Patna,(BiharTimes): With the BJP alone achieving the target of Mission 272––in fact it got 282 seats on its own––regional and smaller parties are not feeling very comfortable in the new set up. Ministers and MPs belonging to alliance partners are enjoying much less political clout than during the Vajpayee government. Even as alliance partners in UPA, Lalu Yadav’s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP used to have significant influence.
The Union ministers from Samata Party and Lok Janshakti Party used to dominate the political scene in the earlier NDA governments. Though Samata was a smaller party George Fernandes was the convenor of the National Democratic Alliance. Unlike now the number of ministers from allies was much higher.
But today Ram Vilas Paswan or even the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RSLP) leader and Union minister of state for rural development, Upendra Kushwaha, are keeping much lower profile. As unlike 182 in 1998 and 1999 the BJP alone got 100 seats more and thus the allies have lost their bargaining position.
The recent statements of the Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party leaders are enough indication of their displeasure. Upendra Kushwaha recently raised the issue of non-inclusion of any Bhumihar MP from Bihar in the Union cabinet as one of the factors responsible for the caste not voting for the NDA candidates in the August 21 by-poll. Observers say that this is one of the factors responsible for the poor performance of the NDA.
However, it was the LJP leader, Suraj Bhan, who appeared more categorical. He told the media in Ranchi a couple of days back that his party may go alone in Jharkhand if due respect is not paid in seat sharing arrangement.
As within a hundred days the Bharatiya Janata Party has lost one of its allies the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) and Shiv Sena too is showing signs of annoyance, grumbling has increased within the alliance partners in Bihar too. But the leaders can do little as they are enjoying power.
With Jharkhand, along with Haryana and Mahrashtra, going for Assembly poll in next few months partners like LJP would try to flex its muscle. But LJP can do little as its influence in that state is less than in Bihar.
It is true that the LJP and RSLP are very small parties yet it is also a fact that it is their votes which helped the NDA get 31 seats in Bihar in the recent Lok Sabha election. Otherwise the result may have been different––notwithstanding the presence of Narendra Modi.
