Why the RJD was wiped out in Lalu’s land

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar would go into the annals of history for three significant reasons.

First, the NDA had never before wrested 39 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats, with a strike rate of 97.5 per cent. Second, ever since its inception on July 5, 1997, this was the first election where the RJD could not win a single Lok Sabha seat in the State, where it’s still the single largest party in the Assembly. Thirdly, this was the first poll in Bihar where one of its mass leaders, Lalu Prasad, was completely absent from the scene, as he is undergoing jail sentence in Ranchi following his conviction in the fodder scam.

But why was the RJD decimated in the State where it has ruled for nearly two decades and is today the main Opposition party?

There are several reasons behind this complete wipeout. First, unlike the NDA, which forged a formidable alliance among its constituents with mutual respect, the Mahagatbandhan (led by the RJD and backed by the Congress, the HAM, the RLSP and Mukesh Sahni’s new outfit, Vikassheel Insaan Party) was a loose conglomeration of self-centred and ambitious leaders who were baying for each other’s blood. Other than the RJD and the Congress, the other constituents were basically caste-based outfits, which extracted their pound of flesh and tried to bite more than they can chew.

Secondly, the RJD, led by its main campaigner Tejashwi Yadav, was devoid of issues. While Lalu’s son harped more on Nitish’s back-stabbing and called him ‘Paltu Chacha’ (an Uncle who took U-turns) in every election rally, the voters were not at all impressed. Nitish’s credo of good governance, backed by his clean image, makes him stand head and shoulder above his rivals.

Thirdly, Nitish, during his campaigning, never used bawdy language as was being used by his opponents. While focusing on his government’s achievements in the field of rural electrification, potable water, roads and implementing prohibition, Nitish gave due credit to Narendra Modi too and talked of ‘double engine government’ in an apparent reference to the Centre-State bonhomie.

Fourthly, the BJP leaders were successful in showing Lalu and his family in poor light. Be it corruption cases, (where the CBI and the ED raided Rabri Devi’s residence in money laundering cases) or the infighting within Lalu’s family (where his elder son Tej Pratap was always at loggerheads with his other kin Tejashwi or Misa Bharti).

“Today, Lalu may be talking about Opposition unity. But it was he, who despite top CPI leaders’ plea, fielded an RJD candidate against Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai. With such a divided Opposition, the NDA reaped a rich harvest,” argued senior political commentator Ajay Kumar.