Patna, Mar 16 (PTI) The ruling NDA is locked in a straight battle, in Bihar, with the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ that it had trounced five years ago when at least two constituents of the BJP-led coalition were with the opposition alliance.
Besides relative lightweights Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha, the BJP has among its allies Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is past his prime but remains formidable. As of now, the BJP also enjoys the loyalty of squabbling factions of the now-extinct LJP, headed by late founder Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag and brother Pashupati Kumar Paras.
The ‘Mahagathbandhan’ is helmed by the Congress-RJD combine, which formed an alliance with the CPI(ML) Liberation ahead of assembly polls two-and-half years ago and the coalition made the seemingly surefooted NDA sweat it out.
The grand alliance would seek to draw inspiration from its better-than-expected performance in 2020 to tide over the dejection wrought by Nitish Kumar’s abrupt return to NDA two months ago.
Polling in Bihar will be held in seven phases on April 19, 26, May 7, 13, 20, 25 and June 1, the Election Commission said on Saturday.
Elections are likely to be fought mainly on the following issues:
1. The Narendra Modi factor – The prime minister, who did not address any public meeting in Bihar until a few months before the 2014 elections, took the people by storm at the ‘Hunkar Rally’ of October 2013, when he held forth in the midst of bombs going off at the venue. His charisma, coupled with a nationalistic fervour will continue to be a decisive aspect
2. Nitish Kumar’s NDA return – That the BJP agreed to a realignment with him as chief minister is ample proof that the JD(U) boss, whose party has never got a majority on its own, remains a force to reckon with. The party’s performance in Lok Sabha polls would indicate how much of his frequent political somersaults have affected his standing among people
3. The legacy of Lalu Prasad – More than a decade after conviction in a fodder scam case disqualified him from contesting elections, the RJD supremo continues to have a larger-than-life presence. The BJP’s alacrity in taking to the ‘Modi ka Parivar’ campaign, following Prasad’s “Modi has no family” jibe, was proof that nobody takes the RJD supremo lightly, even if he says something in jest
4. Government Jobs – If there is one reason the RJD supremo’s son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav has been able to come out of his father’s shadow, it is the promise of “10 lakh sarkari naukri” he made ahead of the 2020 assembly polls, tried to fulfill it while serving as Nitish Kumar’s deputy, and vows to take it to its logical conclusion if voted to power. In a state where any investment in the private sector is hard to come by, the assurance of government jobs will always catch votes
5. Special Status – A demand raised passionately by Nitish Kumar, the issue may become a stick to beat the NDA with by opponents
6. Ram Temple – Few believe when BJP leaders say Ayodhya is not an issue out of which they would like to reap electoral dividends. Recent references to Bihar being the land of Goddess Sita by the PM could have been an indication of what lies in store
7. Quotas – Reservations for deprived castes have been raised, a move for which both the NDA and ‘Mahagathbandhan’ claim credit. With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making caste census a national issue, the ‘Mandal versus Kamandal’ narrative may be on display in the elections.
