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'Lalu is de facto CM candidate'
Cong may fight 50% less seats, writes Saroj Nagi.
ON THE face of it, the RJD, Congress, NCP and CPI-M have decided not to project any chief ministerial candidate in the forthcoming assembly elections in Bihar. But, in effect, the allies have virtually handed over the state to Lalu Prasad Yadav.
"Lalu has done exceedingly well as rail way minister and the Prime Minister has given him the certificate. He will perform (as chief minister) like he has performed as railway minister under the UPA's able guidance,'' said Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary in charge of Bihar.
Singh, who met NCP's Tariq Anwar and CPI-M's Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury on Monday to discuss seat-sharing, joint campaigns and a common minimum programme, however, stressed that the CM candidate would be decided after the combine wins a majority. Lalu too has made a statement to this effect, he said.
In an indication of the RJD's dominant role, Lalu's party is likely to get a major chunk of 243 seats to contest when the combine enters into a triangular fight with JD(U)-BJP and Ram Vilas Paswanled LJP-CPI front which threatens to split the secular vote and make it more difficult to defeat the "communal" forces.
The Congress, which had contested 84 seats in February, lost its deposit in 57. Chas tened, it now intends to contest in 35-odd winnable seats, including the 10 held by the party. "We will be more realistic this time," said Singh. Though seat-sharing talks are continuing on 113 seats which the RJD has never won, the NCP and CPI-M's share is bound to be much lower than the Congress.
In the event, the RJD's flag and symbol will be most visible in the state though the four partners will launch a joint campaign, with Sonia Gandhi expected to address rallies even in constituencies where allies are contesting. A common minimum programme is also being hammered out but the CPI-M will, in a replication of its stand at the Centre, at best, support the document.
The CMP's focus would be on communal harmony, a better deal for weaker sections and promise of greater investment in agriculture, animal husbandary and infrastructure, specially with a UPA regime in Delhi. The PM's praise of the railway minister will be used to silence critics faulting the Rabri regime on governance though the combine has not yet come with a response to charges of deteriorating law and order.
The parameters of a coalition arrangement were discussed when Singh met Anwar and both conferred with Karat and Yechury. The Congress' state level election panel will meet in Patna on September 18 to decide the seats it will contest. A last effort to get Paswan on board would be made on September 17.
