PATNA: The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar has made up its mind to put up a candidate against BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi for the Rajya Sabha seat that has become vacant after the death of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan.
With the BJP snubbing Chirag by nominating its own candidate from the seat that it had given to the LJP from its quota, the RJD, in a well-calculated move, has offered to field his mother Reena Paswan against Sushil Modi.
The offer appears to have put the 37-year-old LJP president in a bind as agreeing to the offer would be tantamount to burning his bridges with the BJP, to which he claims to remain loyal despite his brinkmanship, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for whom he expresses unreserved admiration.
The opposition party is apparently aiming to drive a wedge between the BJP and the LJP in a bid to distance the Dalit community from the ruling NDA.
Sources said the Grand Alliance has already made the proposal to Chirag and his response is awaited. By offering support to Reena Paswan, the RJD is eyeing the Paswan vote bank, which constitutes around 4.5% of the state’s total electorate.
The LJP chief has been maintaining that his misadventure in the recent elections stemmed from the conviction that there was resentment in the state against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his JD(U).
Numbers in the state assembly, too, appear to be in favour of the NDA, which now includes smaller parties like VIP and HAM.
The ruling coalition has 125 MLAs in the 243-strong assembly as against only 110 of the Grand Alliance.
However, the RJD, which heads the Grand Alliance, had on Saturday indicated that it was not willing to give a walkover to the NDA.
In a statement, the party's spokesman Shakti Yadav had said "the BJP has acted out of spite ('khunnas') by denying the seat to the LJP. Had the late Ram Vilas Paswan's party been allowed to contest, we would have considered supporting their candidate even though his party is not our alliance partner".
Another party leader Mritunjay Tiwari said the Grand Alliance would finalise its candidate in next one or two days.
It was up to the LJP to take up or reject the offer, “but it is almost certain that the Grand Alliance will put up it candidate against Modi,” the RJD spokesperson said.
If Chirag rejects the offer, the Grand Alliance may pick RJD state chief Jagdanand Singh or Muslim face Abdul Bari Siddiqui.
Though very much aware that their candidate is unlikely to get elected, the Grand Alliance is determined not to let the ruling alliance have a smooth sail.
“We will not allow the NDA to get its candidate elected unopposed. The Grand Alliance is determined to put tough challenges to NDA in its every move,” a senior RJD leader said.
The Rajya Sabha by-election is scheduled to be held on December 14. The last date of filing nominations is December 3.
Paswan's son Chirag, who currently heads the LJP and had burnt his fingers recently by going solo in the assembly polls, sought to downplay the cold-shoulder received from the NDA, saying "the seat belonged to the BJP. It is for the party to decide whom to field in the by-election".
Paswan had got elected, unopposed, in a by-poll last year necessitated by his cabinet colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad winning the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat.
The opposition coalition, which hopes to rally along parties like Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM which has five MLAs, is of the view that such a contest would be a win-win situation as even if Reena Paswan were to lose, the NDA would end up angering a large section of Dalits.
Sources in the Grand Alliance also said that if Chirag did not come out with a positive response, the coalition might still go ahead and field its candidate for the seat, engaging in yet another trial of strength with the ruling NDA.
(With PTI inputs)