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A year of great political churning for Bihar

Two Assembly polls and imposition of President's Rule change the course of history

Patna: It was a year of great political churning in Bihar that saw the myth of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's non-vulnerability explode and a new order emerge under NDA leader Nitish Kumar, rekindling hopes in a state mired in abject poverty and lawlessness.

More than anything else, 2005 will be best remembered for the two epoch-making Assembly polls held within a span of eight months changing the course of history.

The year saw the light of Lalu's green lantern (election symbol) fade after shining bright for 15 years. It also had its share of controversy and scandal.

The State saw the new regime only after two gruelling Assembly elections in less than a year including the one for the 13th Assembly that was dissolved without being summoned even once.

The first polls saw the dislodging of Lalu raj, run by proxy through his Chief Minister wife Rabri Devi, and the second the decimation of the most enduring mascot of post-Mandal politics in an election he was fighting while out of power in the State for the first time in 15 years.

In the polls in February, though Lalu's RJD was ousted from power, it still emerged as the single largest party in the 243-member Assembly with 75 MLAs as the electorate gave a badly fractured verdict.

Ramvilas Paswan's LJP, a partner in the Centre's ruling coalition, had 29 MLAs and spoiled Lalu's party as the Dalit leader refused to join hands with either RJD or NDA, which had emerged as the largest pre-poll combination with 92 seats, paving the way for imposition of President's Rule on March 7, eighth time in the State's history.

Still, NDA's chief ministerial choice Nitish Kumar did not give up hope as he jockeyed for the top.

Paswan, having rejected Congress president Sonia Gandhi's advice for a rapprochement with Lalu, began making noises about JD(U) `poaching' on his MLAs on April 10.

Joining the chorus, on April 26, Governor Buta Singh too said political parties were indulging in horse-trading to form government. After remaining in suspended animation for two months and a half, the 13th Assembly was dissolved on the midnight of May 22 after an emergency meeting of the Union Cabinet.

As NDA cried foul, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Governor Buta Singh and the whole of UPA claimed the House was dissolved in the face of "horse-trading of the worst kind" by the NDA. Though the NDA claimed 20 LJP MLAs had congregated at a resort in Jharkhand of their own accord to plan government formation, the UPA alleged they were held in forcible confinement.

Lalu, once again, appeared a larger than life figure as NDA charged him with having "manipulated" the Governor and the Union Cabinet to "murder" democracy.

Allegations and counter-allegations notwithstanding, Lalu had managed to stall NDA's possible march to power.

Though cracks in his caste matrix did not go unnoticed, Lalu had refused to accept defeat and so had his rival Nitish Kumar.

The elections for the 14th Vidhan Sabha were a long-drawn exercise spanning a month and the Election Commission ensured one of the most peaceful and fair polls in Bihar in years.

The high and mighty of Bihar politics, including Lalu, Rabri Devi, former Speaker and Bihar PCC chief Sadanand Singh, Union Ministers Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Akhilesh Singh and even Maratha strongman and NCP leader Sharad Pawar were pulled up by Election Commission for violation of the model code of conduct. -- PTI

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A year of great political churning for Bihar

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