Sharad Leads The Race

If nothing sensational happens, Sharad Yadav, working president of the Janata Dal, may become the new party chief at the cost of scam-tainted Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.

The inevitable seems to have happened with the filing of nomination papers by the working president. The banner of revolt against the party President has been raised in Bihar. The dissidents, asking for a change in the leadership following the CBIs request to chargesheet Laloo Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam, received a shot in the arm with fence sitters too throwing their weight behind Sharad Yadav.

That there is discernible swing in favour of the working President in the home state of Laloo Prasad Yadav is evident from the fact three Bihar ministers considered to be neutral had proposed the candidature of Sharad Yadav.

Talking to Business Standard, Bihar minister for institutional finance, Managni Lal Mandal, said : The victory of Sharad Yadav is a foregone conclusion. He suggested that Laloo should retire in favour of the working president. Mandal, alongwith Ramjeevan Singh and Brijendra Yadav (both ministers), has proposed the candidature of Sharad Yadav, an MP from Madhepura. This will give a clear message that the Yadavas, Muslims and non-Yadav backwards have aligned in favour of Sharad, he claimed.

Besides, the legislators and party workers who were divided in the camps of Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan will come on one platform and challenge the might of Yadav. Mandal said that in no case would Sharad Yadav withdraw his candidature as he was on a stronger wicket with the support of the H D Deve Gowda camp. Those in favour of change maintained that Laloo Prasad Yadav was interested in retaining the party presidentship as he was aware that he would be forced to relinquish the Chief Ministership in the event of Governor, A R Kidwai, giving his assent to the CBIs request to chargesheet him.

The party cannot be used to cover up ones misdeeds, the rebels argued. Mandal claimed that Sharad Yadavs candidature has been proposed by 13 state presidents.

This proved beyond doubt that Laloo had no support outside the state. The candidature of Sharad Yadav was being favoured on the grounds that he was well mannered, has regards for ethics and has the capacity to implement the policies and programmes of the party at grass root levels and restore the inner party democracy. Besides, the party required a whole time president.

Referring to Laloo Prasad Yadavs announcement that the next national executive council meeting and election for party president would be held in Patna, Ganesh Prasad Yadav, a former minister and prominent dissident leader said that he (Laloo) had no business to decide the venue of elections. Laloo Prasad Yadav ceased to be the national president once he filed the nomination papers. The venue will now be decided by the returning officer and not by him.

Ganesh Yadav suggested that the Chief Minister should withdraw his papers in favour of Sharad Yadav in the larger interest of the party. He maintained that though he, alongwith several ministers and senior legislators, had not been nominated to national council to ensure Yadavs smooth sailing, a vertical split had taken place in the council. The majority of national council members from Bihar favour Sharad Yadav.

Gautam Sagar Rana, MLC and a National Council members also said that since the two Yadavs, who wielded considerable clout among the party leaders and have decided to contest, a division among the delegates cannot be ruled out.