Patna (Bihar): As the Bihar elections near, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had earlier wooed the Dalit and Muslim vote banks in the elections, is now eyeing the rival RJD's Yadav cadre vote bank.
This time around, Nitish seems to have come out with a new experiment by playing the Dalit, Yadav, and Muslim cards.
Most of the MLAs switching over from the RJD to JDU just before the Bihar assembly elections are from the Yadav caste, while some also belong to the Muslim community. On the other hand, by joining hands with Jitan Ram Manjhi once again, Nitish tried to give a big reach-out message to the Dalits before the elections.
While the current Chief Minister may not be considered a great Dalit leader, he has always tried to woo the community right from the beginning.
He made Jitan Ram Manjhi the Chief Minister. Similarly, Uday Narayan Chaudhary was made the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly twice.
He also appointed the most number of Dalit ministers. Further, with the help pf multiple schemes for Dalits, he has been successful in capturing the vote bank.
Though former Assembly Speaker and RJD leader Uday Narayan Chaudhary praised Nitish Kumar for the reach out, he also raised questions on the Chief Minister's commitment.
Nitish Kumar is eyeing the Dalit vote bank as well as the RJD's Yadav cadre vote in the assembly elections this time. This is being seen as the reason why successive Yadav legislators are joining the JDU. Recently, seven MLAs switched over to the JDU from RJD.
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Nitish's eye is on Yadav and Muslim along with Dalit vote bank in the assembly elections this time. Ghulam Rasool Baliyavi, a leader with a deep hold among Muslims, will be the one playing a huge role if Nitish manages to successfully break the 'MY equation' of the RJD.
In Bihar, the vote percentage of Dalit, Muslim and Yadav voters adds up to around 50 per cent of the total, which plays an important role in the victory and defeat of any seat. Nitish Kumar has an eye on all the three vote banks. For a long time, JDU has been trying to woo Dalits and Muslims, but this time, the party is also attacking RJD's cadre vote bank.
