|
Bihar elections : No clarity about alliances |
 |
The Congress has failed to bring around Rambilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party to have an alliance, or at least an understanding with Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the interest of keeping out the socalled communal forces. The Congress is slowly getting reconciled to an electoral contest in Bihar with a fractured United Progressive Alliance. Paswan is reported to have more or less made up his mind to forge a third front with the CPI, CPI(ML) and the Samajwadi Party as its other constituents.
The CPI has been trying to persuade the CPI(M) to part ways with the RJD and ally with the third front mooted by Paswan. CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan had a meeting with his CPI(M) counterpart Prakash Karat last week where the question of forming the third front, or a united Left front came up. But, Bardhan failed to convince Prakash Karat to part company with the RJD. The CPI(M) took the line that the RJD was the main anti-BJP force in Bihar. The meeting which took place on Tuesday, August 9, was also attended by CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechuri and CPI secretary D. Raja.
Combined with the failure to bring together Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rambilas Paswan, the Congress is worried by a party assessment that the National Democratic Alliance would be ahead in the Bihar elections if the present scenario continues. The in-house assessment shows that the RJD, which finished behind NDA in the last elections, has not yet been able to close the gap. Congress leaders point to the trend suggesting a pro-NDA upper caste consolidation and admit that Lalu may find it difficult to overcome his disadvantage without partnering Paswan.
The trouble, however, is that Lalu, who has defied many predictions of his defeat in the past, is quite sanguine about his prospects and instead of heeding the caution sign, is intensely lobbying with the Congress leadership for the appointment of his nominee, reportedly a retired senior cop from Madhya Pradesh, B.S. Jugran, as the second adviser to the Governor.
Paswan, for his part, is no less rigid, and is sticking to a stance that renders the prospects of a rapprochement, so anxiously desired by the Congress, bleak.
Election Commission orders shifting of Bihar officers
Meanwhile, in a significant step to ensure free and fair Assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission has directed the state government to transfer all officers who have completed three years in a district. In a directive sent to the State Chief Secretary, the Commission said, “No officer connected with elections, directly or indirectly, should be allowed to continue in the present district of posting if she or he is posted in home district or home district of spouse and has completed three years in that district during the last four years. The Commission, in the interest of free and fair elections, has followed a consistent policy to ensure that officers, who are connected with the conduct of elections in the state, do not serve in their home districts or places where they have served for long,, it said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has decided that a five-judge constitution bench of the court will hear on September 6 petitions questioning the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly on May 23. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti decided to refer the matter to a constitution bench following a broad agreement among counsel for petitioners, the Attorney General and the Election Commission that the matter needed interpretation by a larger bench.
On September 6, the Court will also hear the interim application seeking stay of the election notification which may be issued for the Bihar Assembly poll. The Centre had earlier contended before the court that the advice tendered by the Council of Ministers to the President could not be gone into by the court.
|
