look news india
The maneuvers of strategists and leaders have always been a topic of discussion in Bihar politics. These days, amid the ongoing Legislative Council (MLC) elections in the state, the temperature of politics has once again reached its peak. Jan Suraj’s founder and political strategist turned leader Prashant Kishore (PK) has made a move in this election which has surprised even the old political veterans. Political analysts believe that Prashant Kishore has exactly replicated a famous statement and political formula given by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar about 21 years ago in the current elections. Under this unique strategy, the strong candidates fielded have given traditional parties sleepless nights and have made the contest very exciting.
It was around the year 2005 when the political landscape of Bihar was changing rapidly and Nitish Kumar, popularly known as Sushasan Babu, was preparing vigorously to take over the power of the state. At that time, when the question arose regarding distribution of election tickets and selection of candidates as to whom the party would field in front of smaller or weaker parties and equations, then Nitish Kumar had given a very popular and logical statement. He had said that ‘We will not make the goat fight against the tiger’, which directly and clearly meant that to face any strong and powerful political rival, we will not make up for it by fielding a weak or light candidate, but a more powerful, capable and popular face will be fielded in comparison to him so that there can be a direct and close contest.
Prashant Kishore, through his party Jan Suraj, has tried this old and infallible formula in a modern style in this election of Bihar Legislative Council. Considering the recently concluded by-elections and local political equations, PK has very thoughtfully selected strong candidates on all the seats. Taking full care of social justice and social engineering in ticket distribution, tickets have been given to influential faces of different castes and communities. Experts say that instead of fielding weak players on any seat, Jan Suraj has fielded his strong candidates directly against the established and strong satraps of the main parties (like NDA and Grand Alliance), due to which a triangular or head-to-head contest is being seen in the electoral field.
The effect of this aggressive and measured formula strategy of Prashant Kishor is now clearly visible at the field level. The seats which earlier traditional parties were considering as very easy or safe seats, are now facing a tough challenge. This is the reason why senior ministers, MPs and MLAs from both the ruling party and the opposition have to put in all their strength in these elections. Jan Suraj candidates are making their inroads directly among the voters through door-to-door public relations and street meetings. This situation has put pressure on the traditional political parties because they have now realized that this time there is not a weak opponent in the field but a new force that has come with full preparation.
Another special thing that is being seen in this entire election process is that eminent and professional people belonging to different sections of the society are also joining this new stream of politics. After the experiences in Bankipur and other places, the organizational structure of Jan Suraj seems to be becoming stronger. The way the party has registered a strong presence in every field while balancing the caste equations, it has become clear that Prashant Kishor is not just making claims on paper, but is making very thoughtful moves on the ground. Everyone’s eyes are fixed on how this policy of fielding a ‘strong opponent in front of the tiger’ will affect the larger equations of Bihar politics in the times to come.
Whatever may be the results of these Bihar Legislative Council elections, there is no doubt that Prashant Kishore has definitely created a stir in mainstream politics by reviving Nitish Kumar’s old and tried formula. Going among the public and exposing the shortcomings of traditional parties and standing before the public with strong alternatives, indicates that in the coming days, the political battle of Bihar is not going to be as easy as it used to be. At present, all eyes are on the voting and the upcoming results, which will decide whether this new experiment really succeeds in demolishing the fort of traditional satraps or not.