Hajipur, Patliputra:
One of the big upsets in the recently concluded elections was LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan losing his seat in Hajipur, Bihar. It is a seat Paswan has won seven times.
Here's a look at the man who dislodged Paswan and the possible reasons for the defeat.
At 88, Ram Sundar Das is the oldest member of 15th Lok Sabha. And as giant killers go, definitely the biggest.
He has dislodged LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan from a seat Paswan held for seven terms - once by a world record margin.
- Paswan has been in Hajipur MP for 7 terms
- 1989: Paswan won Hajipur by record margin of 5 lakh votes
- 2009: Ram Sundar defeated Paswan by about 40,000 votes
- Advantage Das: Anti-incumbency, lack of development
''Why are you asking me about his defeat? Go ask him why the people of Hajipur rejected him!'' asks Ram Sundar Das, JD (U) MP, Hajipur.
Ranjan Yadav is Bihar's other giant killer.
Mentored by Lalu Yadav, he had become second-in-command in the Lalu-Rabri regime. After years of power struggle, Ranjan left and joined Lalu's biggest rival, Nitish Kumar and defeated the mentor Lalu Yadav, by 25,000 votes.
- Ranjan Yadav was Lalu's protégé
- 1990-2005: De facto leader in Lalu-Rabri Cabinet
- March 2009: Left RJD, joined JD(U)
- May 2009: Ranjan Yadav defeated Lalu by about 25,000 votes
- Advantage Ranjan: Division of Yadav vote
''Lalu and Paswan would say the lock and key to power is with the people. Now they will realise the true meaning of lock and key,'' put forth Ranjan Yadav, JD(U) MP, Patliputra.
But RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav says: ''I don't know why I lost.''
In these Lok Sabha elections in Bihar there was a wave in favour of Nitish Kumar and his party. But in spite of that, no one expected giants like Paswan and Lalu to lose. Personality alone, clearly did not get the 2009 mandate.