BJP gropes for leader to counter Laloo in Bihar

Even as the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (United) merger process is passing through the rough patches, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears worried over its electoral prospects in Bihar.

The BJP has politically relied on its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, particularly, the Samata Party to put up a formidable front against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav.

In 1999 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-Samata-JD(U) alliance had grossly marginalised the RJD, which gained only seven out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

But the subsequent political crisis in the NDA once again consolidated Laloo Yadav's position in the Assembly elections. Obviously, the infighting within the NDA has still not subsided with anti-Laloo forces appears to be in a disarray.

The BJP, which got 12 Lok Sabha seats in 1991 appears to be a rudderless organisation as party's state unit leaders have failed to come up to the expectation.

There appears to be a serious infighting for the leadership, with BJP legislature party leader Sushil Kumar Modi losing confidence of the central leadership.

As of now, two Union ministers- Ravi Sahankar Prasad and Shahnawaz Hussein""are lobbying hard to project themselves as the party's future leaders in Bihar.

Hussein's logic is simple: he is the only Muslim face in Bihar who could break Yadav's formidable Muslim-Yadav combine. Hussein is keen to take on the mantle of the future Bihar chief minister in the same way as Uma Bharti was projected in MP.

However, a highly ambitious Ravi Shankar Prasad is also keen to join the fray on the premise that he is a young and dynamic Bihari leader with his ears to the ground.

But Prasad's vulnerability comes from his lack of experience in the electoral politics. At the same time, in a society where caste-cleavages are deep, Prasad will face stiff resistance even within the BJP.

Even as the infighting goes on, the BJP seems to be out of focus on consolidating its position in one of the big states.

Within the NDA, the Samata Party-JD(U) together had won 18 Lok Sabha seats in 1991. But the merger process has already estranged four MPs of the alliance and they have declared their independent positions.

The group led by DP Yadav is maintaining equi-distance from the NDA and the RJD.

Obviously, Kumar is the only leader of this group who has the OBC's following and adequate understanding of the ground realities to counter Yadav.

But Kumar is unable to lead from the front because of his pre-occupation in the Centre's politics. At the same time, Kumar faces challenges even from the BJP's state leadership.

But what appears to have caused a major worry for the NDA is the possibility of an open war breaking out within the anti-Laloo forces if Lok Janashakti leader Ram Vilas Paswan is not roped in within the NDA fold.

"Paswan is all set to join if there is consensus within the NDA to project him as the chief minister" said a senior union minister. But Paswan's running feud with Nitish Kumar continues unabated and poses a serious problem in the state which remains unresolved.

Perhaps, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will have to take into account all these issues when he effects the next cabinet reshuffle with the intention of streamlining the party's organisational structure in crucial states like UP and Bihar.