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New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) In late August, when Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Tejashwi Yadav announced himself as the party’s chief ministerial face in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was present on the occasion, remained silent.
Two months later, it was Congress envoy Ashok Gehlot who announced Tejashwi’s name as the grand alliance’s choice for the chief minister’s post.
This was followed by several days of hectic talks with the alliance constituents, including Tejashwi’s father and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.
During a series of meetings, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) leader Mukesh Sahni was largely accepted as the group’s deputy chief ministerial candidate.
Sahni was unhappy because he was given about a quarter of the total seats, which he intended to contest in alliance with the Grand Alliance, by VIP. In return, he was assured the post of Deputy Chief Minister and a Rajya Sabha seat for his party in the future.
Ashok Gehlot – with the support of his central leaders, especially Rahul Gandhi – and Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, was said to be playing a role in placating the VIPs.
However, they could not convince the alliance candidates on the ground, who at the last count were pitted against each other in about 10 constituencies.
Grand alliance leaders decided to dismiss it as a “friendly fight on five or ten seats”, which they consider “no big deal” in the 243 assembly constituencies of Bihar.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of elections has already ended and with the second phase ending today, the situation may not change in this limited time.
Big deal or not, but in the 2020 assembly elections, the RJD emerged as the largest party in the state with 75 seats – just one seat more than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP is currently part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar, led by Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar.
For Tejashwi Yadav, the path to power passes through these inter-alliance frictions and seat-sharing fights, which could lead to the formation of his cabinet – in case of a favorable mandate.
Of the possible two dozen ministers he could appoint, only the chief and deputy chief have been finalized yet. Alliance partners will always compete for prized portfolios. Before that happens, Tejashwi will now have to retain RJD’s Muslim-Yadav voter base.
VIP supporters among the riverine and fishermen communities (Nishad, Mallah and other groups) and backward class voters, along with the presence of the Left among sections of the poor and backward voters, could complement the RJD.
Then there is the Congress, which is getting support from various social groups and regional areas. However, the alliance may be able to consolidate a section of Muslim, Yadav and OBC votes.
Meanwhile, with the resignation of 50 RJD leaders from the extremely backward cell in Darbhanga along with the high-voltage campaign launched by the BJP, Tejashwi’s path may not be easy with top leaders like Amit Shah and JP Nadda entering the fray.
Also, his allies are parties that have been politically and historically opposed to each other. Lalu himself emerged from anti-Congress movements. He cleverly manipulated the Mandal Commission’s outcome in his favor by invoking “social justice”, which burst the balloon of the Left movement, which was fixated on “class struggle” while ignoring caste.
However, after a generation, electoral interest has influenced social objectives, ideological beliefs and changed political equations.
Additionally, the younger Yadavs are carrying the burden of “jungle raj” due to past administrative and corruption charges linked to their family, which remains an opportunity for the NDA to exploit.
If he overcomes all the hurdles to become the Chief Minister, he will be the third from his family, following in the footsteps of his father Lalu Yadav and mother Rabri Devi in previous governments. However, Tejashwi is not one to deny that his position is a result of his family or nepotism.
–IANS
JB/Red