Courtsey : The Statesman
Manoj ChaurasiaPatna, March 20: The poll cauldron is boiling in Bihar with ambitious leaders switching loyalty thick and fast. What led to this mad race among the “Khadi” tribe is the preference by the political parties to give tickets to Vibhishans (rebels) to know the strategies of rival camps. The ruling JD-U in Bihar has virtually kept its door open for every wandering rebel on the lookout for tickets with a few hangers-on in tow. It is not only giving them shelter but also tickets, ignoring loyal party candidates, leading to rebellion within the party. In the past few days, a number of prominent leaders like Mr Ram Sundar Das (SJP leader and former Bihar chief minister), Mr Ranjan Prasad Yadav (LJP’s national vice-president), Mohammad Nematullah (RJD’s Bihar minority cell chief), Mr Jai Narayan Nishad (former BJP MP), Mr Mangani Lal Mandal (former RJD MP) and Mr Mahabali Prasad Singh (RJD legislator) have joined the JD-U. According to JD-U sources almost all of them have been promised a ticket for the election. The JD-U leadership is planning to field Mr Das against the LJP president Mr Ram Vilas Paswan from Hajipur. The party is indignant at Mr Paswan for using his ***dalit vote-bank to “blackmail” political parties but more at the way, he has working under the hidden agenda of causing splits in NDA voter bank and ensuring victory of the UPA candidates. After the February 2005 Assembly poll which threw up a fractured mandate, Mr Paswan had announced not to support either the “corrupt” RJD or the “communal” BJP. This led to political stalemate for months as Bihar had to face another round of elections within eight months which later saw NDA government in Bihar. The same Mr Paswan, NDA alleged, had eaten his own words and shook hands with his main political rival and RJD chief Mr Lalu Prasad. Likewise, there are reports that Mr Ranjan Yadav could be fielded against his former friend-turned arch rival Mr Lalu Prasad ~ considered JD-U common’s enemy ~ from Pataliputra seat which latter is to contest apart from his old seat Chapra (now Saran). Reports also have it that other “outsiders” namely Md Nematullah may be fielded from Siwan, home turf of now incarcerated RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, Mr Jai Narayan Nishad from Muzaffarpur, Mr Mangani Lal Mandal from Jhanjharpur, and Mr Mahabali Singh from Karakat. There is also report of a LJP rebel Mr Maheshwar Hazari to be fielded against Mr Ramchandra Paswan, sitting MP and brother of LJP chief Mr Paswan, from Samastipur seat. The next attraction for the rebels is the Congress which is in dire need of candidates. Prominent RJD rebels like Mr Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav, Mr Giridhari Yadav (both sitting MPs) and Mr Ramai Ram, MLA, have joined the Congress and have been reportedly promised tickets. Reports said RJD chief’s brother-in-law Mr Sadhu Yadav would be fielded from West Chaparan while there is a likelihood of Mr Ramai Ram to be fielded against the LJP chief Mr Paswan with whom he is said to have long-standing political rivalry. Many other leaders from the RJD and LJP are also lobbying hard for Congress tickets. Another RJD rebel Mr Rama Devi, wife of former “don” and slain RJD minister Brij Bihari Prasad, who quit the party yesterday, has been given ticket for Sheohar seat in North Bihar. Reports have it about a half-a-dozen sitting RJD MPs are also sitting on the fence to join other parties since the RJD chief is not said to be satisfied with their performance and chances are that they could be denied tickets this time. Likewise, many JD-U rebels are reportedly in touch with the RJD for tickets but the party chief looks more cautious in allotting tickets to the candidates taking a lesson from his failures in the last Assembly polls that dethroned the firmly-placed, 15-year-old Rabri Devi government in Bihar.
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