RJD-JDU Alliance: Hand in hand for first electoral test

[Texan]

Forced by circumstances to join hands, former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar will find their alignment put to the test in byelections to 10 assembly seats on August 21. Their separate fronts having notched a combined tally of more votes than the victorious NDA managed in the Lok Sabha polls, the bypolls will be a test for whether they can retain those shares in alliance against a front that has since settled at the Centre. The NDA, which won 31 of Bihar’s 40 seats, polled 38.9 per cent votes as compared to the 47.2 per cent combined tally of Nitish’s JD(U), Lalu’s RJD and their allies, including the Congress that tied up with Lalu. Lalu and Nitish have so far refrained from meeting each other, even at iftar parties hosted by CM Jeetan Ram Manjhi. They are set to announce their alliance formally on Wednesday. Their relationship goes back over two decades, with Nitish having been second-in-command after Lalu became CM in 1990. Exchanges during the last Lok Sabha elections notwithstanding, sources said the two had maintained a good personal relationship throughout. Now they have not only tied up but also worked out a seat-sharing arrangement. Sources said the RJD will contest Rajnagar, Mohinuddin Nagar, Banka and Chhapra; the JD(U) Mohania, Jale, Parbatta and Hajipur; the Congress Narkatiaganj and Bhagalpur. In the 2010 elections, the JD(U) had won one, its then ally the BJP six, and the RJD three of these 10 seats. The bypolls have been necessitated following the resignation of some leaders as well as the election of BJP MLAs Janardhan Singh Sigriwal and Ashwini Kumar Choubey to the Lok Sabha. The BJP is keen to contest nine of the seats, leaving the tenth for the LJP. The bypolls are no less a challenge to the BJP-led NDA, which needs to keep the new alliance short of its combined Lok Sabha vote share. Having lost three assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand, the BJP also faces claims by the opposition that the Modi wave has started to ebb. If the BJP is wary, however, it is not showing it. “Experts had been talking about an RJD-LJP alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha and the 2010 assembly polls, but it fell flat,†says BJP legislature party leader Sushil Kumar Modi. “Lalu and Nitish may look a formidable alliance on paper, but it will not work on the ground because their cadres are not happy with the alliance.†Nitish says, “The BJP is nervous. We will ensure our combination stops the BJP in its tracks so that we can salvage Brand Bihar.†And Lalu says, “Our alliance will teach communal forces a lesson. Narendra Modi made so many tall promises but has failed to keep them.†Chhapra is set to present an absorbing battle. The BJP had won the assembly seat last time, followed by Rajiv Pratap Rudy defeating Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi in the Lok Sabha poll to Saran, of which Chhapra is a segment, but it might find the going tougher now with the new alliance aiming to consolidate Muslims, OBCs and Dalits. The BJP’s target is youths across caste lines, besides weaning away votes of the JD(U) and RJD cadre. Bhagalpur will be a prestige battle after the BJP’s Syed Shahnawaz Hussain lost the eponymous Lok Sabha seat. And Hajipur, part of LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Sabha constituency, will have the BJP fighting an RJD-JD(U) effort to consolidate the Yadav and Dalit votes. For the Congress, spokesperson Premchandra Mishra says, “In less than two months of the BJP wresting power at the Centre, we have won all three assembly seats in Uttarakhand. It won’t be surprising if that happens here. The Modi magic has started to wane.†What the two have to say Lalu Prasad: ‘No need to read too much into body language’ On the need for the alliance with his arch rival: The Lok Sabha poll results showed that the BJP won more because of fragmentation of the secular vote than on its own strength or vote consolidation. While the BJP, the LJP and the RLSP got 39 per cent of the votes, the RJD-Congress alliance alone got over 30 per cent. Our share was in fact higher than in 2009. On whether the RJD could have tried to win more on its strength rather than tied up with Nitish: Secular votes have to be consolidated. We have entered an age of consolidation of socialist and secular votes… to fight the divisive BJP. On who will lead the alliance: Right now, it is about 10 assembly seats. We will sit together and discuss everything at the right time. There is no need to read too much into the body language of RJD and JD(U) leaders. We have given a clear signal to those who are not comfortable with this alliance. Nitish Kumar: ‘We were fighting BJP on similar principles’ On the need for the alliance with his arch rival: We needed to come together to stop the BJP. The RJD supported us in the Rajya Sabha bypolls, and the JD(U) candidates won. Given the present political equations, a new alignment was needed. The RJD and the JD(U) had been fighting the BJP on similar principles. On the agenda for the alliance: It is a consolidation of secular forces against communal forces. The BJP is out to destroy Brand Bihar. We have to salvage it. The BJP had been talking about giving Bihar special attention but has fallen silent now. Our agenda continues to be inclusive Bihar growth. On the seats that the JD(U) will contest in the bypolls: The party had authorised state president Basistha Narayan Singh to take care of such things.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/rjd-jdu-alliance-hand-in-hand-for-first-electoral-test/99/

[JaiRamesh2]

This is bound to fail before even it takes off, Nitish Kumar already has ego issues and he thinks he can work with Lalu and his clan? This is going to be a comedy of errors. If their main election campaign is going to be based on mainly shouting to 'stop BJP', they will get pummelled in elections.

