2019 elections to put Tejashwi Yadav’s political acumen to test after crisis-ridden year for RJD

Beset with problems within crisis-ridden Rashtriya Janata Dal following the imprisonment of his father and party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav has a tough task at hand in this election year. His party is the largest constituent of the Grand Alliance in Bihar and is spearheading the challenge against the Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi government in the state. However, reports of a rift in family and his lack of experience in dealing with tough situations may bear heavy on this young leader.

The problems ahead for Tejashwi range from party factionalism to an alleged rift within the party. Lalu’s health, which has deteriorated during the past few months, could also have a bearing in an election year. The past year saw the RJD make headlines, though it was for development largely related to the Lalu family including his health, infighting and marriage of elder son Tej Pratap.

The continuous deterioration in Lalu’s health affected the family as well as the party. At one time, there were reports that Lalu can neither sit nor stand on his own. The reported differences between Tejashwi and Tej Pratap only added to the woes. However, the party denied any rift between them but reports emerged suggesting all was not well within the family.

News of elder son Tej Pratap’s marriage to former CM Daroga Rai’s granddaughter Aishwarya Rai in May saw political rivals come together once again, but only to shower blessings on the couple. However, this brief moment of cheer only lasted for a few months. Tej Pratap filed a divorce petition at family court in Patna alleging he was subject to cruelty by his wife.

The family that was already in a tight spot ever since Lalu was sent to jail was taken aback. The family was seen struggling to overcome the new dilemma that was triggered due to Tej Pratap’s unruly behaviour. Upset over Tej Pratap’s decision, Lalu’s wife and former CM Rabri Devi even skipped the customary Chhath Puja.

Needless to say, the entire chain of events brought in a lot of unnecessary media attention and embarrassment to the family as well as the party. Going into election year, Tejashwi, however, has kept up his attack on the ruling establishment. His party is the single largest party in 243-member House with 79 MLAs and it remained on its toes politically throughout the year, attacking the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and Nitish Kumar-led government in Patna.

Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav aggressively channeled the RJD’s anger against the BJP and JD(U) alleging that the country is facing Emergency-like situation and Bihar was reeling under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. However, things were not as smooth-sailing as earlier expected.

Nitish stumps RJD

On the political front, the RJD was obviously proven wrong by its rivals. The opposition had forecast Nitish’s capitulation before Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. But Kumar smartly utilised his skills and bargained with the BJP to play the role of big brother in the state’s political landscape where the caste factor remains an integral part even after 70 years of independence. The war of words between the leaders of the two ruling parties kept the RJD guessing throughout the year and then came December when RJD’s hope of Nitish Kumar and LJP quitting the NDA and joining the ranks with the Grand Alliance again were washed out.

The RJD-Congress alliance also drew a game plan to encash politically on the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal, but Nitish Kumar prevailed against all. He did exactly what any smart politician will do in such a situation. He immediately recommended a CBI probe and axed the minister involved, thus leaving the opposition tight-lipped.

RJD MLAs conviction in graft, rape

Then came the conviction of RJD’s two sitting MLAs – Ilyas Hussain and Raj Ballabh Yadav. While Hussain (Dehri MLA) was convicted in a corruption case, Yadav (Nawada MLA) was convicted in a rape case. However, their conviction and subsequent disqualification from the Assembly did not matter for a partly like RJD that has a long record of patronising people with criminal antecedents. However, trouble didn’t stop here. The drama saw three Congress MLCs, including its former state president Ashok Chaudhary, crossing over to the JD(U).

What in 2019?

The RJD is leading the Grand Alliance that got a major boost when Upendra Kushwaha of RLSP quit the NDA and joined the opposition camp. The state sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha and it has many players – RJD, Congress, HAM, RSP, NCP and Left. The seat-sharing deal is yet to be finalised. All the parties will be looking to contest the maximum number of seats. The grand alliance is bound to struggle with problems of dissent and any rift within the Grand Alliance will come as an incentive to Nitish-led alliance.

The elections in 2019 will be a matter of prestige for the RJD that will face the public without Lalu leading it from the forefront. With Tejashwi likely to be at the forefront of his party’s offensive in the upcoming polls, the challenge he faces is enormous. The outcome of the Lok Sabha polls will have an impact on the 2020 Assembly polls when RJD wants to see Tejashwi sitting at the helm of the state’s affairs.