BJP uses LJP as 'B' team to corner Nitish amid Bihar poll

Amid bickering between LJP and JD(U) in recent months, the Chirag Paswan-headed party will go alone in the upcoming elections but still “support the BJP”. The party will contest against all JD(U) candidates in the three-phase elections, writes, Amit Bhelari, Bureau chief, ETV Bharat, Bihar.

Patna: It's no more secret that BJP is using LJP as its 'B' team to corner chief minister Nitish Kumar in this assembly election in Bihar. BJP understands very well that this is the right time to hit the hammer as iron is hot.

That's the reason that not a single BJP leader from the state or centre has opposed the move of LJP or spoken against any LJP leaders of Bihar. The slogans of LJP like Modi se bair nahi, Nitish tumhari khair nahi (no animosity with Modi but wont spare Nitish) indicates what's going on behind the curtain and who is the ringmaster.

Political pundits believe that every step has been strategically planned and accordingly, things are going forward. Announcing Nitish as the face of NDA by BJP president JP Nadda and home minister Amit Shah was also the party of the strategy

“In future, if Nitish Kumar will try to sabotage BJP and LJP, the BJP would be having a strong base and logic to prove their points that since beginning Nitish was the face of NDA. If Nitish himself wants to move alone or choose a different path, that's his decision and BJP is nowhere responsible for it. In this way, the BJP can easily come out with blame game politics, “said a political pundit

It is a bitter truth that there is a heavy anti-incumbency factor working against Nitish in Bihar. There are varieties of reasons which have accumulated and taken a shape. Anti-incumbency is heavy on the level of personal acceptance of Nitish. BJP wants to take the maximum advantage of this factor and that's the reason that LJP has decided to contest on 143 seats to help BJP.

LJP has already announced that all 143 candidates would be against JDU candidates, not BJP. It means that LJP will be cutting the vote share of JDU benefiting the saffron party.

This is also a golden opportunity for the BJP to get rid of the tag of always being the second party in the alliance.

Sources in the BJP also revealed that the real plan is to emerge as the single largest party in Bihar assembly so that BJP can have their own CM candidate if everything falls in the right place as per game plan.

“Why Chirag never blamed BJP for seat-sharing despite knowing the fact that it is the saffron party which will accommodate him not Nitish? Why did Chirag never raise an objection that he did not get the desired seat from the BJP? Why is Chirag more loyal to BJP and bitter towards Nitish and his pet agenda of saat nischay (seven resolves)? All these examples prove that BJP wants to corner Nitish using LJP as his 'B' team or proxy, “said a Patna based political observer.

Political experts also observed that Nitish's relation with BJP compared to the previous relationship which was based on trust is no more. There is doubt in the present relation between BJP and JDU. The way Nitish shifted from RJD to BJP, it proves that the present relationship is not a natural alliance.

Chirag Paswan is the leader who wants to make his own space in Bihar. Internally, Chirag feels that he cannot move forward with Nitish because the present CM believes in destroying smaller parties and its leaders. Chirag also feels that his future while being with Nitish is insecure.

Talk may have taken place with JDU over the seat-sharing or Chirag must have got those seats which he knows very well that he will face defeat. It's not like the 2010 election in which NDA secured 206 seats in Bihar. Forget what the opposition will do because it's not the 2010 wave. If LJP has decided to contest on 143 seats, the formidable candidates can always win the election without depending on JDU.

BJP will never like Nitish to become stronger and in any case, BJP will not lose anything in the cold war between LJP and JDU. BJP will surely win a good number of seats based on the popularity of PM Narendra Modi and is a cadre-based party. Observing all the scenarios, BJP is playing a dual game - one supporting LJP and second cornering Nitish in Bihar.

So far BJP has not taken any direct action against LJP and if any action taken that too would happen under some agreement if Nitish will pressurise BJP.

Ram Vilas Paswan, on the other hand, is looking at the future of his son and he would go to any extent to establish himself in Bihar politics even if it happens on the cost of losing the cabinet berth in the centre.

“Ram Vilas Paswan is in active politics for more than five decades and he is noted Dalit leader of Bihar. However, like Lalu, even Ram Vilas wants to establish his son. He won't mind if he loses his cabinet berth under any agreement on the condition to establish his son. In today's scenario, BJP is on the upper edge and executed well plan to leave Nitish in the lurch, “

It would be interesting to see how things unfold in the Bihar election in coming days and how much LJP can damage Nitish to prove himself right with his own agenda of Bihar First Bihari's First vision document.