Amitabh Bachchan may be the superstar, but Lalu Prasad can beat him hands down, with rakhi designs inspired by the politician selling three times as much as those with the actor's picture.

Lalu rakhis proved to be a big hit yet again, with sales touching an estimated Rs.1.1 million - far ahead of the second highest selling Amitabh rakhi, at Rs.300,000 - in Raipur alone.

"This is the third consecutive year that Lalu rakhis have done brisk business. It is the favourite of teenagers while elders and younger children are opting for other brands - mostly the Amitabh brand," Raju Motwani of Katora Talab area said.

He had put up rakhi stalls at 90 places in Chhattisgarh, with 38 of them in Raipur alone.

Rakhi is a thread tied by sisters on the wrists of their brothers - in a symbol of their bond - on the occasion of Rakhsha Bandhan, which was celebrated Friday. And it lends itself easily to innovation.

The Lalu rakhi has a smiling picture of the railway minister - who revels in his rustic image - pasted on it.

"This year there were altogether over 25 brands. Those with Aamir Khan, Sunny Deol, Hema Malini and TV actress Smriti Irani also did good business this year," said Shah.

"But the real competition was between Amitabh and Lalu and finally it was the former Bihar chief minister who gave us record sales," Shah said.

Lalu and Amitabh rakhis flooded the market this year, and that too at cheaper rates compared to last year, selling at below Rs.7.

Rakhis with a picture of Smriti Irani, who stars as Tulsi in the serial "Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", also did well even though each piece was priced at over Rs.15.