Patna,(BiharTimes): The demand of former MP and Kosi strongman, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, has gone up in the political circle after his acquittal by the Patna High Court on the charge of murder of CPI (M) MLA, Ajit Sarkar.

Both the Congress and Janata Dal (United) appear to be in race to woo him. In fact the Congress party welcomed the court verdict.

Party spokesman Premchand Mishra said Pappu has been acquitted by the court of law, which should not be questioned. “We welcome his acquittal and condemn those raising a finger at the court’s verdict,” he added.

In fact Madhavi Sarkar, widow of slain MLA, on Saturday suspected a collusion between the CBI, Congress and the JD(U) in Bihar.

Earlier, in Feb 2008 a special CBI court had convicted Pappu, Rajan Tiwary and Anil Yadav to life imprisonment in the same murder case.

The JD(U), which is in need of a candidate for the Lok Sabha election––if it part ways with the BJP––would love to embrace Pappu as he would be the best person to, what party insiders say, teach a lesson to the Purnea BJP MP, Uday Singh. The latter on Sep 30 last organized a massive rally in his constitutency to expose none else but chief minister Nitish Kumar. In fact he defeated Pappu’s mother, Shanti Priya, in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll.

Though Uday is the brother of JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP and former bureaucrat, N K Singh, yet he is one of the most vocal critics of Bihar chief minister and has repeatedly been accusing his government for its inefficiency and large scale corruption and loot.

Madhavi and Left party leaders allege that the CBI and the state police have connived to put up a weak case before the court as they wanted to use Pappu for their own political benefit.

Pappu is at present close to the Congress, but in the past he had been in a different parties. However, he had represented Purnea parliamentary seat as an Independent MP thrice––in 1991, 1996 and 1999. In fact he became Independent MLA for the first time in 1990 from Singheshwarthan in Madhepura district.

Between 1999 and 2004 he even grew soft towards the NDA and there was rumour that he would actually join it. But on the eve of 2004 election he joined RJD and won the Lok Sabha election on its ticket from Madhepura.

But since his relationship with Lalu was never cordial he left the party and on the eve of 2009 Lok Sabha election, along with wife, Ranjita Ranjan––who was then LJP MP from Saharsa––joined the Congress.
Though Pappu has been in and out of jail for a long time and lost some of his clout yet both the Congress, where his wife still is, and JD(U) would like to throw the doors wide open for him.

True in the past JD(U) and BJP have been critical of Lalu Yadav for all what Pappu used to do––though he remained in RJD for a brief period––yet today the main ruling party in Bihar may not mind at all to woo him into its fold.