Eye on 'Mahadalit' votes, BJP to support Manjhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to vote with rebel Janata Dal (United)’s faction led by Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi in Friday's confidence vote, convinced that such an approach will help it win support among the state's sizeable ‘Mahadalit' community. BJP state unit chief Sushil Kumar Modi said on Thursday the legislative party will vote in favour of Manjhi. Sources said all 87 BJP MLAs were unanimous that the party should back Manjhi, even as JD(U) President Sharad Yadav accused the BJP of “destroying democratic traditions”. He feared the BJP might not let the House function and usurp power through the back door by putting the state under the President’s Rule.

The BJP believes its support for Manjhi will help it break former CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s ‘Mahadalit’ support base. The BJP is unlikely to be a match for the JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress alliance with its consolidated Mahadalit, OBC and Muslim support.

The BJP has projected Manjhi, a Mahadalit, as a victim of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress’s “anti-Dalit alliance". “The BJP will not tolerate the insult to Dalits and will not allow anyone to undermine their welfare,” BJP legislature party chief Nand Kishore Yadav said.

However, there was bad news from the Patna High Court for Manjhi. The court disallowed four dissident JD(U) MLAs from casting their vote in Friday’s confidence motion in the Bihar Assembly. The decision will damage Manjhi’s chances of finding support from more JD(U) MLAs. According to BJP sources, there were several JD(U) MLAs willing to cross over if assured a BJP ticket in the Assembly elections.

In a related development, Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary recognised the JD(U) as the main opposition party, a strange situation where legislators of the same party will be occupying both the treasury and opposition benches. BJP MLAs protested at the Speaker’s decision outside his chamber.

Nitish Kumar has claimed the support of 130 MLAs. This includes MLAs of JD(U), RJD, Congress and Left parties. BJP has 87 MLAs in the House.