HAWA HAWAI IN BIHAR POLITICS

                                

The Bihar assembly election is round the corner. It will decide the fate of the state for next five years. Being a man from that state, my interest in the local politics is genuine. Will it mark the return of ‘jungle raj’ ? Will somebody emerge as a leader to be truly called a ‘vikas purush’? Will the tired electorate lose interest and give a fractured mandate generating known political uncertainty ? Will at the last moment Lalu’s appeal in the SC be turned down ? Will the NDA, like the last parliamentary election turn the table once again? All these baffling questions are bound to make Bihar a boiling political cauldron.

On June 8, 2015 meeting in Delhi at the residence of Mulayam Singh’s residence, expectations were high in both the main partners of the alliance – RJD and JD/U. Lalu wanted the issue of CM candidate to be decided after election to keep Nitish on tenterhooks. On the other hand Nitish put his candidature as an nonnegotaiable precondition. Lalu appeared to be on a rough turf. His two sons and the eldest daughter, Misa Bharti are ready for political debut but for all political purposes, they do not carry any weight before a tested Nitish. Lalu himself, despite tall talks is not sure about his own status. Lalu’s senior colleague, Raghuvansh babu is also in favour of electing the CM by successful MLAs of the alliance. Thus he is facing internal opposition.

Moreover, Lalu wants seat sharing on the performance of the last Lok Sabha election, whereas Nitish bats for the results of the last assembly polls. Mulayam, finding these howling realities, despite the blood relationship with Lalu, decided in favour of Nitish as the CM prospect. About seat sharing a committee of representatives has been constituted. Thus, Lalu appears to have lost the ground vis-à-vis Nitish on all counts. Since he has hardly any option, as the Congress had already preferred to uphold JD/U, Lalu in a crestfallen manner admitted that in order to debar the communalists to grab power in Bihar, he had agreed to consume poisons of all sorts to protect the alliance.

To the Bihar political analysts, the arrangement to take on ever strong NDA does not appear foolproof. Perhaps , the situation may take some new turn.