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With the sound of Legislative Council (MLC) elections in the political corridors of Bihar, the political temperature has reached the seventh sky. There has been a stir in both the camps of the ruling NDA and the main opposition Mahagathbandhan regarding the upcoming elections, but amidst all this, the kind of internal strife, infighting and controversies that are coming to the fore within both the alliances has surprised even the political pundits. On one hand, the recent political episodes and statements related to Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar in the NDA camp have increased the problems for the top leadership, while on the other hand, there is a lot of bickering and tussle within the Grand Alliance regarding the distribution of seats and selection of candidates. Amidst the mutual conflict and upheaval between these two traditional alliances, now the discussion has become the hottest in the political market whether strategist Prashant Kishor (PK)’s party ‘Jan Suraaj’ will take the biggest advantage of this political void and mutual discord? Through this special report, we will know in detail what kind of equations are being created in this high-profile MLC election of Bihar and who is gaining on whom.
Why has the uneasiness increased in the NDA camp due to the Anant Singh and Neeraj episode?
The interference of strongmen and influential leaders in the politics of Bihar has always been a topic of discussion, and when it comes to Mokama or surrounding areas, the name of Anant Singh comes at the top. Many speculations are being made within and outside the ruling party regarding his recent coming out of jail and his active participation in political activities. On the other hand, the sharp statements and political tactics of senior Janata Dal United (JDU) leader and Legislative Councilor Neeraj Kumar have further complicated the equations within the NDA. Due to the statements of these two leaders and the politics revolving around them, internal uneasiness is clearly being felt within the NDA. The alliance constituents are busy assessing how much negative impact such controversial episodes can have on their vote bank in the upcoming MLC elections, because in a prestigious house like the Legislative Council, a clean image and the votes of the intellectual class matter a lot.
War of ticket and supremacy in the Grand Alliance: There is a huge conflict within the house
Not only the condition of NDA is bad, but there is also a fierce fight in the camp of opposition grand alliance i.e. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties regarding ticket distribution and mutual supremacy. When the churning of names of candidates for the MLC elections started, only one local satrap of each party was adamant on getting the ticket to his close or family member. There is also a tussle going on within the Grand Alliance regarding which party’s traditional vote bank is stronger in which ward or area. As long as the opposition alliance remains busy resolving mutual divisions and infighting, they will fail to put forward an effective and united strategy against the ruling party. This is the reason why political analysts are believing that this weakness of the opposition camp can prove very costly for them at the time of elections.
Will Prashant Kishore’s ‘Jan Suraj’ take full advantage of this political turmoil?
When two giants and traditional political alliances are at loggerheads, it has always been the history that the third option or a new political front gets the golden opportunity to consolidate its ground. These days, Prashant Kishore is busy gathering public support in every corner of Bihar through his ‘Jan Suraj’ padyatra and campaign. He is continuously attacking traditional politics, caste equations and muscle power culture. The people of Bihar, especially the youth and the intelligentsia, are now fed up of voting in the name of caste and muscle power. In such a situation, if the NDA and the Grand Alliance will not be able to overcome their internal disputes and incidents like Anant Singh-Neeraj, then Prashant Kishor’s party can take full advantage of this ideological and political void and succeed in registering its threat on the stage of the Legislative Council.
Which side will the camel sit on in the upcoming elections? The gaze of the people of Bihar
These upcoming elections of Bihar Legislative Council are not just a matter of selection of some seats or members, but it is going to prove to be a kind of semi-final of the upcoming assembly elections. The people of the state are watching very carefully as to which party or alliance is really talking about development, education, employment and transparent governance of the people and which one is just engaged in maintaining its old caste and muscle power equations. When the nomination and campaign phase gets underway in the coming few weeks, it will become clear whether the traditional parties learn from their mistakes or whether a new political upheaval writes a new chapter in the political history of Bihar.