BJP plays Yadav card to fragment Grand Alliance votes in Bihar polls 16-09-2015
Patna: Though the allies
of the BJP are unhappy with the unilateral announcement of the first list of 43
candidates, the party made it clear that Yadav and Dalits are its prime focus.
This poses serious questions for Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. Lalu Prasad had
to invoke fellow Yadavs at the 30 August Swabhiman rally and is aware of the
BJP plans to fragment the Yadav vote.
The BJP has fielded
five Yadavs in the first list as per composition of the Assembly segment. It
throws out a challenge to opponents — will they also field Yadavs or settle for
EBC candidates on some seats for a different kind of formulation? The BJP has
asked the Yadav question to Lalu who is still busy working out its lists with
his partners.
The BJP is attempting a
social combination of upper castes, Dalits and fragmented Yadavs and EBCs. The
party does not fight shy of latantly playing the card by brandishing the Yadav
and Rai surnames of its leaders during its rallies. The BJP’s confidence comes
from the Yadav leaders in its rank – Ram Kripal Yadav, Bhupendra Yadav and Nand
Kishore Yadav. It is true that no one can match Lalu but the BJP is catering to
Yadav youths.
The BJP has also
focussed on the Scheduled Caste, Ravidas which forms about five per cent of the
state population. This is another well-thought out BJP strategy to create a
vertical and horizontal split in Nitish Kumar’s carefully crafted Mahadalit
constituency.
As for the Grand
Alliance, it will have some disgruntled ticket hopefuls landing up at JD (U)
and RJD camps. Lalu and Nitish have to come up with a befitting reply to the
BJP’s first list. The BJP should be ready for some posers from the Grand
Alliance and beware of the growing murmurs within its camp about its elder-brotherly
attitude. |