Bihar couple all set to enter Lok Sabha

Patna: The 16th Lok Sabha will be a family affair for a Bihar couple. Rajesh Ranjan, better known as Pappu Yadav and his wife Ranjeet Ranjan, both have made it to the lower house of Parliament. They are the only couple in the country to notch a victory in the recent Lok Sabha polls.[caption id=“attachment_1535849” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ready to welcome new members. Reuters[/caption] Brimming with joy, Yadav, a fifth time Lok Sabha member now, points out that both of them had achieved the distinction in the 2004 general elections as well, becoming the only couple then to enter the Lok Sabha. While Yadav won from Madhepura LS constituency on a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket this time trouncing JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav by over 56,000 votes, Ranjeet clinched the Supaul seat as a Congress candidate defeating JD(U) rival Dileshwar Kamait by around 60,000 votes. When asked about his compatibility with his wife inside the Parliament as both of them belong to different parties he laughs saying: “Our ideologies or path may be different but our aim is one. Old experience will come in handy in running the household, as well as, meeting in the Lok Sabha.” Ranjeet, a former tennis player, who comes from a defence background, is a native of Jammu and Kashmir. Her parents area settled in Punjab. She says a supportive husband, good understanding and avoiding ego clash have been the key to their compatibility in the house and the Lok Sabha. Ask her what she will do if Yadav tries to browbeat her in the Lok Sabha as the reputation of being a muscleman is still attached to him, Ranjeet says there is no such possibility. “Inside the Lok Sabha, he is not my husband. He will be just a member of RJD and I will be a loyal member of the Congress. Any difference over issues will be settled politically, based on our respective party lines,” said Ranjeet. Her supporters remember the time when Yadav was in jail, as an accused in CPI(M) MLA Ajit Sarkar murder case, and Ranjeet took care of the family, including their two children, all on her own. Their son Satvik Ranjan is a budding cricketer and plays for the Delhi cricket team, while daughter Prakriti Ranjan studies in class five in a Delhi school. “My husband came out of jail last year. Now both of us will take care of our family. He will contribute 30 percent, I will look after 70 percent,” said Ranjeet. What next for the couple? Both of them say in unison that they are right now on a thanksgiving spree. They are looking forward to their New Delhi visit to take oath as Lok Sabha members and meet their children. PTI