COUTESY HT OCT 8

For first time in 30 years, Lalu to miss Bihar polls

Lalu Prasad
Bedanti Saran

letters@hindustantimes.com

Ranchi : For the first time in three decades, an assembly election in Bihar will almost certainly be fought without Lalu Prasad, former chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief whose characteristic rustic campaigning style and charisma created a solid support base among rural and backward caste population.

The mercurial former Union minister is currently in jail in Ranchi on corruption charges. He was convicted in December 2017 in three separate fodder scam cases. Prasad has secured bail in only one case and even by the most optimistic calculations by his lawyer, Prasad can hope to walk out of jail only after November 10, the day votes are counted. Polls are scheduled to be held in three phases, on October 28, November 3 and 7.

“The high court has set a precedent that either the convict of fodder scam convicts will be granted bail on completion of half sentence or on merit,” said HC advocate Sameer Saurav.

His second bail application is under consideration in the Jharkhand high court and the next date of hearing is October 9. His sentence in that particular case is five years, and half of that term is over this month.

But in the third case, the RJD chief is facing 14 years in prison – seven under IPC sections and another seven under Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The court expressly said both sentences would run consecutively. His lawyers hope that the high court will strike down this decision, and let the two sentences run simultaneously. Prasad’s lawyer Prabhat Kumar said, “The high court in matters of other convicts in the same case suspended the sentence and considered maximum seven years imprisonment for reckoning the half sentence for bail purposes. In such a situation, he is completing half custody on November 10. We are expecting Prasad’s release from jail after November 10.”

RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari said, “...He may be in Ranchi for some reason, but our workers and supporters are electrified.He lives in people’s heart.”

The BJP alleged the Jharkhand government was providing undue favour to a prisoner. “He is holding political darbar (meeting) there... He has virtually running RJD’s campaign from that bungalow...,” said BJP’s state spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo.