Rabri Devi's political role curtailed

Chief Minister of Bihar for eight years and subsequently Leader of the Opposition for 56 months, scripting a meteoric rise in politics, Rabri Devi currently has her political role curtailed.

Chief Minister of Bihar for eight years and subsequently Leader of the Opposition for 56 months, scripting a meteoric rise in politics, Rabri Devi currently has her political role curtailed.

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Though RJD strongman Lalu Prasad had indicated earlier that Rabri Devi was unlikely to be projected as the chief ministerial candidate for the RJD-LJP alliance in the assembly elections in October-November this year, it became a fait accompli after an accord was reached between the two allies.

Prasad's LJP counterpart Ramvilas Paswan, recently announced the RJD chief as the alliance's chief ministerial candidate against political rival Nitish Kumar, the current chief minister.

A close aide of Paswan claimed that the LJP leader had made it clear to Prasad that Rabri Devi would not be acceptable to the people as chief minister.

Paswan agreed to project Prasad as the chief ministerial candidate with the LJP leader's brother and party president Pashupati Kumar Paras as deputy chief minister. "Only Lalu or Paswan can counter Nitish," a RJD leader said.

Prasad and Paswan had of late launched a joint campaign against the alleged failure of the Nitish Kumar government on all fronts, but Rabri Devi had remained away and also did not figure at the press conference which the two leaders held in New Delhi to announce the seat-sharing deal.