INDIA bloc’s dismal show in Bihar raises questions on RJD’s Yadav-Muslim rhetoric

According to GA leaders, the factors that probably have not given the INDIA bloc in Bihar much of an edge against the ruling NDA is the caste factor

The INDIA bloc has not been able to make any mark in Bihar despite the opposition camp’s otherwise better performance in other parts of the country in this year’s Lok Sabha elections.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. (Santosh Kumar/ HT Photo)

While neighbouring Uttar Pradesh saw the Samajwadi Party (SP) tilt the tide in its favour, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress tie-up in Bihar fell way short in its fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA.

As per latest trends, the opposition bloc combine was leading only in five seats, three in RJD and two in Congress.

The RJD’s hopes of the opposition camp winning at least 20-25 seats in Bihar, as claimed by its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav (the face of the INDIA bloc campaign in the state) seems to have fallen flat. The ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance is leading in around 30 seats as compared to the NDA tally of 39 from the 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar.

In the 2014 election, the RJD has contested on 23 seats, the Congress on 9, along with its allies – the CPI, CPM and CPI-ML (Liberation) and Vikeshsheel Insaan Party (VIP) – contesting on the remaining eight seats.

For Tejashwi, the Lok Sabha results seem to be upsetting as the 34-year-old youngest son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad had spearheaded the campaign, giving less space to other opposition leaders, including from the Congress and Left. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had come to Bihar to attend only four rallies during the campaign.

Tejahswi had focussed his poll campaign in this poll on the promise of generating 10 million new jobs by assuring voters he would deliver as he did during his stint as deputy CM in the last Grand Alliance government (of RJD-Congress-Left) with the JD(U) from August 22-January 24.

According to GA leaders, the factors that probably have not given the INDIA bloc in Bihar much of an edge against the ruling NDA is the caste factor and voters not reposing much faith on the opposition alliance despite high anti-incumbency sentiments against the NDA candidates.

Many also feel that the RJD’s Yadav-Muslim caste combination and its latest experiment of giving another OBC caste group – the Kushwahas (a traditional vote bank of the NDA) – much more preference did not yield much among OBCs voters.

“RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi tried to woo the Kushwahas by giving 7 tickets to people from their caste at the cost of denying tickets to Yadav candidates. That backfired as there were many rebel candidates who contested against the INDIA bloc nominee, be it in Nawada or other constituencies. Besides, the RJD and INDIA bloc perhaps did not manage to stop the division of votes among the Yadavs, a factor which has helped the NDA to retrain its seats in a big way,” a senior GA leader said on conditions of anonymity.

Moreover, RJD and Congress leaders feel the INDIA bloc’s big dependency on RJD’s base votes of Yadav and Muslim minorities, without making many efforts to mobilise votes of other sections, be it of EBCs, Scheduled Castes and upper castes, was another factor why INDIA bloc nominees have trailed in big number of seats.

“One cannot just win polls by having votes from only one section of society. The BJP-JD(U) combine has managed to keep its vote bank among upper castes, OBCs, Dalits and even Muslim minorities, whereas in opposition, all the parties have depended only on RJD’s own vote base of Muslim-Yadav combination. Left parties have contributed by their cadre votes, a reason why the Left are likely to win a few seats,” said one Congress leader, wishing not to be quoted.

RJD leaders also claimed the Congress’ lack of its own base votes has only put a challenge for the RJD to ensure the win of Congress nominees.