Bihar, India (June 20, 2014): Joining hands of two political rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar showed it’s impact against common third rival BJP during by-election for Rajya Sabha held on June 19. Janta Dal United (JD-U) nominees Pavan Varma and Ghulam Rasool Baliabi won the election but only because arch rival Lalu Prasad backed their candidature with the support of his 21-member Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) legislature party.
Though two RJD MLAs are also believed to have cross-voted, it was ultimately Lalu’s support that made Nitish Kumar’s candidates win the Indian Parliament’s upper house bypoll. Earlier, Nitish Kumar had made an public appeal to Lalu Prasad on June 14.
The final tally of votes – 122 in favour of each of the two JD-U candidates and 108 for independents-made it clear that a number of JD-U MLAs have cross-voted in favour of the two BJP-backed independents, Sabir Ali and Anil Sharma.
According to existing composition in Bihar Assembly, Varma and Baliabi should have bagged 147 votes (JD-U 117 MLAs, RJD 21, Congress 4, CPI- 1, and four independents backing governments) That their vote tally fell short by 25 votes clearly indicates how the going has gone tough for Nitish Kumar in his own party during the last one month.
Incidentally, the Jitan Ram Manjhi government, that Nitish had propped up after he resigned a day after Lok Sabha results, had secured the support of 145 MLAs when it sought the trust vote on May 23.
Though the two powerful regional satraps – Lalu and Nitish – have restrained themselves from speaking about their an JDU-RJD future alliance, the Rajya Sabha by poll result is considered as a “prelude” to broader realignment between the two socialist stalwarts, who have been fighting fiercely with each other for the past 20 years.
Three vacancies in the Rajya Sabha had emerged from Bihar after its incumbents — Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP), Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Ram Kripal Yadav (both BJP) made it to the Lok Sabha from Hajipur, Saran and Patliputra Lok Sabha seats.
JD-U national President Sharad Yadav, who had fielded nomination for the seat vacated by LJP President Ram Vilas Paswan, has been declared unopposed as JD-U rebels did not field candidates against him.
Overwhelming performance of Hindutva supremacist party BJP in last Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, is considered to be a worry-cause for Lalu and Nitish that forced two political rivals to form alliance.