The party recently received support from an unusual quarter when a lady French student -- inspired by the slain student leader Chandrashekhar Prasad, who was murdered in Siwan -- arrived to bolster its campaign.

Chandrashekhar, twice the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University students union in New Delhi, was slain on March 31, 1997, reportedly because he took on the might of criminal interests in Siwan.

RJD supporter Ijaz-ul Haq feels Heena Shahab does not need to campaign much. "Just like Laluji did with Rabriji (Rabri Devi, the railways minister's wife and former Bihar chief minister), we want to retain power. I can throw a challenge that 98% of the janta is with her."

"There is plenty of interest in Heena Shahab, especially among women," says a working woman from the town who did not want to be identified for this feature. "Here is a lady who is stepping out of her home for the first time and women are viewing her with interest. Whether she gets votes will have to be seen."

Heena Shahab, who is about 36, says she has been going to villages and asking people to vote for her. "The first thing I want to do is to make it easy for the poor to access government staff with their problems," she tells rediff.com on the telephone. "No one listen to the poor. I want to bring about that change."

"If I become an MP," she says, "I will be the first female MP from Siwan, which will be a great source of encouragement to the womenfolk."

What the future holds for this shy mother of three will be known in a month.

Image: The local RJD office where Mohammad Shahabuddin's supporters gather each day. Will Siwan's reputation for controversy be quelled this election?

Also see: Will Rudy stun Laloo? | India Votes 2009

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