New Delhi: If predictions and projections come true, yet another Hindi belt state may fall into the kitty of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
An internal survey conducted in all 243 assembly constituencies of the state suggest that by and large the choice will be confined to BJP and anti-BJP parties in which the BJP will emerge triumph.
BJP may end up polling 47 per cent votes compared to 44 per cent votes that may go to the grand anti-BJP alliance in making. However, smaller parties may mar chances of the incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and his ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led by former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav as BJP and its allies, riding on the split of votes, may end up bagging 130 seats in the 243-member assembly.
The JD (U)-RJD alliance which is facing some hiccups may together win 110 seats while the remaining three seats may go to others.
“Modi’s popularity is very high in Bihar and his decision to give fair share to Bihar politician in his government may bear the fruits,” a BJP leader said.
BJP along with its allies Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Samata Party had swept last year’s general elections in Bihar by winning 31 out of 40 seats in the state. The three-party alliance is intact and the former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who has formed his own political party after rebelling from the JD (U) may also join hands with the BJP, making the alliance even stronger as Manjhi brings along with him a sizeable Dalit vote bank. With both Ram Vilas Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party and Manjhi by its side, BJP is assured of sweeping the Dalit votes which amount to nearly 20 per cent of the state’s total votes.
The survey was conducted in the fourth week of May when it appeared that the all erstwhile socialists will merge their identities and form a new political party. It, however, has run into trouble with differences appearing between JD (U) and RJD over sharing of seats. Moreover, the proposed alliance which would have included the Congress party and the Left Front, is encountering fresh troubles with Lalu Prasad’s RJD expressing its apprehensions over naming incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar as its chief ministerial candidate fearing it would drive the powerful Yadav votes towards the BJP.
Bihar is scheduled to vote in September-October this year.
Ever since its historic victory under Modi’s leadership, BJP has snatched power from the Congress party and its allies in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand and has formed a coalition government with the regional Peoples Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP since has fixed its eyes on Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and has been active in all three states in its bid to expand its base and activate its cadres. West Bengal goes to polls early next year while Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go to polls in early 2017.
