Bihar assembly polls: BJP pinning hopes on aspirational class?

New Delhi, Jun 12: BJP is pinning its hopes on the aspirational class in Bihar, who it feels will not accept the 'foes-turned-friends' alliance of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar in the state.

With focus on Bihar in high-stake assembly polls slated later this year, BJP is confident of staging a victory and has started the process of strengthening its alliance by adding mahadalit leader and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Yesterday Manjhi met BJP chief Amit Shah and announced his of contesting the Bihar polls as "part and parcel" of NDA, giving the BJP a shot in its arm. Shah will be visiting Bihar on June 21 and hold discussions with party leaders in the state. He will also participate in the International Yoga Day celebrations there.

The party has also started discussions on seat-sharing with its allies, with BJP general secretary and in-charge of Bihar affairs Bhupender Yadav holding a discussion with LJP leader and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Yadav met Paswan at his residence and discussed the strategy ahead in defeating the Lalu-Nitish alliance as well as seat-sharing with LJP. Shah had also met Upendra Khushwaha, whose RLSP is an ally with BJP in Bihar, at his residence and held discussions on the poll strategy ahead.

BJP feels that the coming together of Lalu and Nitish indicates the growing strength of BJP in the state that has "rattled" the Janata Parivar leaders. "For 20 years they abused each other with bitterness and got together only out the fear of a strong BJP.

How can people accept such an alliance and forget the 'Jungle Raj'? Majority of people in Bihar have turned aspirational and are looking forward to good governance and development," said a BJP leader.

He said people will make a comparison with the last two years of Nitish regime with the seven years of BJP-JDU rule in the state as part of the alliance and it comes out that the law and order, growth and governance has deteriorated.

The BJP feels that the coming together of once staunch rivals JD-U and RJD is due to a "strong" BJP and this will be evident with the verdict of people of Bihar.

Meanwhile, the party has made Union minister Ananth Kumar as Bihar's election in-charge of BJP and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a former in-charge of party affairs in Bihar, as election co-incharge.

PTI