 "Bhupender Yadav")
Here are the people behind the scenes: those who will preside over the fortunes of the Nitish Kumar-led alliance; and those who are devising strategies for the National Democratic Alliance to ride to victory. As Bihar submerges itself in elections, Archis Mohan & Satyavrat Mishra take a look at the silent strategists in the two rival alliances
NDA commanders leading the fight for Bihar
Dharmendra Pradhan
Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas
Pradhan, 46, was a key member of the party team that delivered a whopping 31 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats of Bihar to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2014 general elections. Pradhan, along with Bhupender Yadav, is handling the logistical needs of party candidates. While his association with Bihar continues, the party leadership wants him to increasingly focus on his home state of Odisha. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to be a credible rival to the Biju Janata Dal by the next assembly elections in Odisha.
Ananth Kumar
Ananth Kumar
Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers
Kumar, 56, was 14th on the list of Cabinet ministers sworn in on May 26, 2014. An MP from Bengaluru South, Kumar was a Cabinet minister for urban development during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and his presence so low down the pecking order in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was a sign that he was still seen as somebody close to senior BJP leader L K Advani.
According to party sources, Kumar - who along with Sushma Swaraj, was identified with the Advani camp that had resented Modi becoming the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP in 2013 - was lucky to find a spot in the Modi Cabinet. But the last 15 months have seen Kumar win the confidence of BJP President Amit Shah as his go-to man for the Bihar Assembly polls.
Kumar's low profile, ability to stay away from the media and persuasive negotiation skills have helped the party sew up its seat-sharing talks with its Bihar allies without any major hiccup. His comeback has also been helped by his closeness to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Joint General Secretary and fellow Kannadiga Dattatreya Hosabale.
Kumar was associated with the party's Bihar strategy in 2005, as deputy to Pramod Mahajan, and helped Arun Jaitley in 2010. In the past couple of months, he has extensively travelled across Bihar. An NDA victory in Bihar could catapult Kumar to a front-ranking ministerial portfolio in a possible Cabinet reshuffle by year-end.
Bhupender Yadav
Bhupender Yadav
Rajya Sabha MP
Yadav, 46, is a rising star and liked by the party leadership for his ability to work hard and his calm disposition. Yadav hails from Ajmer in Rajasthan and was a Supreme Court advocate active in the BJP-affiliated lawyers' union where he caught the attention of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2012.
As party general secretary, Yadav has emerged a key organisational man by successfully handling Assembly elections in Jharkhand. He had won plaudits from Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje by ably neutralising the dissension within the BJP state unit before the 2013 Assembly polls. Recently, Yadav headed the Rajya Sabha select committee on the goods and services tax (GST) Bill. In Bihar, Yadav leads a team comprising Delhi BJP leader Pawan Sharma and Gujarat MP C R Patil to look after logistical needs of party candidates.
Saudan Singh
BJP's Joint General Secretary (organisation)
Singh, seen earlier as somebody close to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, is one of the few men who have persuaded Amit Shah to look at their ability rather than past affiliations. According to a party source, if Kumar is the leader of the pack handling the Bihar strategy for Shah, Singh is ensconced at number two for ensuring RSS cadres contribute to the party's efforts to win the crucial polls.
Singh, who hails from Chhattisgarh, is an intermediary between the RSS and BJP. He came to prominence in 2006, after Sanjay Joshi had to quit in disgrace. He has been party in-charge for Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in the past. It was Singh who flagged to party bosses the dip in the popularity of the Raman Singh government of Chhattisgarh before the 2013 elections, which helped the party take steps that ensured its slim victory in that election.
In Bihar, Singh coordinates with the RSS so that its cadres help not only BJP candidates but also those of allies, like the Lok Janshakti Party and others. RSS pracharaks Shivnarayan and Rajendra Singh have been assisting him in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar's fighter brigade
Ram Chandra Prasad Singh
Ram Chandra Prasad Singh
A former IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Singh - popularly known as RCP in the state's administrative and political circles - is the most trusted lieutenant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. An extremely low-profile person, Singh has been a proverbial shadow of Kumar for more than two decades. A caste-man of Nitish and also a resident of Nalanda, Singh did his MA from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, before joining the civil services in 1984. He came close to Kumar, when the latter became a deputy minister in the V P Singh government, while the former was on central deputation. RCP was also Kumar's special secretary when he was the railway minister in the Vajpayee government. He returned to his home state as the chief minister's principal secretary, when Kumar took the reins of Bihar in 2005. In 2010, Kumar rewarded him with a Rajya Sabha seat.
Officially, he heads the JD(U)'s election war room, situated at Kumar's residence in Patna. Unofficially, RCP is second-in-command in the party. Reputed to be an able administrator, he is known for getting things done. His undisputed clout over the state's bureaucracy is his biggest asset and he uses it well. He screens candidates in the party. "The final decision is taken at Kumar's level. However, RCP is the person, who prepares the shortlist," said a senior JD(U) leader.
Abdul Bari Siddiqui
Siddiqui, a Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad loyalist, is one of the most important Muslim leaders in the state. He is considered to be one of the most honest and performing leaders in the state. Unlike several other Muslim leaders in the RJD, he is considered to be a secular leader.
The RJD chief values Siddiqui's opinions more than that of anyone in his party. He has managed to operate without too much attention, despite the fact that he was a minister in both Lalu and Rabri Devi's Cabinets. This time, he has been given the responsibility to screen Muslim candidates. He has his task cut out: Ensure the RJD continues to hold sway among Muslims in North Bihar. He will have to see to it that JD(U) remains dependent on RJD for Muslim votes.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lallan Singh)
Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lallan Singh)
For state Road Construction Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, things have come full circle. In the Assembly election, the former JD(U) state president was gunning for Kumar. He was not happy with Kumar's growing dependence on RCP Singh, while the party accused him of misreporting party funds. However, the bonhomie is back; now he is a key associate of Kumar.
Political observers say Singh is what Amar Singh used to be for Mulayam Singh Yadav. He is the party's fund-raiser. He manages the party's war chest and therefore plays an important role in Kumar's game plan. His upper-caste background and links with prominent Bhumihar leaders are his additional advantages.
Prem Chandra Gupta
Former corporate affairs minister Gupta is as important for Lalu as Lallan Singh is for Nitish Kumar. He came close to Lalu in the late 1990s when the RJD chief was being deserted by his old friends and was in desperate need of a Man Friday. He not only filled the vacuum, but excelled in several areas. He draws his powers from his proximity to Lalu, but he does not try to control the RJD chief's politics the way Lallan did during the last assembly elections. He has remained close to Lalu for almost two decades now, primarily because of his ability to do his master's bidding and stay in the background. He shares a good rapport with lawyers and government functionaries. He looks after Lalu's interests in the national capital.
