Nitish Kumar names candidates; takes potshots at BJP, RSS

Eying a major slice of votes among the backward communities, Dalits and Mahadalits, the grand alliance on Wednesday released its candidate list which comprises 16 <g data-gr-id="36">per cent</g> from General category, 55 <g data-gr-id="37">per cent</g> backwards, 15 per cent SCs/STs, and 14 <g data-gr-id="38">per cent</g> from the minority community.

 The Mahagathbandhan has fielded 64 candidates from the Yadav community against about 30 candidates pitted by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to eat into the Yadav vote bank of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar.

In a bid to keep the Kushwaha vote-bank intact, Janata Dal (United) has fielded 30 candidates from Kurmi and Kushwaha <g data-gr-id="47">communites</g>. Since Muslims have always helped Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, and Congress to win the seats dominated by them, all the parties have fielded about two dozen candidates from the minority community, while only two Muslims candidates out of 153 are in the poll fray from the BJP. A total of 25 women candidates <g data-gr-id="43">have</g> been given tickets by the grand alliance which amounts 10 <g data-gr-id="48">per cent</g>.

In a clear indication that the anti-BJP secular alliance’s campaign will have a sharp thrust on backward class politics, which had helped Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and later Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) reap handsome electoral harvests in post-Mandal Bihar, Nitish Kumar launched a frontal attack on BJP and RSS at the news conference called to announce the list.

Making a frontal attack on BJP and RSS, Nitish Kumar said, “It is clear that he (Mohan Bhagwat) feels the current policy of reservation is not right and wants some other system,” adding, “View of RSS is final. Whatever BJP might say, it has no meaning. Like when anything is decided by the Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, it is final and there is nothing after that, the same way in RSS, if RSS chief says something then BJP has no say.”

The list also includes the two sons of RJD chief – Tejaswi and Tej Pratap–who would make their electoral debut from Yadav-dominated Mahua and Raghopur seats of Vaishali district, both represented by JD(U) in the outgoing Assembly.