The BJP is on the ascendant in Bihar. This has led to a marriage of incompatibles between Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) and Laloo Prasad Yadav’s RJD. They feel that they have one common enemy-the BJP. The strange alliance enabled the two to get two JD (U) nominees elected to the Rajya Sabha. They also target the Bihar Assembly elections next year. The BJP captured 29.4% votes in the parliamentary elections, the RJD 20.1% and the JD (U) about 16% of the total number of votes. That gives a fair chance to the RJD and JD (U) combine in the next Assembly elections. The RJD also has an understanding with the Congress which bagged 8.4% votes in the parliamentary elections. But these figures do not mean very much if the alliance does not carry out a vigorous campaign for one year. Nitish Kumar and his party had won in two successive Assembly elections. He projected himself as a reformist with a new vision for his state. He was also very impressive in Pakistan as representative of India. Amartya Sen thought that he should be Prime Minister of India.
But the alliance with Laloo Prasad Yadav may boomerang on the JD (U). The RJD was synonymous with chaos and anarchy during its 15 year rule in Bihar. The alliance is very likely to put Bihar’s voters in great confusion. Both Nitish and Laloo will no doubt compete for the CM’s office when the chips are down. The defeat in the Lok Sabha elections led Nitish Kumar to rule by proxy. His marriage of convenience with the RJD may in fact undermine the JD (U)’s voting strength in the next Assembly elections.
