While LJP one of the oldest partners of the NDA has come out of the alliance and has decided to go alone and would field 122 candidates, the RJD has managed to isolate the emerging youth icon Kanhaiya Kumar and put him in a tight spot.

Though Kanhaiya was never in the run for the office of the chief minister, the RJD leadership viewed him as a potential threat to their leader Tejashvi. It is threat perception that has turned the RJD hostile to the claim of the CPI. While the RJD has agreed to concede the demand of the CPI(ML)-Liberation, it is reluctant to accede to the demand of the CPI to give it more seats. The sources maintain that the reluctance owes to emergence of Kanhaiya as the key campaigner. A strong CPI would further embolden the stature of Kanhaiya. However some leaders maintain that this would not have any impact on Kanhaiya, who has got his own stature and is certainly not dependent on others to promote him.

It is said this is RJD’s tactics to project Tejasvi as a new leader who is yet to have any impact on the people of state. Meanwhile some experts and party insiders claim that most of the Grand Alliance candidates have started requesting Kanhaiya to visit their constituencies. Even some RJD leaders are eager to invite him.

In this backdrop it is for the GA leaders to decide how they desire to use his services. The RJD, which had worked hard to defeat Kanhaiya Kumar from Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 polls by refusing to withdraw its own candidate, now seems ready to forge an alliance with the party for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls. No doubt Kumar will likely be the star campaigner for the Left, but it is still not clear whether Tejashvi would share dais with him.

Sources also confide that Tejashvi would not like Kanhaiya to campaign for his party candidates as this would eclipse his image and send the message that he took the support for ensuring the victory of his partymen. RJD will contest on 144 seats while Congress has been given 70 seats. Besides, a total of 29 seats have been allocated to three Left parties—CPI-ML (19), CPI (6), CPM (4)—to contest.

Nevertheless discussions are on. However RJD turning soft towards CPI(ML) is the talk of political circle. It is said that while RJD wants the CPI(ML) to campaign for its candidates and transfer its traditional votes in favour of RJD candidates, by acceding to Liberation demand it also intends to send the message that RJD has not been antagonistic to the left forces and parties. This would also minimise the impact of not giving desired credence to Kanhaiya.

Kanhaiya Kumar is a member of the national executive of the CPI, so his name as a star campaigner will come from the central leadership. Meanwhile sources maintain that the Congress leaders are chalking out a bigger action plan as to effectively involve Kanhaiya in the campaigning for the party. The Congress had supported Kanhaiya in the Lok Sabha election.

But the situation is really worrying for JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar. With LJP quitting the NDA, the situation has turned further complicated for Nitish. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday walked out of the NDA in Bihar ahead of the state assembly polls, saying that it will not fight the election under JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's leadership of the ruling alliance in the state.

In yet another major development the party would field candidates from all the 122 constituencies which the JD(U) would be contesting. Obviously it would imply that the prime enemy of LJP is the JD(U) of Nitish and not the Grand Alliance. LJP chief and MP Chirag Paswan had earlier launched “Bihar First-Bihari First' campaign at the party office, in Patna on February 21, 2020.

The last ditch effort made by Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, to settle the discord failed to yield result. An LJP parliamentary board meeting chaired by Chirag Paswan made it abundantly clear that it will continue to support the BJP but would work against the JD(U). Interestingly on its part the BJP continues to stick to its earlier stand that the NDA will fight the polls under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

Nevertheless some pollsters view this parting of ways between Nitish and Chirag as a strategic move of the BJP to weaken Nitish. It is said that the BJP would be fielding some of it candidates on LJP ticket. They would ensure the defeat of JD(U). Though the BJP did not openly intend to cut the wings of Nitish, it is using the LJP to accomplish that task. The BJP has also agreed to make Chirag the deputy chief minister in case they emerge victorious.

Senior political leaders hold the view that the BJP was playing the most dubious game. While the BJP continues to be an ally of JD(U) but at the same time encouraging Chirag to put its candidates against JD(U). Sources say that during the meeting Chirag listed his grievances with Nitish Kumar and spoke of pressure from within his party to contest in all the seats where JD(U) will be fielding candidates..

The seat-sharing exercise in the grand alliance gained pace only after RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s emissary Bhola Yadav returned to Patna from Ranchi on Thursday with his message on the distribution of seats among different partners. Sources confide Lalu Yadav is to take final call on what role Kanhaiya would perform during the campaigning. (IPA Service)