Patna, Jan 5 : Riding on the success of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-alliance in Jharkhand elections, the party, in the absence of its President Lalu Prasad, is now gearing up for the state Assmebly polls scheduled later this year. Ahead of the election, RJD is trying to change its tactics by reintroducing old party leaders.
The RJD, which considers Muslims and Yadav community as its votebank, has now made Jagadanand Singh, an upper caste, its State President. The party is reintroducing its electoral style of 1995 by bringing the upper caste faces back to the party.
The party, which has opposed reservation to the economically weaker sections from the general category (Savarna) in the House, has now opened its door to everyone and put forward the “Savarnas” like Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Jagadanand Singh.
RJD is overjoyed with the success in removing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in Jharkhand and the recently held bypolls in Bihar.
According to party source, the RJD does not consider the ruling JD (U) a contender in the next elections. The party is preparing to launch a campaign against the BJP. Under this campaign, Tejashwi Yadav will visit different constituencies and will encourage the workers.
Tajashwi will also decide the programme of “andolan”, the source said.
With a motive to change the party’s social equation, the RJD is not only trying to approach the upper caste leaders, but also the backward and Dalit leaders, who were once witness to Lalu Prasad’s politics.
RJD sources say that RJD is also eyeing such leaders including Ramai Ram, Uday Narayan Chaudhary, Vrishni Patel who are angry with the BJP and its allies.
However, RJD Spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, “RJD has never been involved in caste politics. The party takes everyone along.”
He admitted that the party is again bringing its old comrades for the elections.
“So, what’s wrong in it?,” Tiwari asked.ear’s elections, but it is too early to say anything on this.”
He said that it’s “almost certain that the opposition parties will form a grand alliance for this y
Meanwhile, a RJD leader said on the condition of anonymity that RJD is strengthening the organisation.
“No one will be ignored in the name of preferring the Muslim-Yadav (MY) equation,” he said.
45 per cent of the party seats have been reserved for the most backward and the SC-ST communities.
Meanwhile, the party is targeting opponents on issues such as corruption and law and order.
In 2015, the RJD, Congress and JD (U) formed the Grand Alliance. However, JD(U) is likely to remain with the BJP this time around. It will be intersting to see how the RJD forms a strategy through an alliance with other parties, which can outsmart the BJP-JD(U) alliance.
