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The Shukla house in Vaishali’s Lalganj stands silent, coming alive only when Shivani Shukla arrives from her campaign for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Local residents are reminded of her father, Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla — a former MLA and strongman. Shivani Shukla (28), who is contesting on an RJD ticket from the Lalganj assembly constituency, has returned from London with an LLM degree to continue her father’s legacy. “Of course I miss him, who wouldn’t miss their father?” Shivani, now being touted as the “Bahubali heiress”, said when asked about her father, who is now serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of ex-minister Brij Behari Prasad. This RJD ticket, however, is just what the BJP was waiting for. It has fielded Sanjay Singh, who is the incumbent MLA, posing a tough challenge for Shivani. This has emboldened the party, and as Union Home Minister Amit Shah had pointed out in his rally: “A vote for Tejashwi as CM will take Bihar back to the old days of ‘jungle raj’ during Lalu’s time.” For the BJP, as the battle for Bihar intensifies and the fight for OBC and EWS votes begins, the party is wooing first-time voters by warning them that opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav will bring back lawlessness, leading to fewer factories and private sector investment. Shivani is aware of this. While campaigning, she downplays her father’s legacy and memory focusing instead on her education as a slogan for her party. “I think people must not keep going back to the past. They must get over it. I can’t change it. But see, I have returned. Education is what people need here. People must give Tejashwi a chance,” she said. The people of Lalganj, who have vivid memories of Munna Shukla, have mixed feelings about giving the RJD and his daughter a chance. At a local eatery near her home, RJD supporters believe their leader Tejashwi Yadav could be different and deserves a chance. “Earlier, there was black and white TV during Lalu’s time. Now we have colour. LED. So things change,” they said. But those who have suffered and know what Lalganj went through in terms of kidnapping and dacoity, don’t want to give the RJD a chance. They feel that Lalu’s legacy will not change. Tejashwi, however, understands this and has made it clear that if he comes to power, he will ensure that law and order is enforced and will not tolerate any misdemeanour.
