Bihar pins hope on Nitish Kumar
Navin Upadhyay/ New Delhi
BJP one up on RJD--- It is the dawn of a new era in Bihar. An era of hope and resurgence, an era whose foundation will be laid on the ruins of caste and communal politics, an era ushered in by a verdict whose impact will send tremors in the corridors of power in New Delhi.
In the place of a man whose social engineering pushed Bihar into the pit of chaos and backwardness, the State will now have a mechanical engineer in Nitish Kumar, who faces the unenviable task of carrying the burden of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav's dubious legacy.
Mr Nitish Kumar is likely to be sworn in as the Chief Minister in Patna on Thursday. He is leaving for Patna on Wednesday where a meeting of NDA MLAs will formally elect him as their leader, sources close to him said here. He will be sworn in with a 12-member Cabinet.
The BJP has appointed senior leaders Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley as central observers for its Bihar Legislature Party meeting in Patna on Wednesday.
In the election, the second in nine months, forced by a premature dissolution of the 243-member Assembly, the Nitish Kumar led-NDA bagged 143 seats, 21 more than the halfway mark of 122. Mr Kumar's JD-U won 88 seats and the BJP 55 seats against 55 and 37 won respectively, in the February elections which had thrown up a hung verdict, President's rule and the consequent dissolution. The RJD has won 54 seats and the Congress nine.
<b>
The NDA's decisive mandate has taken the State out of the primeaval 'lalten age' and sent an unmistakable message that in the long run, emotive appeals cannot override the common man's concern for bijli, sadak and pani.</b> The voters of the much-maligned State have shown remarkable maturity in ending the resurrection of regime that had all these years thrived on widening the social divide and fear of communal persecution.
In his last moments before his demise, a Lalu-watcher cannot fail to recall his advent into politics as a soldier of JP's Sampoorn Kranti, which had given a clarion call to break the barriers of caste and shape a new Bihar.
But after coming to power, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav betrayed the spirit of the JP Movement and went on to exploit the caste hysteria generated by Mandal politics. Equating caste with class, he mobilised the poor behind him under the banner of his brand of 'Social Justice'.<i><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>
This fake movement of social justice supported by the lefty media and secular/left parties kept the country under ransom and unstability</i></span>
As he bows out of power, few among Bihar's poor will shed any tears for him.
The writing was on the wall, but when the results finally began to trickle in, even the NDA leaders were shocked. At best, the NDA camp was expecting a razor-thin majority, and at worst a hung Assembly where they have to woo independents and smaller parties to cobble together a coalition government. The one-sided nature of the verdict arrived at by the most free and fair poll held in 15 years, will, among other things, revive debates on the misuse of bureaucracy, the police, and muscle-power which had been used to rig elections in the past.
The rejection of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav by the taken-for-granted voters of the Muslim-Yadav combine is the real story of the Bihar verdict. The pattern of results clearly establishes that voters of the MY combine have dumped Mr Yadav. And that more than anything else should be a humbling lesson for the RJD supremo who never for a minute believed that the Muslims and Yadavs were as desperate to get rid of his regime as any other person of Bihar. Till late Monday night, Mr Yadav was telling journalists in Patna that his MY combine was intact and with the help of EBC voters he would be able to get at least 120-130 seats.
The outcome of Raghopur, from where former chief minister Rabri Devi, just managed to scrape through conclusively underlines this erosion of Mr Yadav's core support base. That Rabri Devi trailed for the better part of counting before holding on to her seat from a Yadav-dominated segment, clearly shows that even Mr Yadav's own castemen did not stand behind him in his moment of crisis.
If Rabri Devi had a tough time in Raghopur, then the voters of her husband's parliamentary constituency Chhapra, once again a Yadav-domain taught him a similar lesson by routing the RJD. On the contrary, people of Nalanda reposed their faith in their MP Nitish Kumar, and voted decisively for the NDA. The alliance won all the eight seats from the district.
