Rajesh Kumar Ojha
After withdrawing support from the Nitish government, Hindustani Awam Morcha (WE) patron and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday. Immediately after the conversation between the two leaders for about 45 minutes, Jitan Ram Manjhi announced to join the NDA. However, he did not say anything on the issue of seat sharing. But, after this alliance, political equations changed in Bihar. It means that one party of the clan of Grand Alliance was reduced and a new party was added to the clan of NDA. Now in terms of alliance, both the constituents in Bihar are on equal footing. Till now the political parties bound in the bond of alliance were more in the Grand Alliance. But, as soon as Jitan Ram Manjhi left the alliance, both became equal.
In fact, on the basis of votes, NDA lost more than 15 percent votes when Nitish Kumar left NDA. BJP is now trying to complete it by joining small parties. Under this campaign, BJP has associated Upendra Kushwaha and Mukesh Sahni with them by providing ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ category security. After this he joined RCP Singh and now Jitan Ram Manjhi with him. Political pundits say that in this way BJP had lost more than 15 per cent votes in terms of votes after Nitish Kumar left NDA. BJP is trying to complete all these by joining them. Let us tell that JDU got 15.39 percent votes in the 2020 assembly elections.
NDA’s eye on Dalit and OBC voters
Senior journalist Rajiv Mishra says that Manjhi needed BJP and BJP needed Manjhi. In this context both of them got together. There are 16 percent Dalit voters in the state. In this, five percent voters are Paswan. Till now this vote bank used to be occupied by Ram Vilas Paswan. But after his death, his son Chirag Paswan and brother Pashupati Paras claim it as their own. However, both of them are with BJP. That’s why it is being assumed that BJP will get its benefit.
Mahadalit castes (Pasi, Ravidas, Dhobi, Chamar, Rajvanshi, Musahar, Dom etc.) constitute about 11 percent of the remaining vote bank. BJP has also tried to break into this vote bank by associating Jitan Ram Manjhi with them. In order to help Bihar’s 26 percent OBC vote bank, BJP has taken the initiative to bring Nitish Kumar’s traditional vote bank Kurmi and Kushwaha with them. As per his fixed plan, he first got Upendra Kushwaha with him and then handed over the command of the state president of his party to Samrat Chaudhary. Kurmi and Kushwaha are around 8 percent in the state. By the way, Yadavs have the largest share in OBCs in terms of vote bank. This is about 14 percent. This botbank is currently with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party RJD.