[Number]

What is Nitish doing ? Even BJP leaning people won't mind voting for him in the Assembly elections even if goes alone, but going with Lalu ? and lol @ the terminology of secular votes and communal votes. :hysterical:

[someone]

Even after the trashing in the LS, they still are struck in the same tone. Victimization, secular/communal BS. Such tactics of spreading fear to asking public not to vote for BJP failed miserably. Instead of telling reasons, talking development of why the public should vote for them, they are talking about why public should not vote for opponents.

[Sachin=GOD]

If JDU-RJD-Cong lose in the Assembly Elections next year then it will surely be the end of at least one of Nithsh or Lalu. BJP should be very careful from now on - its still around 1 year to go for polls in Bihar so thats a very long time and Lalu+Niths will not be easy opponents irrespective of Lok Sabha results. BJP should start preparation right now.

[gs]

What is Nitish doing ? Even BJP leaning people won't mind voting for him in the Assembly elections even if goes alone, but going with Lalu ? and lol @ the terminology of secular votes and communal votes. :hysterical:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Texan]

Lalu Prasad And Nitish Kumar to Campaign Together Starting Monday

Lalu Prasad And Nitish Kumar to Campaign Together Starting Monday Nearly 20 year after they parted ways, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, both former chief ministers of Bihar, will share the stage at a political event when they begin their joint campaign for the state by-polls tomorrow. The announcement puts an end to weeks of 'will they-won't they' speculation on whether the two leaders, bitter political rivals till recently, will indeed come together at a public event. In 2005, Mr Kumar, in partnership with the BJP, had ousted Mr Prasad's party from power. Nitish Kumar, leader of the Janata Dal - United or JD-U and Lalu Prasad, chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD, will address public rallies at Hajipur and Mohadi Nagar. They will continue their campaign together next week as well. The RJD, the JD-U and the Congress have put together a seat-sharing formula for the by-elections for ten assembly seats scheduled to be held on August 21. Under the arrangement, Mr Kumar and Lalu's parties will contest four seats each; the Congress gets the other two. The by-polls are being considered the semi-final event, with the grand finale being the state elections due next year. The alliance between Mr Kumar and Mr Prasad - who were once prominent young leaders in the Janata Party in the 1970s before forging their own political paths - comes in the wake of the BJP's sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha polls. Mr Kumar had quit as chief minister in May this year after accepting responsibility for the party's crushing defeat in the national elections, in which the RJD could win only seven seats. The BJP, which was dumped by Mr Kumar in June last year, won 31 of the state's 40 seats. Incidentally, when the three parties formally announced the alliance at a press conference in Patna on July 30, both Mr Kumar and Mr Yadav gave the event a miss.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/lalu-prasad-and-nitish-kumar-to-campaign-together-starting-monday-573741

[Number]

News coming that it was a flop rally today. Just 2500 people.

[King Tendulkar]

Indian politics is so shameless

[G_B_]

I dont blame them for coming together. If i was in their shoes from the point of the lok sabha it would be the sensible thing to do. The truth is though that while minority votes will be consolidated. You have to keep in mind that one of the reasons the JD(u) and the RJD came to be cause of the rivalry between the kumri and yadav communities. Each seat can field only one candidate. If you have a seat which is 20% yadav and 15% kumri and u field a yadav candidate. Clearly the kumari vote is not going to be 100% transferred. In such a senario the BJP alliance will field a kumri candidate and bank on significant split in the kumri votes in addition to their own vote bases. In that sense the BJP have a monopoly over upper caste and lowest caste votes with their tie up with Paswan. There is no base for the congress-rjd-jd(u) in these sectors. Both Jd(u) and RJD remain OBC parties + add ons. Its going to be a tough contest. No doubt in that. But its all going to be about to what degree those yadav or kumri votes consolidate for a candidate from the other community.

[Texan]

[Texan]

Long lost brothers

[Desi Cartman]

Besharam salay

[Sachin=GOD]

Mulayam Singh says he is ready to tie up with BSP. This is in response to a call made by Lalu Prasad Yadav that SP and BSP should come together. :adore:

[diga]

Mulayam Singh says he is ready to tie up with BSP. This is in response to a call made by Lalu Prasad Yadav that SP and BSP should come together. :adore:

and somebody said Modi is a divisive figure.. uniting everyone from Nitish/Lalu to Maya/Mulayam :hatsoff:

[adi B]

and somebody said Modi is a divisive figure.. uniting everyone from Nitish/Lalu to Maya/Mulayam :hatsoff:

:cantstop: Talking about lalu and nitish,only one phrase comes to my mind,chor chor mausere bhai!!

[Texan]

and somebody said Modi is a divisive figure.. uniting everyone from Nitish/Lalu to Maya/Mulayam :hatsoff:

:giggle:

[BeautifulGame]

BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday ruled out any alliance with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and rejected Lalu Prasad's proposal for a joint front against BJP in the state. Slamming Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati said, "SP chief only believes in politics of opportunism and is interested in power." Accusing SP of being hand in glove with BJP, Mayawati announced that Bahujan Samaj Party will not go for any pre-poll tie up with any party.

[someone]

ecgxgPNGsYg Good analysis. When Nitish won the mandate by running against Laloo and his jungle raj. How are they gonna explain such alliance to the public?

[Marco Polo]

People of Bihar can't be taken for ride by these fools. Bjp is like raging bull in Hindi heartland.