Lalu Prasad emphatic comeback, to be kingmaker in Bihar

Notwithstanding a string of losses that began with the defeat in the 2005 Assembly polls when his party was ousted from power after 15 years and a court ruling, which will keep him out of electoral fray for six years, RJD boss Lalu Prasad has made a resounding comeback on Bihar's political stage.

The man, who once lorded over Bihar, was pushed to the margins after the 2010 assembly elections when the NDA under incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar won an astounding four fifth majority in the 243-member assembly, winning 206 seats and restricting RJD to a paltry 22, its worst-ever tally.

The once seemingly invincible RJD, with its massive Muslim-OBC votebank, was not even eligible for the Leader of Opposition's post.

If the 2005 polls marked the exit of the Lalu-Rabri duo from the hot seat, 2010 debacle appeared to have exacerbated the process of RJD's marginalisation in state politics.

Lalu's conviction in a fodder scam case in 2013 came as a personal blow to him as it led to his immediate disqualification from the Lok Sabha and a ban from contesting an election at least for six years.

The successive defeats, however, carried seeds for a future reunion with friend-turned-foe Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) had also been humiliated in the 2014 election, managing to win just two seats after parting ways with 17-year-old ally BJP in June 2013 over Narendra Modi's anointment as the party's campaign spearhead for last year's LS



polls.

Acutely aware of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal charisma and BJP's growing popularity in the state, they began cosying up to each other after the Lok Sabha debacle.

Lalu promptly declared the poll as 'Mandal Raj Part II' and a fight between the 'backwards and forwards', ensuring a rapid polarisation along caste lines, something which had kept RJD in power for 15 years in the politically volatile state.

While there was an apparent consolidation of backward class and Muslim voters in grand alliance's favour, the beef talk by the leaders of the NDA, particularly BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, failed to bring about a consolidation of Hindu votes in the favour of the centre's ruling alliance.

Of the 192 seats in the 243-member state assembly trends from where are available so far, Lalu's RJD is leading the table with 55 seats and JD(U) 52. BJP was leading in 53 seats and its allies LJP (6), Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha (three each).

Like the Lok Sabha polls in which his daughter Misa Bharti lost to his former protege Ram Kripal Yadav of BJP, his two sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap are trailing from Raghopur and Mahua in Vaishali district.

Personal losses notwithstanding, Lalu is set to become the king maker in Bihar, if not the king.