Lalu Prasad Yadav's sons have set aside their differences and doing all they can to ensure sister Misa's victory from Pataliputra.
M I Khan reports from Patna.
Lalu Prasad Yadav's family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader's eldest child, Dr Misa Bharti, wins the Lok Sabha election from Pataliputra.
Lalu's wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi with her two sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav are campaigning vigorously in Pataliputra.
In 2014, Misa was trounced in Pataliputra by Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ram Kirpal Yadav, a defeat made even more bitter by the fact that Ram Kirpal was one of Lalu's trusted aides till he rebelled against the RJD's dynastic politics and joined the BJP.
Misa is the only member of Lalu's family contesting this Lok Sabha election.
In 2014, Rabri Devi had contested the Saran seat, but was defeated by the BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Winning Pataliputra has become a prestige issue for Lalu and his family, so Rabri Devi addresses election meetings, visits villages and seeks support for her daughter every day in the scorching sun.
Her husband is absent from the election campaign, having been sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence in the fodder scam.
BJP leaders say Rabri Devi is playing the emotional card by saying that in Lalu's absence, it is her responsibility to ensure Misa is elected.
While Misa's younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly, is campaigning feverishly for her, the big surprise is Tej Pratap Yadav's presence on the campaign trail.
Lalu's elder son quit the RJD in March and Misa herself confirmed that there were differences between Tej Pratap and Tejashwi.
Of course, those differences have been shelved for the present as both brothers tour Pataliputra and ask voters to support their 'Didi'.
"Misa has united the brothers and put a stop to their rivalry," says an RJD leader.
Pataliputra votes on May 19 in the seventh and final phase of India's general election.
