Director Prakash Jha likely to contest LS poll

Noted film director-producer Prakash Jha is likely to be the candidate of the Ram Vilas Paswan led LJP from Bettiah Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.

Party sources said that Jha has already held discussions with Paswan three-four times on the issue and the party has in principle agreed to field Jha from the seat.

The latest round of telephonic discussion between the two took place last night in which Jha is reported to have said that he is ready to fight the election.

"We have decided to field Jha from Bettiah but a formal announcement would be made after we decide whether to contest alone or in a UPA alliance," a senior party leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Party sources say that initially the party was in double mind and was also thinking of finalizing a candidate keeping in mind the minority community, which has a sizeable population in Bettiah.

Jha, a resident of Barharwa village of the West Champaran district, whose headquarters is Bettiah, had contested the last Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate. He had a crushing defeat and he lost even his security deposit as the contest became a direct one between BJP and RJD.

RJD had wrested the seat from BJP with its leader Raghunath Jha defeating the saffron party's Madan Prasad Jaiswal by over 26,000 votes. The seat was earlier held by BJP.

Sources say that the sitting MP from Bettiah Raghunath Jha is this time interested in contesting from Bagha, earlier a reserved seat, which has now become general after the delimitation.

Grapevine has it that RJD MP from Gopalganj and party supremo Lalu Prasad's brother- in law Anirudh Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav is keen on shifting to Bettiah seat this time.

Speculation was rife earlier that Jha may contest the Lok Sabha election on either a JD (U) or a BJP ticket. A LJP leader however said that Jha was "in touch with us for quite a long time" and the party has "almost decided" to field Jha from Bettiah.

Jha has directed Bollywood films like Apaharan, Gangajal, Mrityudand, Damul, Hip Hip Hurray and Bandish. He has also been a producer for many other films, a large number of which deal with social themes like casteism, poverty and hunger.

Jha had directed the Ajay Devgan starrer "Apharan" immediately after contesting the Lok Sabha election in 2004.

The film dealt with the issue of the nexus between crime and politics in Bihar against the backdrop of a spate of abductions in the Hindi heartland. After the election, Jha had promised to make another movie on Bihar politics "Rajniti", which is yet to be released.