Rupam Pathak (top) and Rajkishore Keshari

Patna, April 5: Rupam Pathak, prime accused in the murder of BJP legislator Rajkishore Keshari, is set to contest the Assembly seat that has fallen vacant owing to the death of the MLA.

Keshari had represented the Purnea Town constituency four times in the Bihar Assembly. He was the sitting legislator when he was knifed to death by Rupam in full public view at his Sipahi Tola residence in Purnea on January 4.

Sources close to Rupam’s family said a confidant of an influential politician of the Seemanchal region met Rupam when she was lodged in the Purnea divisional jail and offered her a ticket to contest the byelection for the Purnea Town seat as his party nominee. Rupam is now lodged in the Beur Central Jail.

Sources said if she was denied the ticket of any political party (not the NDA as the slain MLA had won the seat on a BJP ticket), then there was a possibility of Rupam contesting the election as an Independent candidate. Her mother Kumud Mishra would campaign in favour of Rupam if she (Rupam) was not granted bail by the time the elections are announced.

Under the law, the byelection has to be held within six months of the death of the legislator. Going by the provisions, the election for the seat has to be held before June 4, sources said.

Rupam’s counsel Dinesh Kumar admitted that some supporters of a former MP had approached Rupam a few weeks ago and tried to persuade her to field herself in the ensuing bypoll. “They assured Rupam their full support in the election,” Kumar said. The counsel added that Rupam had, however, turned down their request, saying she was not interested in politics.

Rupam’s mother Kumud Mishra, who came to Patna to meet her daughter in the Beur jail for the first time after her transfer from the Purnea divisional jail, told The Telegraph that the family did not cherish any political ambition.

“Even Rupam is not interested in contesting the election,” she said, adding that some people were trying to persuade her to contest. She further claimed that the people of Purnea wanted Rupam to contest the bypoll.

A close relative of Rupam, who was produced in the court of the special judicial magistrate, CBI, in Patna on Monday, however, claimed that some politicians of Seemanchal were in constant touch with Rupam’s family. Some of them contacted Rupam’s husband Ashok Kumar Pathak and discussed the strategy to fight the election. Rupam’s husband, however, could not be contacted for comment.

Sources said women voters of Purnea Town were with Rupam as she had set an example by teaching her alleged tormentor a lesson in full public view.

“The women electorate is all praise for Rupam. Initially, they were not aware of what had happened with Rupam. But the CBI’s contention (in the chargesheet submitted in the court) that Rupam took the extreme step because she was fighting her battle alone has turned the people’s wave in her (Rupam) favour,” said a Purnea resident who did not wish to be named.