Thrice unlucky, Shahabuddin’s wife Heena hopes for a turnaround after his death

Almost three years after his death, strongman Mohammed Shahabuddin continues to wield influence in the Siwan Lok Sabha seat of Bihar, a region which gave India its first President Dr Rajendra Prasad and became synonymous with notoriety during the 1990s and early 2000s.

However, will that translate into votes for his wife Heena Sahab is the question. Heena lost the last three elections from Siwan, which votes on May 25. But this time there is a difference: it is the first election since the death of Shahabuddin in May 2021, while still in Tihar Jail, where he was imprisoned following conviction in over half-a-dozen cases, including kidnap and murder.

Shahabuddin was the Siwan MP four times between 1996 and 2009. After his conviction, Heena was fielded by the RJD in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, but lost to Independent Om Prakash Yadav. In 2014, Om Prakash, now a BJP candidate, again defeated Heena, fielded again by the RJD. In 2019, Heena again tasted defeat on the RJD ticket, this time at the hands of the JD(U)’s Kavita Singh.

This time, Heena is in the fray as an Independent from Siwan, taking on former Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary of the RJD and Vijayalakshmi Devi of the JD(U). The latter two are new to the seat, further spicing up the Siwan contest.

Speaking toThe Indian Express, Heena says, “I am only saying that I am a daughter of Siwan. People have tried others and now they should give me an opportunity (to serve them).”

The JD(U) dropped its sitting MP Kavita Singh, belonging to the Rajput community and the wife of bahubali leader Ajay Singh, to field Vijaylakshmi, a local Kushwaha leader and the wife of former MLA Ramesh Kushwaha.

Ramesh was previously associated with the CPI(ML), the Left outfit with a significant