That caste barriers were breaking was evident in central Bihar, which has been known as the flaming fields. During the last 15 years, this area south of Ganga witnessed numerous caste killings. The situation became so grim and unmanageable in 1998 that the NDA Government even dismissed the Rabri Government and imposed President rule in the State.
Mr Yadav's last hope was pinned on Koshi, Purnea and Simanchal regions where the Yadavs and Muslims were numerically so powerful that had the MY combine remained intact, Mr Yadav could have won each and every seat. But here, too, the NDA handed him a humiliating defeat. What would be more galling for Mr Yadav is the fact that several BJP candidates won from Muslim-dominated segments of Simanchal.
The RJD was able to somehow escape with minor losses in Mithilanchal because of a host of local factors.The Muslims had all along looked disenchanted and ignored the RJD supremo's desperate attempts to whip up passion with advertisements asking them to be ready to leave the State if the BJP came to power.
The RJD still managed to get a good chunk of the Muslim votes, but the LJP and the JD (U) made major dents into this as well. Unlike in the past, when the Muslims voted aggressively to keep the BJP out of power, the minority community was openly talking of the need for change. Mr Yadav's setback in the Muslim-dominated Simanchal regions of Kishanganj, Katihar and Araria shows that barriers have finally broken in Bihar.
The results show that both the BJP and the Janata Dal (U) have done equally well. While Nitish Kumar's early projection as the NDA chief ministerial candidate went a long way in wooing the extremely backward caste voters, the BJP was successful in consolidating its upper caste votes. Both alliance partners were able to transfer their core support base into mutual gain. The BJP leaders would be able to silence their critics who were saying that the party would not be able to improve upon its tally of 39.
Like Mr Yadav, Ramvilas Paswan also emerged a major loser. But then the Paswan camp all along knew that it had no realistic chance of retaining its tally of 29 seats. Despite their poor performance, the smile on Mr Paswan's face made it clear that more than making a Muslim the chief minister of Bihar, he was interested in ending the reign of Lalu-Rabri Raj. Mr Paswan has no qualms in admitting, "he was satisfied with the verdict claiming that his vote percentage had increased and he had achieved his vow to prevent revival of the RJD rule."
To be fair to Mr Paswan, despite losing his flock to the NDA after the February polls and going alone in the just-concluded polls, he has been able to gain 12 per cent votes. His presence helped the NDA because the LJP had fielded a large number of Muslim and Yadav candidates.
The RJD' s rout has been across the State. It was battered in its traditional strongholds and wiped out in regions where the NDA was already a force to reckon with. Most former ministers of the Rabri Devi Government lost the elections.
The outcome of the Bihar verdict may not destabilise the UPA in the short term, but the blame games have already begun. While Lalu Prasad Yadav avoided naming Mr Paswan for spoiling the party for him, the CPI (M) has said the time has come to debate on Mr Paswan's continuation at the Centre. The CPI, which contested the election with Mr Paswan, has strongly backed him with party general secretary AB Bardhan claiming that any action against Mr Paswan will begin the process of disintegration of the UPA.
The result is a major setback for the Congress as well. The party could not retain its tally of 10 seats, and even PCC president and former speaker Sadanand Singh, who had represented Kahalgaon seven times, lost to JD(U)'s Ajay Mandal.
As Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav travels into the sunset of a momentous phase of his political journey, he will hope that his extinguished lantern will guide him across the uncertain future ahead.
Today is a day of victory. I have no grouse against anybody. He (Lalu) is senior to me and like my elder brother - Nitish Kumar
Victory and defeat keep coming in politics. I feel relieved... The people of Bihar gave us 15 years to rule and now they will test those who have promised to banish crime in three months and create an environment to stop flight of labour and students outside. - Lalu Prasad Yadav
I believe that Nitish Kumar's performance as Union Minister gave the NDA campaign a credibility that there will be dynamism and honesty in a government led by him - LK Advani
The results have proved that people of Bihar want governance, rule of law and development. You just cannot fool people all the time - Arun Jaitley
Navin Upadhyay/ New Delhi
BJP one up on RJD--- It is the dawn of a new era in Bihar. An era of hope and resurgence, an era whose foundation will be laid on the ruins of caste and communal politics, an era ushered in by a verdict whose impact will send tremors in the corridors of power in New Delhi.
