Patna,(BiharTimes): Election for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the next two phases in Bihar are crucial for the Rashtriya Janata Dal as three out of four seats it won in 2009 fall in them.

The big question is: whether it will improve its performance or its rival the BJP-led alliance would pose a big challenge. The BJP won three of them while JD(U) six while Siwan was won by Independent, O P Yadav.

The RJD won Vaishali, Maharajganj and Saran seats along with Buxar in 2009. Apparently the party is on strong wicket in all the three of them, but in Saran the BJP leader, Rajiv Pratap Rody, may pose a big challenge to the former chief minister Rabri Devi. She is contesting the election this time only because her husband, Lalu Prasad, could not do so after his conviction in a fodder scam case last September.

The two phases will also decide the fate of LJP chief, Ram Vilas Paswan, his rival and sitting MP, Ram Sundar Das and film-maker, Prakash Jha.

In Vaishali, former Union rural development minister, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, is facing Rama Singh of LJP, Annu Shukla, Independent and Vijay Sahni of the JD(U).

In Maharajganj Prabhunath Singh of RJD is seeking re-election. Last year he defeated JD(U)’s P K Shahi in the by-election by over 1,35,000 votes.

Curiously in 2009 he lost as the JD(U) candidate to Uma Shankar Singh of the RJD. The latter died necessitating re-election. Prabhunath crossed over to the RJD on August 7, 2010.

Curiously, three of the four RJD MPs last time were Rajputs. Lalu Prasad was the only Yadav parliamentarian from the party.