Patna: Hena Shahab and Osama, wife and son of former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin respectively, joined Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the presence of party chief Lalu Prasad and leader of opposition in state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday. Both mother-son duo had met Lalu, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and Tejashwi at their 10 Circular Road residence in Patna late on Saturday. Osama’s entry into politics will strengthen the RJD’s support base among the Muslims, which has weakened after Shahabuddin’s death. Hena Shahab had unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections from Siwan as an Independent candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. She was defeated by Janata Dal (United) Vijaylaxmi Devi by over 92,000 votes. RJD candidate Awadh Bihari Choudhary finished third. Hena’s presence in the election led to the defeat of RJD candidate Choudhary in the Lok Sabha election. Mohammad Shahabuddin, popularly called Saheb in Siwan, has strong influence among the members of Muslim community in the region. The relationship between Hena and Lalu family became strained after Shahabuddin’s death. Mohammad Shahabuddin, who represented the Siwan Lok Sabha seat from 1996 to 2004, died in judicial custody in Delhi’s Tihar Central Jail due to Covid19 infections in 2021 while serving sentence in a double murder case. He had surrendered before the police on the directive of Supreme Court after he was found hobnobbing with criminals after being released on bail. Chanda Babu, a Siwan based small time businessman, had challenged the bail granted by the Patna high court in the Supreme Court and also apprehended threat to his life. His two sons were killed with acid and the third son, a physically disabled, was also later shot by armed criminals in Siwan. Osama’s entry into politics and joining RJD has revived the old ties between Lalu and Shahabu’s families. “Tejashwi wants to keep RJD’s ‘MY’ core vote bank intact in the state assembly elections due next year,” said a senior RJD leader, who didn’t want to be quoted. Recently political strategist-turned activist Prashant Kishor announced to give 40 seats to Muslims in the assembly elections in Bihar due next year. “Prashant Kishor’s strategy will dent into the votes of RJD led grand alliance in Bihar,” said a political analyst, Pramod Kumar.
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