NEW DELHI: On a day when the Samajwadi Party (SP) announced its decision to break ranks with the Janta Parivar following differences over seat-sharing for the Bihar Assembly polls, the BJP predicted that the news of fissures within the ‘grand alliance’ would impact the electoral outcome.
The party cited the example of an earlier partner of the Nitish-Lalu combine, NCP, which walked out of the alliance three months ago for the same reason: it too was not given enough number of seats to contest.
Now, the SP has parted ways, claiming that its candidates were ‘humiliated’. Electorally speaking, it does not have a base in the state. However, with its focus on the Yadav-Muslim votebank, the party shares ideological pinnings with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD. “People at the ground level would now be aware that Nitish-Lalu combine is shaky. This helps our cause,” a senior BJP leader from the state said. He explained the electoral arithmetic that would favour the BJP.
“What will help the BJP would be the division of Yadav votes. If SP decides to contest alone, it will eat into Lalu’s share,” he reasoned, adding that the SP pulled out of the Janata Parivar since it wanted more seats. The same would impact the JD(U)-RJD combine. Last time in 2010 the JD(U) contested 141 seats and the RJD over 240. This time, both are getting 100 each. So, disgruntled leaders, who do not get tickets, may contest independently or join the BJP, the BJP leader explained.
With the last rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bhagalpur drawing huge crowds, the BJP’s confidence has increased and received a boost with the fissures in the grand alliance. An obviously elated Union Minister of State Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the reason cited by the SP for quitting the alliance was “petty”, adding that the real reason Mulayam Singh Yadav’s party had chosen that course was that it realised the coalition lacked strength.
“Samajwadi Party’s decision reflects the unrest and panic in the opposition. No party will hold ground in Bihar against the BJP, especially after the successful rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. “We feel that it is not a question of five seats. This is the result of poor crowds at their rally at Gandhi Maidan and Samajwadi Party saw this and realised that the alliance will not work as it does not have much strength,” Rudy claimed. Sharpening attack on Nitish and Lalu, he said the Bihar Chief Minister had increasingly come to behave like the RJD chief.
Lalu Dna working on nitish, taunts rudy
Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy took potshots at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, saying he was increasingly looking like a clone of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. “The day Nitish Kumar joined hands with Lalu Prasad he lost his credibility. Lalu’s DNA has started having an influence on Nitish’s DNA ever since, going by the language and speech of the Bihar CM,” he said. The BJP released a video of Nitish chiding protesting teachers at a public event in Samastipur. “Nitish is speaking in a manner in which Lalu used to speak. His behaviour shows the effect of Lalu’s DNA on him,” Rudy said.