King is quite, claimants of Hatia create clamour

VIJAY DEO JHA

RANCHI

The Ratu royal family maintaining studied silence over Hatia assembly by-election; has kept two potential contenders in the fray — Ajay Nath Sahdeo (JVM) and Sunil Sahay (Congress) clueless about the leaning of the Palace.   

King – Lal Chintamani Saran Nath Shahdeo (80) hardly made any public appearance after the death of his son Gopal Saran Nath Shahdeo in 2010, who twice represented Hatia assembly as Congress candidate. Left without any heir-apparent to take over royal title and one who could carry on the political legacy, Palace was least interested that Priyadarshani Sahdeo, widow of Gopal, should join politics when the State Congress had approached Chintamani with that request, last year.

Though, the Palace has maintained detachment as distinction in any of the elections but it has considerable hold over people and even whispering appeal from Palace is enough to tap electoral balance at least in Ratu area.  Though, Palace is not the hub of the election but it is crucial a notch because of vast number of Ratu raj loyalists. Silence is being interpreted as a kind of support which both Ajay and Sahay camp have been claiming.

Ajay is associated with one of the branches of vast family tree of the Ratu royal family and was closely associated with Gopal. A regular visitor of the Palace and the king, Ajay is not only claiming himself as unchallenged flag bearer of Palace but also as legitimate political successor of Gopal and family.

“Maharaja (Chintamani) blessed me with success and morally encouraged me to fight election. I start my campaign after taking his blessings and return to him in evening to brief him,” Ajay said during the campaign. He holds two sets of identity: one as Deputy Mayor of Ranchi Municipal Corporation who has grown on popularity index by making himself available anytime and anywhere and secondly as scion of the royal family. Seeking votes he invokes his said identity as per mood and sentiment of audience, that too area specific.

He admitted: “Whenever I meet people they recognize me as their son and bother one who has made himself available for them. Many associate and identify me as the scion of the glorious royal family which has been serving people from centuries. It is especially in Ratu area. They have placed so much of faith in me.” Ajay said that his title and association with the family will help him in Ratu area if not everywhere.

But Palace and king are quite unlikely to come out of their grand isolation to help Ajay. Chintamani had not come out and even desisted from issuing any public appeal when Gopal was contesting election. In fact, Ratu Palace has often been reluctant in displaying political loyalty. In the 50s Chintamani contested as Independent from the Ranchi Assembly constituency (Hatia was part greater Ranchi constituency till 1974.) Later on, Chintamani was elected in Bihar Legislative Council as Congress candidate.

Congress feels the claim of Ajay politically incorrect, not ready to allow him to en-cash popularity of late Gopal Sharan and the royal family. “Association of royal family with the Congress is an established fact. Late Gopal Saran was the Congress legislator. JVM candidate can’t claim to carry on unfulfilled tasks of our late legislator just because he holds royal appendage…It is for the Congress party to do. Many members of the royal families across the country have different political association have any of them tendered same logic,” State Congress spokesperson Sailesh Sinha retorted.

If Ajay kicked off his campaign with royal blessings Sahay had also knocked the gate of the Palace. Amid preparation of electoral battle in Hatia set on June 12, Ratu Palace is still mourning the death of its bright scion and it does not want any flag or poster on its premise.