In the place of a man whose social engineering pushed Bihar into the pit of chaos and backwardness, the State will now have a mechanical engineer in Nitish Kumar, who faces the unenviable task of carrying the burden of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav's dubious legacy.
Mr Nitish Kumar is likely to be sworn in as the Chief Minister in Patna on Thursday. He is leaving for Patna on Wednesday where a meeting of NDA MLAs will formally elect him as their leader, sources close to him said here. He will be sworn in with a 12-member Cabinet.
The BJP has appointed senior leaders Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley as central observers for its Bihar Legislature Party meeting in Patna on Wednesday.
In the election, the second in nine months, forced by a premature dissolution of the 243-member Assembly, the Nitish Kumar led-NDA bagged 143 seats, 21 more than the halfway mark of 122. Mr Kumar's JD-U won 88 seats and the BJP 55 seats against 55 and 37 won respectively, in the February elections which had thrown up a hung verdict, President's rule and the consequent dissolution. The RJD has won 54 seats and the Congress nine.
<b>
The NDA's decisive mandate has taken the State out of the primeaval 'lalten age' and sent an unmistakable message that in the long run, emotive appeals cannot override the common man's concern for bijli, sadak and pani.</b> The voters of the much-maligned State have shown remarkable maturity in ending the resurrection of regime that had all these years thrived on widening the social divide and fear of communal persecution.
In his last moments before his demise, a Lalu-watcher cannot fail to recall his advent into politics as a soldier of JP's Sampoorn Kranti, which had given a clarion call to break the barriers of caste and shape a new Bihar.
But after coming to power, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav betrayed the spirit of the JP Movement and went on to exploit the caste hysteria generated by Mandal politics. Equating caste with class, he mobilised the poor behind him under the banner of his brand of 'Social Justice'.<i><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>
This fake movement of social justice supported by the lefty media and secular/left parties kept the country under ransom and unstability</i></span>
As he bows out of power, few among Bihar's poor will shed any tears for him.
The writing was on the wall, but when the results finally began to trickle in, even the NDA leaders were shocked. At best, the NDA camp was expecting a razor-thin majority, and at worst a hung Assembly where they have to woo independents and smaller parties to cobble together a coalition government. The one-sided nature of the verdict arrived at by the most free and fair poll held in 15 years, will, among other things, revive debates on the misuse of bureaucracy, the police, and muscle-power which had been used to rig elections in the past.
The rejection of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav by the taken-for-granted voters of the Muslim-Yadav combine is the real story of the Bihar verdict. The pattern of results clearly establishes that voters of the MY combine have dumped Mr Yadav. And that more than anything else should be a humbling lesson for the RJD supremo who never for a minute believed that the Muslims and Yadavs were as desperate to get rid of his regime as any other person of Bihar. Till late Monday night, Mr Yadav was telling journalists in Patna that his MY combine was intact and with the help of EBC voters he would be able to get at least 120-130 seats.
The outcome of Raghopur, from where former chief minister Rabri Devi, just managed to scrape through conclusively underlines this erosion of Mr Yadav's core support base. That Rabri Devi trailed for the better part of counting before holding on to her seat from a Yadav-dominated segment, clearly shows that even Mr Yadav's own castemen did not stand behind him in his moment of crisis.
If Rabri Devi had a tough time in Raghopur, then the voters of her husband's parliamentary constituency Chhapra, once again a Yadav-domain taught him a similar lesson by routing the RJD. On the contrary, people of Nalanda reposed their faith in their MP Nitish Kumar, and voted decisively for the NDA. The alliance won all the eight seats from the district.
