Broad Alliance under Nitish Kumar Against BJP in Bihar

NEW DELHI: Finally sense has prevailed, and not only has Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav stopped sulking but has also agreed to accept Janata Dal(U) leader Nitish Kumar as the Janata parivar’s chief ministerial candidate for Bihar.

Lalu Yadav created considerable consternation in the Janata parivar camp, refusing to accept the many concessions being given by the larger JD(U) for his support. This came after several meetings in which the erstwhile constituents of the Janata Dal had made considerable headway in working out details of a merger, and a pact to contest Bihar and other elections in alliance. It was also decided to work under the leadership of Samajwadi party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The RJD chieftain, however, went into a sulk and refused to emerge from it despite JD(U) willingness to give his party a good chunk of the seats to contest; and also key berths in the state Cabinet if elected to power, for members of his family. This last meeting convened by Mulayam Singh on the request of Kumar was widely perceived to be the last such effort by the JD(U) to win over the RJD, failing which a series of press conferences were being planned for the Bihar chief minister to announce a separate campaign for the forthcoming elections in September.

This time around Lalu Yadav was unable to get the support of even the Congress party, with Rahul Gandhi making it apparent that he was more inclined to support and if possible ally with Nitish Kumar. For once the Congress with barely a base left in Bihar, did not play games, and decided without declaring it in so many words to work along with the Bihar chief minister. As sources said, the intention is to defeat the BJP and it is clear that if the opposition remains divided this will not be an easy task.

After being decimated in the Lok Sabha polls last year by the BJP, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav came together to contest the by elections in the state. The result was telling: they won six of the ten by polls held at the time. This came as a major input into the move to build an alliance, and although the proposed merger is unlikely before these elections, the alliance that could see a broad working arrangement between the JD(U), RJD, Congress and even sections of the Left parties is likely to take on the BJP in Bihar.

Lalu Yadav cannot run for chief ministership as he is still embroiled in a corruption case. He said after the meeting at Mulayam Singh’s residence in New Delhi that no one from his party was interested in become the chief minister of Bihar. He told reporters categorically, “"I had asked Mulayam ji to decide and said we'll all accept it. Nitish Kumar is our chief ministerial candidate."

This alliance is a source of worry for the BJP that currently does not have a chief ministerial face for Bihar to counter Nitish Kumar. Besides the consolidation of opposition forces in the state will bring together sizeable votebanks such as the Yadavs and the Muslims, with more than a sprinkling of other backwards, as well as upper castes and Dalits in what is being projected as a rainbow coalition. The BJP that had good support from the upper castes in the state, has been working on the Dalit vote through former chief minister Manji and Lokjanshakti party leader Ram Vilas Paswan who broke with the RJD and Congress to join the BJP in the last parliamentary polls.