Growth or caste? Grand alliance in a fix

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
With the latest pre-poll surveys projecting BJP-led NDA alliance to be having an edge in the Bihar Assembly elections, its main rival JD(U)-led “Mahagathbandhan” (grand alliance) is unsure whether to base its campaign on development plank or on caste and religion.
This is because even though surveys project Bihar Chief Minister and leader of the grand alliance Nitish Kumar as voters’ preferred choice for the CM’s post, the NDA may secure the magic figure 122 in the House of 243. As per the survey reports, Kumar is considered a development-oriented leader.
A leader of the grand alliance said the uncertainty on finalising poll issues for the campaign was on account of multi-pronged challenges thrown before it.
The alliance’s major contender is the NDA which has not announced its chief ministerial candidate and has based its campaign on development. The alliance is taking the NDA head-on with Nitish as its spearhead. But the ground reality is complex. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party-led six-party alliance and All India Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslimeen of Asaduddin Owasis threaten to dent its main support base — Muslims and Yadavs.
To keep the Yadav and Muslim support intact, the alliance has been forced to weight the option of unleashing Lalu Prasad against the NDA.
While Nitish may harp on developmental issues, Lalu Prasad may focus on raking up caste and religion-based issues laced with his rustic charm.
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