For the past one-and-a-half decade, no election in Bihar has been complete without the presence of Dadan Yadav Pehalwan. This 50-year old six feet tall, athletic looking, wrestler-turned-politician has played his roll in elections either contesting himself or importing candidates from outside to fight Rajya Sabha polls. He would use helicopters as freely as other candidates use cars. Pehalwan on Saturday joined JD(U) while singing paeans to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Dadan, a three time MlA and a junior Minister in then Rabri Devi Government way back in 2000, is a proclaimed party hopper and has been in and out of many parties. It is another matter that he remains in one party not for long. BJP, Congress and left are the parties where he did not enter.
At the JD(U) office here in presence of State party chief Bashistha Narain Singh, he formally joined the party and vowed to strengthen the hands of Nitish. Till recently he had been accusing both Nitish and lalu for backwardness of Bihar and condition of farmers and labourers.
When the parties exhausted, Dadan launched his own party Prajatantrik lok Ekta Dal which he later on merged with HD Deve Gowda’s JD(S). He was once Bihar president of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party which had expelled him. later on he joined Mayawati’s BSP.
The former wrestler loves to organise wrestling and honouring wrestlers in home town Buxar. He also had a passion of making a big statue of iconic wrestler Vir lorik Ahir which he had installed in his official bungalow in Patna in 2000. He is also known for controversies and was accused of forcibly capturing a Government bungalow.
A colourful personality, Dadan is also on social media and has hundreds of friends on Facebook apart from his own website dadanyadav.com.
lashing out at BJP and PM Narendra Modi, Dadan said he was shocked when the PM insulted Bihar and Nitish. “I cannot tolerate humiliation of Bihar and Biharis. I will teach such people a lesson in this party,” he said.
The JD (U) president said that party would utilise his services in the election but did not say whether he would contest polls. It is expected that Dadan will prefer to contest from Dumraon seat currently held by Daud Ali of JD(U).