Vaishali, Bihar: On an overcast Saturday morning, a 28-year-old woman rides a pillion on her supporter’s bike as a motorcade snakes through unmetalled, muddy roads in the hinterland of Bihar’s Vaishali district. She quickly criss-crosses different wards of Sahatha village, as voting day is drawing near in Lalganj.
“Lalten chhap…aashirvaad dijiyega. (Bless by voting on the lantern button),” says Shivani Shukla, the candidate from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), whose electoral symbol is the lantern.
It may be her poll debut but the surname Shukla holds weight in this part of the state. Afterall, Shivani’s father Vijay Kumar Shukla, better known as Munna Shukla, is a three-time former MLA. As her ‘bahubali’ (strongman) father is behind bars for the murder of former minister Brij Bihari, Shivani shoulders the responsibility of carrying the family legacy in the heat and grime of Lalganj, a far cry from the cold weather of the UK and the comforts of Delhi.
Her rival is formidable: Sanjay Kumar Singh, a Raghuvanshi (Rajput) politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who had a win margin of 26,000 votes five years ago.
Not all are convinced with Shivani’s campaign, especially with little to almost no stopovers that give no scope for making her presence felt among voters.
“Who knows about her beyond the point that she is a daughter of Munna Shukla. We are somewhat familiar with her, but our women, who are not well-versed in the area’s politics, are unaware… Shouldn’t she have stopped and spoken to them at least?” Ranjeet Singh, a Bhumihar like the RJD candidate, laments.
“She crossed our roads and waved at us; the voters can do the same, too, with her. Her mother always took a different campaign approach despite her familiarity with villagers.”
Shivani’s mother Annu Shukla had won on a Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), ticket in 2010. She, however, came a distant fourth in the 2014 general elections which she contested as an Independent.
For the RJD candidate, the Shukla surname brings formidable identity as well as default support from Bhumihar voters. But the alumnus of the Delhi Public School and the University of Leeds is looking to chart her own course. She is also well-aware that her father’s infamy can be a baggage on the day of voting on 6 November.
The road was not easy for Shivani. The Congress had fielded Aditya Kumar alias Raja as it got Lalganj as part of the Mahagatbandhan’s seat-sharing arrangement. With no RJD ticket, Shivani went ahead to contest independently. By the evening of 17 October, the RJD made her its candidate. Four days later, the Congress candidate withdrew his nomination.
The RJD candidate asserts her priority is to develop better schools in Lalganj and to provide facilities, such as clean drinking water, to the people.
“I want to focus on the education of children in my constituency if I get the blessings. I aim to establish a consultancy service for students who have completed matriculation and graduation, providing them with information about their options in various fields of education. My top priority is to better school infrastructure,” she tells ThePrint.
A misstep to join RJD?
Some of the voters ThePrint spoke to believe contesting as an Independent candidate would have been a better prospect for her.
Sahatha villager Ranjeet Singh says that the Shuklas erred during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and that the “mistake” did not stop with the defeat of Munna Shukla.
Shukla, the Bhumihar farmer recalls, made his political debut winning as an Independent in the 2000 assembly elections from the same constituency. He did the same in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections but lost to RJD’s Raghuvansh Prasad Singh in Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency. Then, he went on to win the twin elections—first as a Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate and then as a candidate from the JD(U)—in 2005. Singh defeated him again in a close contest in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
The strongman joined the RJD on the eve of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but lost to Veena Devi of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Vaishali despite securing more than 400,000 votes.
“Munna Shukla and his slain brothers fought against Lalu Yadav and his anti-upper caste politics for their entire life. Now, this attempt to mend ties with Lalu and RJD is hampering his legacy,” Singh says, adding that the family may have got the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket if they were patient.
Retired Army personnel Chandra Bhushan Singh holds a different view. “There is an undeniable history of her father, but here is a daughter, making a fresh start and offering to provide solutions to local problems such as roads and schools. She deserves a chance,” Singh tells ThePrint.
Unlike the local sentiments at Kailitand tola of Sahatha village, residents of other wards are angry against the incumbent legislator, Sanjay Kumar Singh.
“Our MLA did not even consider visiting our villages in the last five years, and all the promises about all-weather roads gathering dust,” Goni Shahni, a tea seller, tells ThePrint.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, he says, got a raft of votes in the last election, but not this time.
“Who will carry forward Munna Shukla’s legacy? If she won’t stand up, and Shukla stays in jail, his politics and legacy would be over,” asks Suresh Sahni, who does business in electrical products. He had stayed back to vote after returning home for Chhath puja.
Another voter Shankar Sahni is ready to vote for “change”. “We are voting to change our MLA. We would have voted against Sanjay Singh even if Shivani were not in opposition. We are not bothered about which party would form the government. Our MLA did not pay heed to our requests and did not deliver on the promises, and we want him out,” Sahni tells ThePrint.
Modi-Nitish charm
Sipping a cup of tea outside his shop in Lalganj market, Mahendra Prasad recalls “good works” of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“Bahut bolta tha sab ki Ram Mandir banega toh desh me danga fasad ho jagea. Sambhalna mushkil hoga. Mandir bhi wahi hai aur desh bhi wahi hai (There was a lot of chatter about the country going to riots if Ram Mandir comes up. Not only do we have the temple, but we also managed the aftermath well,” says the septuagenarian with a ‘tilak’ on his forehead.
He hails Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for bettering roads, electricity, and uplifting the poor. “The pension amount has been tripled to Rs 1,100. Now we have round-the-clock electricity and decent roads.”
In Masudhan Pakdi village under Lalganj block, another voter Bindu Sahni is not looking at names, be it Munna Shukla, his daughter or Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni.
The village has around 500 voters from the Mallah community, but they are looking at Nitish and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he says.
“Kaam bolta hai, naam nahi (Work speaks for itself, not the name). Modi has provided welfare, the Ram Mandir, and numerous schemes, while Nitish has focused on roads, schools, and electricity. There are 50 school-going girls from my village, which was a distant dream 20 years back,” Sahni tells ThePrint.
“I don’t know about Shivani Shukla much beyond that she is Munna Shukla’s daughter. I am considering the track record of the government.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)