The resignation of Jitan Ram Manjhi as chief minister of Bihar came as a big setback for the BJP that tried to woo the Mahadalit votebank in the state by offering support to him in the floor test. That unfortunately didn't happen. The Mahadalit card backfired for the BJP as Manjhi himself stepped down, alleging life threat on him and his MLAs, an allegation unexpected from a CM. The latest development from Bihar only exposed BJP's shaky position in the state months before the polls. Read Also: Nitish Kumar is winner of Manjhi episode, it’s now up to BJP to choose path ahead The Delhi debacle seems to have a strong impact on BJP. And nervous from the rout, the party is seen making decisions in a hurry, be it in Bihar or in Jammu & Kashmir, where party is looking to go ahead with pro-separatist PDP with a dilution on its stand on AFSPA and Artice 370. BJP's possible compromise on Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code has upset the RSS which was also against the projection of Kiran Bedi as Delhi CM candidate against Arvind Kejriwal. The RSS had opposed any dilution in the BJP’s stand on the Article 370 that accords special status to J&K. Former RSS ideologue, KN Govindacharya slammed the talks between PDP and BJP, calling it'absolutely immoral'. And with the Army too strongly opposing any move to 'revoke', 'partially withdraw' or 'dilute' AFSPA, the concerns for BJP in J&K has increased. The day Delhi voted and exit polls predicted an Aam Aadmi Party govt in the national capital, Manjhi boycotted JD(U) legislature party meeting in Bihar over handover of the Chief Minister’s post. Eyeing an anhiliation in Delhi, BJP attempted to strengthen its hold in Bihar and stood with Manjhi. Read Also: BJP wants a crisis but I won’t let that happen: Nitish Kumar The numbers were never in favor of a BJP-Manjhi alliance. With 12 MLA from his camp and 87 from BJP, Manjhi was never in a position to form the government. Then what prompted the BJP to wade into JD(U)'s mess. The political pundits see it as an act of desperation by the BJP after Delhi loss. With RJD and Congress openly supporting JDU, Yadav and the Muslim vote banks seem clearly behind Nitish, who already has his Kurmi communit backing him. The BJP has just the upper caste votes to hold on to in Bihar. However, the recent hate speech by most of the pro Hindu leaders including Sakshi Maharaj and Sadhvi Prachi has only added to its woes. The BJP tried to rope in Mahadlits by advocating Manjhi's cause. However, the self proclaimed Dalit icon ditched the BJP in the last minute, making its position weak. Though Nitish Kumar is seen a man responsible for the political turmoil in Bihar, he is still the most trusted leader for the post of chief minister in Bihar as per an ABP News-Nielsen Snap Poll. The poll surely gives an indication that the BJP cadre have a tough river to cross before the polls in November.