That caste barriers were breaking was evident in central Bihar, which has been known as the flaming fields. During the last 15 years, this area south of Ganga witnessed numerous caste killings. The situation became so grim and unmanageable in 1998 that the NDA Government even dismissed the Rabri Government and imposed President rule in the State.
Mr Yadav's last hope was pinned on Koshi, Purnea and Simanchal regions where the Yadavs and Muslims were numerically so powerful that had the MY combine remained intact, Mr Yadav could have won each and every seat. But here, too, the NDA handed him a humiliating defeat. What would be more galling for Mr Yadav is the fact that several BJP candidates won from Muslim-dominated segments of Simanchal.
The RJD was able to somehow escape with minor losses in Mithilanchal because of a host of local factors.The Muslims had all along looked disenchanted and ignored the RJD supremo's desperate attempts to whip up passion with advertisements asking them to be ready to leave the State if the BJP came to power.
The RJD still managed to get a good chunk of the Muslim votes, but the LJP and the JD (U) made major dents into this as well. Unlike in the past, when the Muslims voted aggressively to keep the BJP out of power, the minority community was openly talking of the need for change. Mr Yadav's setback in the Muslim-dominated Simanchal regions of Kishanganj, Katihar and Araria shows that barriers have finally broken in Bihar.
The results show that both the BJP and the Janata Dal (U) have done equally well. While Nitish Kumar's early projection as the NDA chief ministerial candidate went a long way in wooing the extremely backward caste voters, the BJP was successful in consolidating its upper caste votes. Both alliance partners were able to transfer their core support base into mutual gain. The BJP leaders would be able to silence their critics who were saying that the party would not be able to improve upon its tally of 39.
Like Mr Yadav, Ramvilas Paswan also emerged a major loser. But then the Paswan camp all along knew that it had no realistic chance of retaining its tally of 29 seats. Despite their poor performance, the smile on Mr Paswan's face made it clear that more than making a Muslim the chief minister of Bihar, he was interested in ending the reign of Lalu-Rabri Raj. Mr Paswan has no qualms in admitting, "he was satisfied with the verdict claiming that his vote percentage had increased and he had achieved his vow to prevent revival of the RJD rule."
To be fair to Mr Paswan, despite losing his flock to the NDA after the February polls and going alone in the just-concluded polls, he has been able to gain 12 per cent votes. His presence helped the NDA because the LJP had fielded a large number of Muslim and Yadav candidates.
The RJD' s rout has been across the State. It was battered in its traditional strongholds and wiped out in regions where the NDA was already a force to reckon with. Most former ministers of the Rabri Devi Government lost the elections.
The outcome of the Bihar verdict may not destabilise the UPA in the short term, but the blame games have already begun. While Lalu Prasad Yadav avoided naming Mr Paswan for spoiling the party for him, the CPI (M) has said the time has come to debate on Mr Paswan's continuation at the Centre. The CPI, which contested the election with Mr Paswan, has strongly backed him with party general secretary AB Bardhan claiming that any action against Mr Paswan will begin the process of disintegration of the UPA.
The result is a major setback for the Congress as well. The party could not retain its tally of 10 seats, and even PCC president and former speaker Sadanand Singh, who had represented Kahalgaon seven times, lost to JD(U)'s Ajay Mandal.
As Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav travels into the sunset of a momentous phase of his political journey, he will hope that his extinguished lantern will guide him across the uncertain future ahead.
Today is a day of victory. I have no grouse against anybody. He (Lalu) is senior to me and like my elder brother - Nitish Kumar
Victory and defeat keep coming in politics. I feel relieved... The people of Bihar gave us 15 years to rule and now they will test those who have promised to banish crime in three months and create an environment to stop flight of labour and students outside. - Lalu Prasad Yadav
I believe that Nitish Kumar's performance as Union Minister gave the NDA campaign a credibility that there will be dynamism and honesty in a government led by him - LK Advani
The results have proved that people of Bihar want governance, rule of law and development. You just cannot fool people all the time - Arun Jaitley