Bihar election: Manjhi Holds The Key In Bihar, Bihar assembly election 2015, Bihar poll, Bihar election News Updates, Bihar News

Bihar election: Manjhi Holds The Key In Bihar
political realignments have always been something that few can predict, let alone decipher. There are no permanent accomplices or adversaries, and reaping benefits seems to be the only motive.

The recent developments in Bihar are a testimony to the volatile complexities of politics.  The state which will go into polls later this year is throwing up interesting movements, and ever changing scenarios.

The alliance of friends turned foe turned friends, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav, however uneasy it may appear will pose a formidable challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party juggernaut. The entire theory behind the alliance of the ‘Janata Pariwar’ was to consolidate the anti-BJP votes, and present an alternative to the lower middle classes and the minorities, who traditionally have not been trusted BJP voters.

However, an important player has emerged who promises to change the calculations. Jitanram Manjhi, a Mahadalit candidate, after his unceremonial ouster first as the Chief Minister and then from Nitish Kumar’s JD(u), has thrown the contest wide open.  Hinting at the recent turn of events, the BJP is keeping its options open, and Amit Shah the party president has already made an announcement that his party is not averse to any new allies. The Mahadalit community adds upto 12 percent of the vote share in the state, and the BJP may present Manjhi to woo them.

Bihar politics has always been centred on cast driven vote banks and the leap of Manjhi in the centrestage proves how every community plays an equally crucial role in deciding the fate of the elections. Add the sympathy factor, which is bound to surface during campaigns, and Manjhi has suddenly become the man to watch out for, for any alliance with the BJP would complement Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, who already has the backing of Dalits.

Manjhi has recently launched his own party the ‘Hindustani Awam Morcha’ and his meeting with Prime Minster has only added fuel to the speculation about his growing bonhomie with the BJP, as he has already made it clear that he is open to any coalition which is against Nitish Kumar.

The importance of these elections is very important for the BJP, who lack the numbers in the Rajya Sabha, and hence are not able to push through many legislations. The outcome of these elections will dictate the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh elections, slated to be held next year. The party however will not jump the gun and will want to tread its path carefully, as it has already received a severe jolt in the Delhi Assembly.

The politics of vendetta coupled with caste equations has made the upcoming elections in Bihar an intriguing watch.

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