with her last attempt in 2019, after which her relationship with the party deteriorated. It was widely believed that Yadav had distanced himself from Hina, as he aimed to rebrand the image of the party, which had been criticised for supporting "bahubalis."

After the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the RJD's performance fell short with only four seats despite Yadav's extensive campaign of over 200 rallies, he was reportedly compelled to reassess the party’s strategy.

In Siwan, Hina finished in second place, narrowly losing to JD(U)'s Vijay Lakshmi Kushwaha by less than one lakh votes, while RJD's candidate Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, a former Speaker, lagged behind, nearly losing his deposit.

This decision also reflects RJD's "concerns" as it faces the upcoming Bihar assembly elections next year, especially as its junior allies, Congress and the Left, achieved better strike rates in the Lok Sabha polls, according to a political analyst.

Additionally, Prashant Kishor has been making efforts to challenge the "MY (Muslim-Yadav) alliance" built by RJD's founder, Lalu Prasad, by engaging with the minority community and noting that his Jan Suraaj party was the only one fielding a minority candidate in the upcoming by-polls for four assembly seats.