Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former chief minister Rabdri Devi was among the early voters who exercised their franchise in the first phase of polling for the Bihar Assembly elections on Thursday.
Speaking to the media after coming out of a polling station in Patna, Rabri Devi appealed to the people of the state to come out in large numbers and cast their votes.
She also extended her best wishes to her warring sons, Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, who are contesting the polls from different constituencies.
"My best wishes to both my sons. Tej Pratap is contesting on his own. I am their mother. Good luck to both of them," she said.
Rabri Devi’s remarks assume significance as Tej Pratap, the elder son, is contesting as an independent in Mahua against RJD candidate and sitting MLA Mukesh Kumar Raushan. LJP’s Sanjay Singh is also in the fray.
Tej Pratap formed his own party, Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), after he was expelled from the RJD earlier this year, following a controversy over his personal life.
He had won from Mahua in 2015 as an RJD candidate. In the 2020 polls, he chose to contest from the Hasanpur constituency in the Samastipur district and beat two-time sitting JD(U) MLA Raj Kumar Ray by 21,139 votes.
Tejashwi Yadav, meanwhile, is seeking his third straight victory from Raghopur constituency, where he is taking on Satish Kumar of the BJP and Chanchal Kumar of the JSP.
A total of 1,314 candidates, including 122 women contenders, will seek their electoral fortune in the first phase of polling, which will take place in 121 constituencies across 18 districts.