Lalu Prasad Yadav returns as kingmaker, stops BJP rath for the second time

PATNA: The 2015 assembly polls have marked the return of RJD boss Lalu Prasad to the centrestage of the state’s politics after a decade. RJD’s emergence as the largest party has once again strengthened his image as a crowd-puller and vote-catcher, after a lean patch. In his second innings, Prasad will be kingmaker. The huge win for his alliance has significance for him and his political family, comprising his wife Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap and his daughter Misa Bharti, who campaigned for her party.

RJD was dislodged from power in 2005 by the same Nitish Kumar, whom Prasad has now helped win a third successive term. Prasad received a major setback in 2010 assembly polls, when his party managed to bag only 22 seats in 243-strong Bihar assembly. Even his wife Rabri Devi lost the polls. Then came his conviction in the fodder scam case and the Supreme Court verdict on convicted politicians meant that he could not participate in the electoral politics anymore. This was followed by the decimation of the party in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Yet, he showed political maturity by accepting Kumar as CM candidate of his Grand Alliance and ensuring full coordination with the JD(U) and Congress during the election campaign. Despite remaining the main target of the BJP, Prasad did not allow the BJP to set the agenda for the elections. He helped the Grand Alliance consolidate the OBC vote-bank in its favour by continuously targeting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his suggestion for reviewing the reservation policy.

Notwithstanding the perception that BJP tried to create on Prasad’s 'inability' to transfer his votes to JD(U) candidates, the election results have proved that he enjoys unmatched support among his traditional voters. BJP’s extra focus to project RJD regime as ‘jungle raj backfired too.

BJP had also tried to make a dent into his Yadav vote bank by giving tickets to 22 Yadav candidates but it did not work, as Prasad countered it with seats to 48 Yadav candidates and kept the votebank intact. It looks like it is Prasad’s turn to return the favour now. While