Or else, how could one explain that out of 58 candidates declared by the party for the Assembly elections, four of his close kin are in the fray.
The list includes his brother Ram Chandra Paswan, who lost the last Lok Sabha polls from Rosera in 2009. Ram Chandra has been nominated to be the party candidate from the Kusheshwarsthan (reserved constituency). Besides, his younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras will test the electoral waters from the Naxal-infested Alauli in Khagaria district. Paras has been already declared the next deputy chief minister of Bihar in case the RJD-LJP combine romps home.
But the family list does not end here. Paswan’s son-in-law Anil Kumar Sadhu, too, has been given party ticket from Masaurhi. Sadhu is the husband of Paswan’s younger daughter. Paswan’s elder son-in-law Mrinal also wants to enter the fray as an LJP nominee from Rajapakkar, but his name has not been announced so far. Yet another close kin of the LJP supremo, Sarita Devi has been chosen to be the party candidate from Sonbarsa.
Like-minded lieutenants
If the party indulges in nepotism, how could his lieutenants be far behind? LJP’s Rajya Sabha member Sabir Ali has managed to get a ticket for his wife Yasmin Sabir Ali from Narkatia. Another close associate of Paswan, Surajbhan Singh, a former LJP MP who faces more than a dozen criminal cases, has ensured a ticket for his younger brother’s wife Sonam Devi from Mokama. Surajbhan’s sister’s husband Ramesh Singh will be the LJP nominee from Bibhutipur.
When asked about the charge of nepotism, Paswan shot back: “All these people are public figures and have been considered after assessing their public service.”
No wonder, former Bihar LJP chief Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi, who earlier deserted Paswan, said: “The LJP has been reduced to a private (three brothers) limited (few kin) company (the likes of Surajbhan and other gangsters).”