Patna: It was deserted outside the 10 Circular Road residence where RJD chief Lalu Prasad resides with his wife Rabri Devi and two sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

Most senior leaders of the party are in Ranchi where the judgment in one of the fodder scam cases, in which Lalu was convicted, was announced on Saturday.

Leaders like RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, state unit president Ram Chandra Purbey and even younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav are in Ranchi. In fact, over 50 RJD MLAs had left for Ranchi.

On any other day, 10 Circular Road is buzzing with activity as people gather in hordes outside to meet Lalu.

But on Saturday there was only Rabri Devi and her elder son Tej Pratap inside.

Around 9am in the morning, Tej Pratap visited a temple in the city to pray for luck in the case against his father. Sources in the family said Rabri was glued to the television, watching the news about Lalu.

She did not budge from her seat till the CBI special court in Ranchi announced the verdict. Visitors who came to meet the family were denied permission to enter by the security guards.

A similar scenario persisted at the RJD office on Beerchand Patel Marg, too, as a handful of party workers were present and seen watching news channels.

By 2.30pm, the RJD's student wing, led by it's president Akash Yadav, reached 10 Circular Road along with around 30 members.

Within half an hour a few more supporters gather outside Lalu's residence waiting for news on the judgment.

Some news channels flashed the wrong news that Lalu had been acquitted in the case after which there was mood of jubilation outside 10 Circular Road.

The students' wing of the RJD and a few other supporters began raising slogans like "Jail ka phatak toot gaya, Lalu Yadav chooth gaya." Others began shouting "Lalu Yadav zindabaad" and "Rabri Devi zindabaad". Even the security guards were looking happy.

But the mood persisted for just about 10 minutes when they came to know that it was not Lalu but a few others who had been acquitted.

Akash Yadav, who was present on the spot, shouted at the youths for raising slogans of jubilation and asked them to wait for Lalu's verdict.

In the next 10 minutes, news channel reporters who were reporting live from Lalu's residence said the RJD chief had been convicted.

Suddenly, the jubilation turned into disappointment and the faces of youths and a handful of supporters present outside the house turned pale.

Later, students holding Lalu posters expressed their blind support for Lalu and his family. Around 4.30 pm, senior leader Jagdanand Singh and Maner MLA Bhai Birendra arrived at the residence to meet Rabri.