In Lalu’s village, they won’t mind if Nitish is pitched as CM face

Sitting on cemented platform under a peepal tree against the backdrop of Lalu’s two-storey pucca house, which he had built during his days as MLA in the mid-1980s, villagers recall how Lalu would discuss his political strategy and share stories of his rise at this very spot. The platform was built after Lalu became chief minister.

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Biran Choudhary, a retired teacher and elder to Lalu, says regaining power in Bihar is more important than thoughts about sharing it with Nitish. “What is the problem in projecting Nitish as CM? Shared power is better than no power. Lalu ruled Bihar for a long time in any case,” says Choudhary, who villagers say has been close to Lalu for decades.

The Lok Sabha seat is Gopalganj, represented by the BJP which snatched it from the JD(U). Before that, the winner was Lalu’s brother-in-law Anirudh Prasad Yadav, better known as Sadhu Yadav, who took the seat in 2004. Since then, Gopalganj has become a reserved seat.

Several villagers say they favoured Narendra Modi in the last elections because of his “Hindu face, crowd-pulling abilities” and the general clamour for change at the Centre. They stress, however, that the assembly polls will be different and Lalu will figure very strongly in their equations.

Here, Lalu used to discuss strategies. His home is in the background. (Express Archive)

“Laluji and Nitishji used to be together,” muses Shyamlal Yadav, 15 years younger to Lalu. “Now that Nitishji has done well, there should be no problem with his projection as CM. The two can rule Bihar.” The theory that Yadavs would be hostile to Nitish’s projection might be unfounded, he feels, saying the “social order had changed”since the 1990s.

A district RJD leader of Gopalganj agrees that Nitish’s projection should not bother too many RJD voters because, he says, the mood is in favour of a Lalu-Nitish alliance. Nitish as the face of the alliance would help consolidate the Muslim vote, he adds.

BSP leader Imtiyaz Ahmad, who lost the 2005 assembly poll from Hathua, says, “Though I am with the BSP, I believe rallying behind Nitish should suit Lalu as Muslim voters are upset about Yadavs having held sway during RJD rule.” The so-called M-Y factor is not known to have worked well in Gopalganj district, Ahmad says.

Phulwaria has over 400 households with a mixed population of Yadavs, Guptas, Bhumihars and Muslims. The village, about 200 km from Patna, has a hospital, railway station, a middle school and a registry office.

Villagers say Lalu brought them electricity but add it is Nitish’s responsibility to ensure power supply for at least 10-12 hours rather than the current two or three hours daily. “When Sahib comes here, we get uninterrupted power. The power goes when he goes,” Biran Choudhary says.

Choudhary seeks to seal the debate: “Nitish and Lalu should join hands to build Bihar. It does not matter if Nitish is made chief minister.”