Samosa still has aloo but Bihar politics misses Lalu

"Jab tak rahega samosa mein aaloo, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu," was the rustic anecdote by RJD president Lalu Prasad who would often use it to charm the rural electorate, while addressing an election rally.

The ‘aaloo’ is still there in ‘samosa’, but Lalu is nowhere to be seen.

Since 1977, the year when Lalu Prasad first became a Lok Sabha MP, this is the first election in the history of Bihar where the maverick Lalu will be completely absent from the electoral scene.

Barred from contesting elections after his conviction in 2013 in fodder scam, Lalu was free to campaign for his party nominees and others during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and 2015 Assembly elections. And he did it in his own inimitable style, laced with wit and humour. In 2014, his party fared poorly. But in 2015, RJD emerged as the single largest party in the Bihar Assembly.

However, he was put behind bars in Ranchi after his conviction in fodder scam cases in December 2017. Lalu can no longer campaign in this election, thereby making it listless and colourless. Missing him more are his committed supporters, who form about 20 per cent of the electorate.

While Nitish Kumar has been a sophisticated leader who spoke more about facts and figures, Lalu mesmerised his electorate through his one-liners.

"Bhaiyon-behno, Bijli aayee?" Lalu would mimic Narendra Modi during 2015 Assembly poll after the prime minister asked the voters whether they got electricity in Nitish regime. Nitish was then a part of Mahagatbandhan.

"The same Lalu turned the tide in favour of Mahagatbandhan in 2015 polls when he told his voters how RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was mulling to review reservation," says political scientist Ajay Kumar.

Lalu’s bail plea will be heard in the Supreme Court on April 10. In his absence, Lalu’s younger son Tejashwi Yadav, the former Deputy CM, is holding the fort. But the young lad also knows that he cannot be a substitute to his charismatic father.

“Lalu ji is Lalu ji. He remains unmatched when it comes to wooing rural electorate,” says his close aide and former Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwary.