'I am the son of...': What Khesari Lal Yadav said ahead of entering polls from Chhapra constituency

Bhojpuri superstar Khesari Lal Yadav could lose on his political debut from Chhapra constituency as Chhoti Kumari of the BJP was leading him with over 2,368 votes.

 

Khesari Lal Yadav, whose real name is Shatrughan Yadav, is also one of the richest candidates in the fray. According to his affidavit, he has movable assets worth ₹16.89 crore and immovable assets worth ₹7.91 crore. His wife Chanda Devi owns movable assets worth ₹90.02 lakh and immovable assets worth ₹6.49 crore.

 

The 39-year-old, who has acted in around 70 movies, was also part of 'Bigg Boss 13'. He was born in Chhapra in Saran district, which elected BJP's C.N. Gupta in the two previous elections.

 

However, in a masterstroke, BJP fielded Chhoti Kumari, who has served as the District Council President, and her husband, Dharmendra Sah, is the BJP's District General Secretary. From 1965 to 2014, only Rajput or Yadav candidates have won this seat. However, in the 2014 Assembly by-election, RJD's Randhir Kumar Singh won for the first time. Subsequently, a non-Yadav, non-Rajput candidate, Dr C.N. Gupta, won for the first time in the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections on a BJP ticket.

 

Khesari Lal, meanwhile, also courted controversy after his remarks on the Ram Mandir irked a certain section of society. “Will I become a teacher, professor, or officer after studying at the Ram Temple? No. The Ram Temple is a matter of faith; that's a different matter. But work must be done for education. The country runs on education," Khesari said during the campaign.

 

After Chhoti Kumari managed to claim a clear upper hand against the actor-singer, one of his old posts has gone viral again. Announcing his nomination, Khesari Lal had said in a video, "I am not a traditional leader; I am the son of all of you, the people; I am the red of the fields and farmlands; I am the voice of every class and the enthusiasm of the young brothers. For me, politics is not a race for a chair; it is a responsibility—to bring development to every home in Chhapra," the multifaceted celebrity had jotted on social media while declaring his candidature for the Mahagathbandhan.

 

It was in October that he joined Lalu Prasad Yadav's party along with his wife.

India