Page 27 - 15MAY2019E

general election

confidence was reiterated to this author the Congress is also gaining some its lost factor in state politics even today. Lalu’s
by Ravi Shankar Prasad, the BJP candidate ground in Bihar, especially among the bold initiatives like stopping Advani’s
from Patna Sahib constituency where he upper castes in the aftermath of restruc- rath-yatra, social engineering and social
is pitted against veteran Bollywood actor turing of the state unit of the Congress by justice helped him garner influence in the
and former BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, All India Congress Committee (AICC) re- national polity and his appeal extended
now contesting on Congress ticket. cently when party appointed MLC Madan even beyond India.
Some critics are of the view that Modi’s Mohan Jha as state president and Rajya Foundations for social justice in Bihar
charisma and Nitish government’s cred- Sabha MP Akhilesh Singh as chairman of had been laid down by Karpoori Thakur,
ibility would give an edge to the NDA over the campaign committee. Both the leaders who provided an ideological thrust to it
Mahagathbandhan in the ensuing polls. are said to command a massive support of and other leaders like Bhola Paswan Shas-
They also allude to Modi’s popularity with two dominant and numerically significant tri. Jaglall Chowdhury and Sahajanand
the youth and their disenchantment with communities — Brahmin and Bhumihar. etc. galvanized the Bihar society through
Mahagathbandhan’s only plank of Modi Appointment of two upper caste veter- social agenda; nevertheless, these social
Hatao. However, this argument is rebutted ans to the top post was also seen as Con- groups were not a significant part of he
by many critics who aver that RJD’s strat- gress party’s move to mobilise upper caste overall state system. However, as chief
egy of allying with HAM, RSLP and VIP is voter base and upset the caste calculations minister of Bihar, Lalu made Lower back-
likely to take wind out of NDA’s sail. of NDA in Bihar. Analysts also opine that wards electorally relevant and got them
the upper caste voters remained loyal to elected as MLAs and MPs.
Mahagathbandhan’s potential The Mandal Commission helped Lalu
The Mahagathbandhan is also contest- to expand his social base and brought so-
ing all 40 seats of the Lok Sabha, with RJD Authentication of cial justice on the national agenda. As one
contesting 20 seats, with one seat given to expert has opined, by making Lower Back-
CPI (M-L), Congress allocated 9 seats, the Lalu ’s prognosis of wards electorally relevant and as a part of
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) given 5 social engineering the state structure, Lalu not only generated
seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM)al- a wide electoral support base for himself
located 3 seats and Vikasheel Insaan Party is that despite the but also made Bihar possibly the only state
(VIP) also given 3 seats. RJD is hopeful of claims of charisma of in India where feudal or elite castes cannot
expanding its social base with the help of wrest power in the near future, overtly or
political equation of M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) Modi and credibility covertly. This prognosis of social engineer-
factor accountingfor 32 per cent of Bihar’s of Nitish, the NDA is ing set in motion by Lalu still holds water
total population along with cooperation in Bihar politics where despite PM Modi’s
from smaller allies like HAM, RSLP and forced to work out charisma, the BJP has to engage itself in
VIP. Broadly speaking, every part of Bihar its strategy of social social engineering.
entails its own significance in state politics
because of its demographic features. engineering to counter Way ahead
According to some critics, the poten- Bihar presents an interesting example of
tial of caste dynamics in Bihar politics can Mahagathbandhan parliamentary elections this time where
be discerned from the fact that RJD, the unlike other states of the country, there
major constituent of the Mahagathband- the BJP till 2014, but started moving away is a bilateral contest between Modi’s cha-
han, had to concede 11 seats to caste- in 2015 when 12 out of 16 upper caste lead- risma and the constituents of the Grand
based political outfits of backwards and ers fielded by the Congress won during the Alliance or Mahagathbandhan. RJD
Mahadalits. In his brief interaction with Assembly elections. along with resurgent Congress and other
this author, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav said smaller parties together are going to give
that his party along with other constitu- Validation of prognosis the NDA a run for its money. Authentica-
ents of Mahagathbandhan were sure of Dynamics of social engineering pioneered tion of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s prognosis of
winning more than 25 Lok Sabha seats. by Lalu Prasad Yadav nearly four dec- social engineering can be seen from the
While ruling out the impact of Modi’s ades ago still constitutes the pivot around fact that despite the claims of charisma
charisma, the RJD leader said that even which politics revolves in Bihar. This dy- of Modi and credibility of Nitish Kumar,
the credibility of Nitish Kumar was also namics is so strong that the BJP despite its the NDA is forced to seriously work out its
at stake owing to people’s growing dis- USP of Brand Modi has to adhere to social strategy of social engineering to counter
enchantment with the NDA rule in Bihar. engineering to counter the influence of Mahagathbandhan.
Nonchalantly he said that the RJD. Some observersopine that Lalu
There will be clear washout of the JD hanged the social and political configura- The author is Executive Editor of News24.
(U) and the BJP will be limited to half of tion of Bihar that has made him one of the Views expressed are his own
the seats as compared to what it won in most important political and social figures
2014. According to some political analysts, in the state and he continues to a decisive letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 may 2019 27 www.Tehelka.com