Lalu won’t play active role in Bihar campaigning

NEW DELHI: For the first time since the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav will not be playing an active role in the political campaigning in the state. Yadav, who has been disqualified from contesting elections for six years following his conviction in the fodder scam in October 2013, is now undergoing his prison sentence in Ranchi jail.

Yadav had won his first election at the age of 29 from Chhapra seat in the 1977. He is the only leader from Bihar to have been elected to all the four Houses—Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assembly and State Legislative Council.

He had campaigned for his party candidates in the 2014 elections apart from leading from the front on deciding the candidates and alliance. However, this time, he has allowed himself to be shifted to the background. Though he meets party and other leaders once a week in the jail, he is no more involved in deciding the modalities. Now, his son Tejashwi, who is the Leader of the Opposition, is looking after party affairs in the state and at the national level as well.

“Laluji’s advice on critical issues is taken periodically by party leaders including Tejashwi. However, he does not interfere in the day to day functioning of the party affairs now,” a party insider said. According to party leaders, the issue of seat allotment among the grand alliance partners in the state has still not been discussed and it will be decided after the rally of Rahul Gandhi, which is scheduled for 3 February in Patna. While Congress, under its newly appointed state president Madan Mohan Jha, wants to contest on at least 12 out of the 40 seats in the state, Tejashwi also has to keep in mind the aspirations of alliance partners Jiten Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), NCP, Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), the Left and Sharad Yadav’s Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insan Party (VIP) and Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar, who is also planning to join the alliance. “RJD cannot contest on less than 20 seats as it wants to play a dominant role at the Centre in case of a hung Parliament or if UPA-III is formed. For that, it needs to have a good number of RJD MPs. It has become a tricky issue with so many parties joining hands with us and every party wants maximum representation,” a party leader said. “If an understanding of some sort is reached with SP and BSP, which Tejashwi is pushing for, then it will become trickier. Tejashwi wants BSP president Mayawati to join the alliance and also contest from one of the reserved seats in Bihar as it will have a ripple effect and secure Dalit votes for the grand alliance,” he added. According to a Bihar Congress leader, the Congress this time, under a “resurgent” Gandhi, may not be so accommodating to RJD’s demand as it has been in the past and it might even think of going alone if it is not given a “respectable” number of seats which suits its national stature.

“The party has shown in Uttar Pradesh that while it is open to walk together, it will not allow itself to play the second fiddle in the alliance,” a party MLA said.