Sonia will go to Bihar but cautiously

Laloo Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal did not want Sonia Gandhi to campaign in Bihar, a state she has avoided visiting for five yea...

Laloo Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal did not want Sonia Gandhi to campaign in Bihar, a state she has avoided visiting for five years. So, though she has decided to go, she’d limit her campaign to one day each in the three phases to keep the partner happy.

Though Laloo Yadav did not say so himself when he met Sonia Gandhi last week, the RJD made it known that it would not like Sonia Gandhi to campaign in the state. So her campaign managers have organised her schedule in such a way that her she will not have to tackle the friendly fights with the RJD. The two parties are fighting each other in at least 70 constituencies.

‘‘She will only campaign in constituencies where there are Congress candidates and not in constituencies where there are other UPA candidates in the field,’’ said a senior Congress leader. ‘‘She will only campaign against NDA candidates.’’

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She is expected to address 4-5 meetings in Bihar in the entire campaign and there are no road shows. She is scheduled to address a rally at Arrah on January 31. According to party sources, she is unlikely to share the dais with Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Even though Laloo is trying to queer the pitch for the Congress in Jharkhand, he fears that if Sonia undertakes an intensive campaign in Bihar, it might have an impact on the Muslims. The more the Congress or Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP are able to cut into Muslim vote, the greater the chance of an RJD defeat.

Laloo, when he called on Sonia Gandhi last week, is believed to have assured the Congress President that despite fights, friendly or otherwise, he would remain the Congress’ eternal friend and there was no question of his withdrawing support to the UPA government.

Even in Jharkhand, the Congress president, according to the sources, is unlikely to share the stage with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren at two public meetings the same day. Though electioneering for the first phase closes on February 1, there is no word yet on the Prime Minister’s participation in the campaign. According to sources in the PMO, Manmohan Singh would campaign for party nominees, but no schedule has been drawn so far.

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